Hurricane Ida hit the Gulf Coast states last weekend and wreaked havoc along the coast. Flooding and power outages are challenging the recovery efforts. Over a million households in Louisiana and Mississippi were without power as of Wednesday and gasoline shortages were hampering rescue and emergency efforts.

The bright spot is that only about half a dozen people have died from the storm, though that figure is expected to rise.

We haven’t seen the disastrous flooding that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on New Orleans in 2005. That flooding led to 1,800 deaths in and around New Orleans. The flooding occured when the city’s flood defenses failed and the levees were overcome. New Orleans has spent the last 16 years bolstering and improving its flood gates to prevent that disaster from recurring.

While the damage and loss of life may not be as severe as in 2005, let’s not assume that the Gulf Coast doesn’t need help.

We encourage those who care to contribute to humanitarian groups that will funnel aid to those suffering in the South.