Katrina 1

So much has been written. So much has been said. Several times during the last week I sat down to post something here, but some other task or issue or priority intervened. And in the end, I didn’t have anything new to add to the litany of coverage and opinions of the human drama that began just to our east, then moved our way, centered on Houston just to the west of us for a while, then dispersed across the nation.

Like you, I have been consumed with sorrow for the lifechanging devastation wrought upon the communities of Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi by Katrina. I've mourned those who lost their lives and anguished over those who have suffered so much longer than they should have. I've marvelled at the first responders who against all odds have managed to rescue and care for victims. I’ve also been consumed with anger at the lack of planning, the incompetence, the disorganization and the vacuum of leadership displayed by too many New Orleans area, state, and federal elected officials. Their historically awful response to the immediate needs of those impacted by the storm and the resulting flooding has been a public disgrace to our state and to our nation.

Our own efforts here at KPLC over the last two weeks have been twofold. The storm was still dissipating over the coast when we teamed up with the local chapter of the Red Cross to create the KPLC/American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Drive. Southwest Louisiana’s response has been overwhelming; we’ve done these sorts of relief drives before and our community has always been generous to a fault; but nothing compared to this.

I was at the live remote site along Bord du Lac Drive by the Civic Center early last week when we kicked off the drive at 5pm. I stayed there till about 630, then went to pick Debbie up at Episcopal Day School (she is the admissions director there; like all other schools in our area, EDS was already dealing with the sudden arrival of many new students). We circled back around the Civic Center, and the sight before us was something I’ll never forget. Cars were lined up almost all the way to Millenium Park, with generous Southwest Louisianians patiently waiting to drop off bags full of bedding, baby formula, toiletries, toys…everything the Red Cross needed for their local shelter at the Civic Center and much more. The monetary donations were staggering as well; hundreds of thousands of dollars donated that first night. A massive donation by Citgo’s Venezuelan owners and a generous outpouring by local businesses and families pushed the cash donations into the millions.

Finally, the Red Cross asked us to stop asking you for non-cash donations. They had more than they could handle here. Ultimately, they opened up the Burton Coliseum for additional Katrina evacuees so all the goods you donated were used and appreciated.

While we were working with local relief efforts and covering the story of the people who found themselves in Southwest Louisiana either temporarily or permanently, our other focus was on our sister Liberty Corp. station in Biloxi, Mississippi. WLOX is to the Mississippi Coast as KPLC is to Lake Charles. Its facilities were badly damaged by Katrina. Many employees there lost their homes. But they rolled up their sleeves and with the help of our company’s headquarters and other stations, got back on the air to deliver emergency information to all of the devastated communities in their coverage area.

Our immediate assignment was to secure and ship needed fuel to WLOX. They needed diesel fuel for their generators (obviously there would not be any electricity in Biloxi for a while) and gasoline for their vehicles. Easier said than done. At that point, rationing of fuel had already begun in the vicinity of the damage and there were some shortages here as well. We thank Pumpelly Oil for making our fuel needs for WLOX a priority. And we want to say a special thanks with our deepest gratitude to Transwood in Sulphur for providing us with a truck at no charge to transport the fuel to Biloxi.

Getting the fuel there was a challenge unto itself. FEMA was commandeering any and all fuel shipments for their own use. We got Mississippi Senator Trent Lott’s office involved to give some assurance that the fuel would get through. In subsequent shipments, armed hijackers became a real concern. Thanks to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso for providing an escort of one shipment to the Louisiana-Mississippi line. From there the Mississippi Highway Patrol gave us a blue-light escort all the way to WLOX.

Several KPLC people, on-air and technicians, have rotated through WLOX to assist with the station’s wall-to-wall response to the crisis there. We’ve sent equipment, food and water with them. I would ask that as you keep the Katrina victims (and survivors) in your thoughts and prayers you include our Liberty family at WLOX. As with so many other first responders, they have put service above self. We are intensely proud of what they have done. WLOX has become much more than a television station since Katrina. It is a shelter for many of the families of employees who lost their homes. This is local broadcasting at its finest. When the book is written on responsive community service by local television stations, WLOX deserves a chapter unto itself. How ironic that only days before Katrina hit the gulf coast we as an industry were still trying to convince our federal lawmakers in the face of critical pending legislation that free, over-the-air local broadcasting was worth preserving. Ironically, the point-person for us was Louisiana Senator David Vitter of Metairie, who has been so personally affected by Katrina.

Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Katrina. We mourn for those who lost their lives and wrap our arms around those displaced. We say welcome to each and every one of you who finds yourself in Southwest Louisiana for however long you are here. As fellow Louisianians and Mississippians, you are more than our neighbors. You are now officially part of our family.

And family takes care of family.