From reliable second hand sources, I am getting news about the crisis in New Orleans. However, I feel obligated to maintain the privacy of those I know only secondhand. I think we all need to be careful about rumors but also careful not to underestimate how difficult the circumstances were for people in the city during the storm.

Think about being a health professional in a major downtown hospital with drug addicts trying to enter your building. Think about a drug addict who cannot swim trying to get past just a few yards of high water to a fence around that hospital. Think about the loss of your expensive house. All this happens at the same time while you care for patients who could not be moved from the city