The weight of helplessness

I've wanted to say something about Katrina, and yet after spending hours over the last few days reading about it and committing several hours last night watching footage from New Orleans, I find myself at a loss for words. There are so many angles from which this disaster is a complete tragedy. Miss Representation expresses it eloquently. How can it be possible that we are rendered so helpless in this situation? And for now, all we can do is contribute in the small ways we can and hope that contribution materializes into tangible assistance to the people in New Orleans.