After Rita

September 27, 2005 Hugh Hewitt It is difficult to imagine, but hurricane Rita has made 2005 one of the most devastating hurricane seasons on record.  New Orleans had just begun to dry out and the Gulf region had only begun to assess the extent of the awful damage from Katrina when hurricane Rita bore down on both Louisiana and Texas. With the lessons of Katrina fresh in our memory, at least the vast majority took the threat seriously. Government coordination and cooperation beginning on the local and state level looks to have been much more effective than only weeks ago.  The thousands evacuating Houston may have had their patience tested in gridlock traffic, but a headache is a small physical price to pay when the threat was so apparent to all. Still, the damage and destruction is of historic proportion. Homes have been damaged or lost, livelihoods disrupted or destroyed and a whole new population is now faced with the challenge of putting the pieces together again. America is a generous nation—because individual Americans are generous people. Private donations will be instrumental both in the immediate and in the long term recovery efforts. Please do your part to help your countryman in times of great need.

Hugh Hewitt is the host of the Hugh Hewitt Show. Read Hugh's column at The Weekly Standard.