The Cupertino Courier

Letters & Opinions

Students show there are lessons to be learned

By Michael Cronk

The students, staff and volunteers from The King's Academy who spent last April helping people in impoverished areas of Mexico and Kentucky and devastated areas such as Pascagoula, Miss., are featured in this week's cover story. Their efforts in helping rebuild homes and lives are certainly worthy of recognition.

For me, it evoked memories of a trip I made to Pascagoula in December 2005, just 100 days after Hurricane Katrina tore apart communities and lives up and down the Gulf Coast. I was there with my wife on behalf of the Los Gatos Katrina Town-to-Town Consortium, which had selected Pascagoula for "adoption" and committed to helping the residents there recover and rebuild. I remember driving along Beach Boulevard and being amazed at how much devastation can be caused by wind and water. I talked with one store owner--the only downtown business that had reopened at that time-- and heard her story of watching water rising in the store and seeing her inventory floating higher and higher. We also met with the city manager, mayor, head of the Chamber of Commerce, a parish priest and residents. All had a story to tell.

Now it's been almost two years. It is shocking and yet, at the same time, somewhat understandable that people are still living in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers and trying to get their homes rebuilt and their lives back on track. It's not an easy thing to rebuild an entire community. My wife describes it as the reverse of the Jenga wood block game. Instead of pulling out one piece at a time without destroying the integrity of the structure and making it fall, how do you rebuild one piece at a time when all pieces are interdependent? And when they all need to go back in place as quickly as possible?

There are a lot of good lessons our local communities can learn from what happened two years ago in the gulf states and what happened two weeks ago in Greensburg, Kan., which was destroyed by a tornado. We may not need to fear hurricanes and tornadoes, but the threat of an earthquake (anyone remember the Loma Prieta quake of '89?), or an act of terrorism, or a freak accident such as the one at the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, can occur at any time.

Last month was the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and, as usual, there were reminders to everyone to be prepared at home, in the car and at work for the next "Big One."

Recently, a waterline broke at my house and we were without water for 24 hours. A major inconvenience, but certainly not disaster-worthy. Still, our family was so glad we had a supply of bottled water in reserve, even though we could have gone down the street to buy some, or checked into a hotel if we had to. If a major disaster occurs, we won't have that option.

Everyone needs to take part in preparation for the unexpected--cities, businesses, community organizations, faith groups, neighborhood associations, and every individual and family. It's reassuring to know there are people throughout the country, such as the students, parents and volunteers from The King's Academy, willing to come forward and give a helping hand to those in need. But it would be so much better if we can get prepared and be ready to be self-sufficient as much as possible.

I'm on my way to replenish my water supply and stock up on batteries and other emergency items. What about you?

Michael Cronk is the editor of the Cupertino Courier. Contact him at 408.200.1055 or mcronk@community-newspapers.com