The Bloggers fundraising effort for New Orleans currently stands at $734,981 after only four days.

If you have given and not alread registered your donation then please do so as I suspect the actual figure may be even bigger.

If like me you intend to give but havent done so yet please get that credit card out, give and increase that total further. I am wanting to work out the most tax efficient way of a UK citizen making a charitable donation- if I get an answer I will let you all know tomorrow.

Somehow this particular crisis seems almost surreal in so many ways. I find the sight of people still being winched to safety from roof tops almost a week on terrifying- please can someone, anyone explain how in a world superpower this can occur at such a breathtakingly slow pace? Why is it that only now are countries being asked to send aid? Who builds a city on a swamp in hurricane country and doesnt build the sea defences strong enough to withstand the worst that the wind can throw at them? Most of all, is it really true that no busses were laid on for poor people to leave the city before the storm struck?

We in the UK have been having symulations of evacuations and major catastrophes for years- indeed I somehow think that the Birmingham evacuation after 7/7 whilst no doubt in response to a credible threat was at least in part put a plan into action to show we can do it. They totally cleared a city centre in no time at tall.

The optional evacuation doesnt work. What you need is cops and/or troops going, house to house, arresting any who try to stay. Listen lady "u a coming with me!". Not to mention busses and other transport laid on for those without cars. I pray to God that at least the cars leaving had the deceny to fill themselves full of people - anyone who left that ciry in a car on his own must be having a hard time sleeping at night right now. The poor didnt leave because they were asked to and had no means to seems to be the argument of a blog peice by Unspace which also links to some MSM comment.

And another thing, the fact that Isaac Kelly, 81 was the last out of the superdrome shoud not have been a matter of cheering but rather of national shame- the elderly, the vulnerable, the women and children go first in my slightly old-fashioned British book.

But maybe I am being fed lies by the media. Perhaps there is a rational explanation for all this. I certainly hope so. But it all seems so very strange.

What I also find hard to understand is why there is not more talk of people making donations to help these needy people on the news. If bloggers can raise almost three quarters of a million, surely the charities totals must be significantly higher. Why is there no talk outside of the blogosphere (at least in the UK anyway) of the movement by people to pour out their funds spontaneously in a similar way to that following the Tsunami?

Today our government announced calmly that 140 British Citizens are still missing and seemed eager to stress that we as a nation will do anything we can to help, but had only just been asked to do so. Indeed our foreign office claimed that the British Consulate officials had been asking daily for permission to enter the city to assist British citizens some of whom returned today to the UK with terrifying stories. According to the interview these requests are being turned down. As one relative put it "the press managed to gain access to the Superdome but they couldn't."

Is the world going slowly mad or am I missing something?

This morning also marked the return to "real life" following our holiday. I preached a sermon entitled "being in the right place at the right time". In the sermon, based on Prov 3:5-6, I made passing reference to the New Orleans situation but mainly foccussed on the urge we all have to feel that we are doing the right thing. It didnt make the sermon as I only heard if afterwards but one young 19 year old British lad who I cant seem to find on the BBC News site nearnly made me cry. He spoke of being almost glad he was there as the experience had made him stronger. He had helped the old people who seemed to be being neglected all the while in fear himself for his own safety as so many were.He turned being in the wrong place at the wrong time into being in the right place at the right time.

Thanks to the grace of God, after the sermon one person responded indicating a desire to take the next step in becoming a Christian, several indicated they wanted to explore further joining our church and many more that they needed help in a job or relationship situation.

I hope and pray that the sermon may be of some benefit to those of us continuing our normal lives and possibly even to some who are facing a personal impact from the weeks terrible events.

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