Another Go Round

I'm making plans to head back to Haiti this weekend for a few more weeks. If you thought we'd forgotten about Haiti on this website be assured that it will continue to be a recurring subject.

At the same time though we see that there are other hazards are out there that steal our attention away from areas of need. Our friends in Oklahoma and Arkansas already know that tornado season has begun and this spring is expected to be an active one. FEMA and the states in the Upper Midwest are monitoring rainfall totals and river conditions to see which areas will get more than their fair share of floods. The interesting thing about these threats is that we should be able to anticipate them on an annual basis and be ready for them but not every family has this high on their priority list. Maybe if we had General Honoré visit every community along the Missisippi River Valley and give folks an old-fashioned but insightful talk on preparedness we could mitigate some of the risks but it'd just be  the beginning (by the way if you have a chance to hear him speak in person or see him on CNN every now & then I'd recommend you take advantage of it). 

A wise man once said its easier to fight fires than teach people how to prevent them. I'd add that its easier to show people fighting fires than it is to show what people are doing to prevent them.

Speaking of families, I know my household is not thrilled about another long-distance trip for me but this is all a part of what we do to make things better for others. I must say I feel a bit guilty at times knowing that there are people out there that would go at a drop of a hat to get their hands dirty helping others but its hard to give your kids and wife a hug through Skype (when you have internet access). I try to keep in mind the pictures that one of my colleagues showed me the last time I was in Haiti from the birthday party for his son that he missed to help me put this in perspective though.

I'll save the factual updates for another post - until then keep your eyes and ears open and we'll see you next time.