The need is vast.

In New Orleans, along the coast and even across the Miss-Lou, people are in need.

Our needs in Natchez &045; electricity, full supplies of gas and food &045; pale in comparison to what is happening in the cities who bore the brunt of the storm’s wrath on Monday.

Video, photos and accounts of the effects from Hurricane Katrina show pure devastation, heartbreaking tales of loss.

Here in the Miss-Lou, we have more than 1,200 temporary neighbors in shelters and too many to count in hotels and bed and breakfasts and private homes.

Our community must work together to help those displaced people who are now our neighbors.

If you can offer help in any way, please do.

It doesn’t matter how great or small the donation.

Perhaps you could drop off some coloring books for the children or magazines and newspapers for parents; perhaps you have some time to spend working a shift for your church shelter.

The needs grow with each passing day, but our community leaders are working together.

We cannot commend enough the volunteers who are working around the clock to serve the people who have been displaced. Coordinated by United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Civil Defense and countless individuals, the effort is massive and will continue indefinitely.

In the meantime, we must be patient with our own needs. Power will be restored soon. Gas stations will be less crowded; restaurants will have all of the supplies they need; grocery stores won’t have empty bread aisles.

But for our new neighbors, as their needs grow, we can only chip away at them, one step at a time. We can make this work for our community &045; for everyone.