As a national organization, the National Conference of State Legislatures provides its members the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues from across the country and around the world. As such, state lawmakers and legislative staff from around the country are particularly concerned for the safety and well-being of their colleagues in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Below is reaction from the legislative community around the country.
(updated September 2, 2005)
| DATE/TIME: |
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
10:10 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Amy Carmen, Kentucky
House Majority Communications Director |
Mac -- I am delighted that your home has survived and that you and your family are in good health. My husband and I were up early to watch the news this morning, and our heart goes out to everyone affected by this disaster, especially those who have lost family members and/or their homes. As the list of needs develop, please let us know if there is anything that we can do to assist.
Sending prayers and positive energy your way,
Amy Carman
| DATE/TIME: |
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
11:54 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Ron Campbell, Tennessee
House Broadcast Information Officer |
We are all praying for you mac...glad you came through.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
10:16 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Charlie Tocci, Pennsylvania
Senate Democratic Communications Director |
Hang in there Mac. Pennsylvania's thoughts and prayers are with you guys.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
10:26 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Tom Pyne, Pennsylvania
House Republicans Assistant Director Communications |
Mac,
Thanks for the update.
Please know that we'd like to help in any way possible. If there is anything we can do (in addition to contributing to the Red Cross), please let us know.
Mac, our prayers are with you and your neighbors!
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
11:25 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Sheila Hardy, Kentucky
Assistant to House Caucus Chairman |
Mac-
From KY - Our thoughts and prayers are with you all!!! It is so good to know that you are ok, but we are so saddened for awful loss of lives - and then family homes, communities, employment - on and on.
The shock of it all is overwhelming way up here - it must be millions of times worse for you all. Wow and to think it was just months ago that we were all at the Beau Rivage - walking the historic neighborhood etc.
My heart goes out to all - take care of yourselves!! Prayers continue for you all from here! If there is anything else we can do, please let us know...
Sheila
P.S. It is wonderful to get your messages!
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:05 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Teen Ellen Griffin, Maine
Manager Legislative Information |
Thanks to all of you for keeping us updated. Prayers and Blessings to you from Maine.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:10 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Kate Bradshaw, Utah
House Majority Public Relations |
I would like to second the thanks for the updates. Glad you all made it through ok. Our thoughts are with you from Utah!
Kate
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:13 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Marsha Conley, Pennsylvania
House Republican Graphic Artist |
Thoughts and prayers continue from PENNSYLVANIA as well!....
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:26 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Nick Simonetta, Arizona
Senate Majority Communications & Policy Advisor |
The circumstances in the devastated areas are almost beyond comprehension. To all colleagues there, a prayer for relief as quickly as possible, and for the necessary strength in the meantime.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:31 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Laura Bauman, Indiana
Senate Chief of Staff |
Our thoughts and prayers are with you from Indiana as well. Really glad I’m in the LINCS loop and receiving your updates and that you’re able to get these messages out. It’s so overwhelming for us here as we remain glued to CNN watching the pictures of so much devastation. I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for all of you in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Hang in there!
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:32 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Elaine Dall, Connecticut
Director of Constituent Services |
While sitting in Connecticut watching the devastation and heartwrenching reports out of Mississippi and Louisiana, we have all had difficulty comprehending the personal and financial toll this will take on the states and the people who live there. Hearing from you who are dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane brings home the hardships you are facing and will continue to face for sometime to come. I only wish there is more we could offer, but our prayers are with you and all of the others who will be rebuilding homes, lives, economies for months.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
4:59 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Susan Clark Shaar, Virginia
Clerk of the Senate |
Thoughts and prayers from Virginia are also with all of our friends in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It is heartbreaking to see the devastation of the wonderful places we have visited in your beautiful states.
Thanks for letting us know how you all are faring.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
5:03 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Charlene Glagola, West Virginia
Director of Legislative Reference & Information |
West Virginia, who shares the same economic level as Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, sends our heartfelt sympathy for all of your citizens. We are glued to our office television during the day and our home TVs in the evening. We are praying for all of you.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
5:06 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Larry Sheingold, California
Consultant to Representative Betty Karnette |
Can't express how heart touching some of these messages are. From Calif both personally and in anticipation of offering the info to my members, are there recommendations on disaster relief funds that would do the most good to help victims?
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
5:36 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Sue Gullufson, Alaska
Legislative Affairs |
Hi all, I know many of my fellow Alaskans are helping financially as will my family but if there is anything we can do at any time as the LINCS community let us know. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow Americans during this trying time.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
6:17 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Richard Benevides, Alaska
Legislative Aide to Senator Bettye Davis |
I second that from Alaska. While I haven't served as an information officer for a few years, I have kept up with LINCS as that is my first love.
