A Meeting I Enjoyed

I get to attend some pretty cool meetings here at Kettering. I feel very fortunate for that. I attended one this morning that had some fascinating moments.

We had two folks here today (one from Mobile, Alabama and the other from New Orleans). They work in community organizations who were instrumental in Katrina relief efforts. The woman from Mobile told a story that really got to all of us. Before I retell the story, I should say that the purpose of the meeting was part of an ongoing effort this semester to understand communities. We're interested in what makes a community work as it should, what makes people engage/retract from community life, how communities change the ways they do politics, amongst other questions. The folks from the Gulf region were here to talk about their experiences in communities in crisis. On with the story:

Not long after the levees broke, a young couple with their two babies escaped to the rooftop of their apartment building to avoid being swept away in the rising water. Once they ascended to the top, they were greeted by another couple, who did not have children. They waited for helicopter rescue, and were met by a helicopter shortly thereafter. The childless couple that had been there first let the other couple board first and said that they would wait for rescue at a later time. It was important that the young babies find shelter and food first, they felt. Upon boarding the helicopter, the mother and father asked the other couple to hold their babies momentarily while they boarded the helicopter, as it was too difficult to try to navigate the rescue ladder and hold the children. Well, what was supposed to be a matter of moments turned into quite a bit longer, as the helicopter abruptly took off once the parents were on board. The helicopter pilot said it had reached its weight limit and couldn't return. He assured them that they would be reunited again soon. It wasn't until a fireman came into the temporary housing complex where thousands of stranded residents were taking refuge that the babies were reunited with their parents. The complex was apparently silent when the firefighter walked in, as everyone in the complex came to know of the young couple's tragedy over the course of the two weeks they shared together.

What an emotional story. There are many lessons to take from the story, but the one I took was how powerful we can be as citizens when we engage to help others.