Update from the Gulf Coast

It will indeed be as bad as many of us feared. Long laid plans did not work as intended and many are hurting. And yes, there were mistakes but the time for handing out guilty verdicts is not upon us yet. There is much work to be done and many people to take care of. New Mexico is receiving up to 6000 evacuees and many of our Emergency Service people are in the affected areas.
Thankfully we heard from our friend, Peter, a New Orleans firefighter. It was a horrendous couple of days for him and other N.O. firefighters as they were often besieged by gunfire when trying to do their job. He is on his way to Gallup, along with his parents - Doc and Simone, who evacuated to Texas before Katrina hit. All we know now is that he'll be here for a few days of R&R. He sounded tired and very grateful to be getting a break. We are so excited to see all three of them and know they are safe and sound.
Our family will continue to pray and support people in the affected areas as we are able.
God bless you all!

Update: Peter and his family are in Gallup. We saw him at 1:00 am, NM time. He looks beat, but it was wonderful to see him.Tomorrow we'll spend more time, but for now the need for sleep overtakes all other needs.

(This is posted on my other blog too, so you aren't going nuts if you think you've read it before).