I’ve been watching a lot of CNN today where the news has obviously been hurricane Katrina and the damage in Mississippi and Louisiana. It’s been amazing seeing the damage that’s happened there because of this hurricane, especially since for New Orleans this was nowhere near the worst it could have been.

I got a little irked earlier today when one of the mayors down there compared the damage to the tsunami. We had warning, the death toll is nowhere near the same as the hundred thousand plus that died in that catastrophe, and our resources are far greater. After seeing footage all day about the damage, I realize that I’ve been too hard on the mayor. This is one of the worst natural disasters to hit the U.S. that I’ve seen in my lifetime. The worst part of the whole situation is the flooding that doesn’t seem like it’s going down as fast as it might in other areas.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those that are affected. Those residents face a long road ahead to rebuild and recover. If anyone has particular charities they know about that would be good to donate to, please leave comments below. The American Red Cross web site is swamped right now, but as soon as I can donate I will be giving some money there.

People are posting photos if you want a different perspective on the thing.

Update: Kevin Drum links to a good list of relief organizations.