Hurricane Katrina has shocked an entire nation, bringing with it the fatality of human weakness and despair.

Although our government has long targeted the threat of terrorism, it has ignored the possibility of what a disaster around the Gulf Coast could bring. It has given little attention to the need for repair of our levees or protection for one of the most threatening occurrences in the United States — hurricanes and tropical storms.

In times of despair we expect nothing more than protection for our loved ones, food for our children and a hope of returning to our homes. Without the proper structures instituted in state and federal governments, the best of us are obliged to weaken in the face of great despair. Hence, the chaos in the shattered states is expected, but it's the response and attention given to the situation by the government that was surprising.

When our own president continues to apprehend the disasters that will ensue from the situation for five days before taking action and when the Louisana Governor fails to provide immediate relief, who else are victims to turn to when all that they have known all their lives has been destroyed? When the mayor of New Orleans, in desperation, calls on the aid of his fellow countrymen, then even state structures sense weakness and abandonment.

Perhaps we must consider the inclusion of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama among the Top 10 most impoverished states in our nation, according to the Center for American Progress Report. Perhaps we must look at the demographics of New Orleans to explain our government's slow response. With a majority of black citizens, controversy has exploded over whether the neglect of the situation reflected problems of racial inequality.

Yes, Friday Congress approved $10.5 billion in aid for the victims of this disaster, but it's too late to regain the trust of the citizenry. Can we be sure that if disaster were to hit our own homes, that our government will protect us? If not, then who will?

That is why we owe it to ourselves to help in the greatest way possible, to extend our hands and to replace the void left by our government, a void that makes necessary human compassion above all.

It's remarkable how much we can accomplish despite living thousands of miles away. We applaud the actions by our university to comfort students from the area and ensure their families are well off and to host 80 students this semester from three universities hit by Katrina. We applaud the generosity of our student body and faculty in providing for the victims.

Hurricane season is far from over. The devastion in New Orleans is predicted to take months to years to clean up. Instead of pointing fingers at the lack of response and preparation on all government levels, our nation's focus must turn to those left in despair and the clean-up process. It's now in this crucial time that we demand our government step up to the call of duty. However, the days of suffering and approximated 10,000 lives lost will not be forgotten, and answers will be demanded.

This editorial was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 6, 2005.