Local Heroes in the Aftermath of Hurrican Katrina
?Just three months ago, we watched the unbelievable news footage of the destruction and chaos left when Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, turning New Orleans, in particular, into a giant, stagnant swampland. The estimates for loss of lives, homes, displacement of families and costs of damaged properties continue to rise to this day. It could be years before New Orleans comes to resemble the cultural and historical icon it once was.
As difficult as it is to look past the vast human tragedy wrought by Katrina, there was one glimmer of hope that appeared after the flood and continues to radiate today. In the aftermath of Katrina, and in the other hurricanes that followed in her wake, the country took action and staged a massive relief and recovery effort to see that thousands of victims along the Gulf Coast were given shelter, food and, for those who lost everything, a chance to start over. Governmental and local Louisiana official finger pointing aside, the individual citizens and communities of the U.S. showed themselves to be the true heroes in the face of such tragedy.
It would be impossible to profile each and every one of the selfless heroes in and around the Kansas City area who went the extra mile in assisting the relief efforts along the Gulf Coast. More than any one individual, the people and organizations of Kansas City revealed themselves to be a unified community of concerned citizens ready and willing to come together for a common purpose.
The individuals profiled in the next pages are just a sampling of the kind of heroic men and women who represent the far-reaching, philanthropic spirit of the Kansas City community.
