All week, it has been a fixture in downtown Natchez &045; the long line snaking along the sidewalk, as people wait patiently for assistance from the Red Cross.

Some of those waiting in line have little more than the clothes on their backs. They have no idea what might lie underwater back home or what might have been smashed by the force of Hurricane Katrina.

While officials say they have caught a handful of people attempting to double-dip for the checks, the vast majority of people helped by this program are truly in need.

Many have nothing left; their other resources depleted, the cash they have will help buy gas, food, clothing.

And while the system may not be perfect &045; some people have complained, for example, about cutting off the line early in the day &045; this Red Cross operation may be one of the most successful and largest that is disbursing checks to those in need.

Perhaps that is why the line of people seems longer every morning. Every day this week, Red Cross has served about 2,000 families, turning over perhaps $2 million per day to people who would otherwise have nothing.

Residents from around the state and Louisiana have showed up to receive checks in our community, largely because word of mouth is traveling that the process is swift and organized.

It has been all too easy recently to criticize the people in charge of assistance, whether they are volunteers or federal officials.

But Katrina was an overwhelming storm, and creating order our of the chaos has not been easy. We have to give credit to our local chapter and the national Red Cross volunteers who have put their lives on hold for the past two weeks to serve those who have lost everything.