Our Governor has sent letters to the Governor's of LA, MS & AL offering any help. At this point I don't know of what we might be doing.
Hang in there and if you want to come up here, I'll put you up.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
6:47 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Shelley Day, Utah
Legislative Information Liaison |
Catastrophic and heartwrenching. May comfort surround you as relief efforts continue to flow your way (no pun intended). I hope that contacts with all loved ones will soon be possible, and that safety will follow all who are caught in Katrina's aftermath. My heart is heavy from hearing and reading these devastating accounts. Know that my emotional and spiritual support for all affected is strong.
| DATE/TIME: |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
9:06 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Nick Simonetta, Arizona
Senate Majority Communications & Policy Advisor |
None of us can imagine...
I know emergency teams are on their way from Arizona, and I am pasting a message below that I just received on my e-mail here at the AZ Senate in the hope that knowing your colleagues and others from around the country are thinking about you all in LA, MS and AL will bring some small
measure of comfort.
| DATE/TIME: |
Thurssday, September 1, 2005
8:56 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Drew Ross, West Virginia
Public Information Representative |
We here in West Virginia wish to send our heartfelt condolences to the areas damaged by this tragedy, our prayers are with you all as you attempt to recover some semblance of normalcy. Take care and be well....
from all of us here in West Virginia
| DATE/TIME: |
Thurssday, September 1, 2005
9:58 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Malia Bennett, Oklahoma
Senate Communications Director |
Please know that we're also keeping the storm victims, their families and friends in our thoughts and prayers in Oklahoma as well.
| DATE/TIME: |
Thurssday, September 1, 2005
10:25 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Sisa Moyo, New York
Assembly Assistant Press Secretary |
We echo the thanks for the updates. In New York we pray for the safety and wellbeing of all of you and your communities. Please let us know however we can help.
| DATE/TIME: |
Thurssday, September 1, 2005
12:27 p.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Cecilia Woods, Connecticut
Senate Research Director |
We are very concerned here in Connecticut. Help is on the way. Groups are collecting water, supplies, etc. to ship. We are all collecting donations for assistance. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you rebound from this terrible ordeal.
Cecilia Woods and the entire staff of the Senate Majority Office, CT General Assembly.
| DATE/TIME: |
Thurssday, September 1, 2005
4:20 a.m. |
| AUTHOR: |
Suzanne Maranelli, Hawaii
Public Access Coordinator |
Mac, bless your sweet heart to be trying to help me at such a time. I'm sooooooo happy to say that I heard from Annalisa late yesterday, and she is fine.
I think about my good fortune in this respect, and all the people whose stories aren't so happy, and I am humbled. There's a concept in Hawaiian called pono. It has many meanings, among them rightness, justice, hope. And from that root comes the word ho'oponopono, to make a thing right, to correct it, to re-establish balance, to help.
So to share my gratitude for Annalisa's safety, I make a personal commitment to sending help, making pono, to those most in need, those who will inevitably fall through the cracks. Keep the circle strong and rolling.
Here is a story:
As Kauai sought to right and repair itself after 'Iniki, many individuals and agencies pitched in to help. And for a variety of reasons, as is often the case, some people fell through various cracks, no matter how hard people tried.
I was one of those. I won't bother going into detail; there's no need. But I'll say that a combination of horrifying crises in my family's life, and the aftereffects of 'Iniki, left me in an extremely fragile state of body and mind, with nowhere to turn. Having previously been self-employed, I had no access to unemployment funds. And no jobs existed - the whole island’s economy had been destroyed.
Fortunately, I still had shelter - my house was 5 feet east of where it had been built, and tilted steeply, but it was shelter, for a little while. In that shelter, I sat. I simply sat. Days followed days.
And then someone came to my dear broken house one day and yelled for me. I went to the door and saw a stranger. She lived down the road a few miles from me; she was a friend of a friend.
She said that a friend of her mom's, from back in Ohio, wanted to help the people of Kauai some way. So she sent a hundred dollars to that woman, and told her simply to give it to someone who really needed it. My neighbor brought that hundred dollar bill to me.
So I'm going to send you a cashier's check for $100 on payday, Mac, to share with someone who needs it. I'll follow that with similar checks, as soon as I can, to Sheila and Mike. I hope to spend the rest of my life thanking that anonymous woman in Ohio for what she gave me. It was love in action, and it meant the world to me.
Blessings
|
Hurricane Katrina Links
|
