Today marks the 29th anniversary of Hurricane Frederic striking Mobile. I remember this storm very well. I was working at Walt Disney World and took off work and drove straight to Mobile. This was the most damage I had ever seen from a storm. Ten years earlier, it was Camille. We were without power for at least two weeks and there were about 16 trees down in the yard.

Today, we’re watching Hurricane Ike on its way to Texas. Even though the storm is far south of Mobile, we’re still feeling some effects. This is my back yard right now. You should be looking at a dock, but the water has already climbed the bulkhead and is sitting in the yard.

I’m bringing this up, because once this storm makes landfall, there will most likely be a lot of people in need. One of the things I’m very pleased about is how we, as Americans, rally behind each other in times of need. The outpouring of generosity following Katrina in 2005 is proof of that. I imagine there will be some disaster relief needed after this weekend. So keep your eyes and ears on Texas, and if we need to, let’s sound the rally cry once more.