With each passing day this week, the news from New Orleans just keeps getting worse.

At first, on Monday morning, it seemed as if Katrina had weakened enough to spare a major disaster on the Gulf Coast.

But it didn't take long Monday to realize that this was a very grave situation indeed.

By Tuesday, it was clear that this was a catastrophe - a disaster of epic proportions.

By Thursday, I was able to view digital satellite photos of New Orleans before and after Katrina.

The damage illustrated in those photos - found on digitalglobe.com - is unimaginable.

Thousands and thousands of homes and businesses under water in New Orleans. Miles and miles of coastline wiped clean by storm surge.

Entire coastal towns flattened and swept away.

The scope of the damage is incredible. The storm surge was measured at 29 feet, the largest in history.

Secretary Michael Chertoff, director of the Department ofÊHomeland Security, said damage from the hurricane affects an area encompassing 90,000 square miles.

Let me put this in perspective for you. Indiana, which is roughly 140 miles wide and 270 miles long, encompasses 35,970 square miles.

By the end of the week, the desperate nature of the situation became more evident.

I-10 took on the look of a highway in a third world country with dead bodies along the road.

There were shots fired at would-be rescuers. A National Guard helicopter drew fire, as did volunteer rescuers who took boats to the scene.

There were numerous reports of rampant lawlessness - looting, rapes, murder - throughout the town.

Rescuers had to abandon their humanitarian mission in an attempt to restore order.

I know someone who lived in New Orleans for several years.

He no longer lives there, but still knows lots of people in the city.

Via e-mail he told me he perceived a certain percentage of New Orleans' population to be dangerous and destructive.

He theorized that those likely are the people who stayed behind, making a significant number of those remaining in New Orleans the bad seeds.

He said it was devastating to him to see all the looting, crime and destruction.

He said the city always seemed like it was about 10 minutes away from a total meltdown and the hurricane put it over the edge.

While property damage will total in the tens of billions, the cost in human suffering will be much higher.

How many days can a person spend on a rooftop, surrounded by miles of brackish, bacteria-laden floodwater, without food and water?

How many people were trapped in their homes as the flood waters rose?

The death toll certainly will climb into the thousands. Millions of people have lost their homes.

Some economists say in the short term, a disaster of this magnitude has the potential the wreak economic havoc.

But they are quick to point out that down the road, the disaster offers large numbers of jobs for those who will rebuild and provides demand for large amounts building materials.

If there is a silver lining, I suppose that's it.

I can't imagine that New Orleans will ever be the same. And perhaps there should be some serious discussing about rebuilding a city below sea level in a hurricane-prone area anyway.

But one thing is sure.

My problems - bills, two kids in college, an SUV I need to sell, the looming annual ritual of pier and boat lift removal, the gas filler tube on my car leaks a little and needs replaced - which just a week ago seemed quite bothersome, now seem almost like a joke.

I feel embarrassed to have worried about such things.

I feel a swelling sense of remorse for our fellow citizens who are suffering under such dire consequences.

But I also feel a sense of pride for all those - including a group of local National Guardsmen - who are putting their lives on the line to help.

Following natural disasters, there is always the thought that in a few weeks or months, things start to get back to normal.

In this case - the case of a major U.S. city built below sea level that has been flooded - I think the recovery will likely take years.

New Orleans covers 363.5 square miles. That is about the same size as Lagrange County, which is 379.6 square miles.

Imagine covering Lagrange County with water to an average depth of 8 feet.

Recovery will be an arduous and daunting task.

Some are saying it could take years to pump out the water after the levees are repaired.

Some are saying New Orleans will be uninhabitable for up to five years.

New Orleans will never be the same.

We need to be patient.

We need to be generous.

We need to pray.

*****

OK, here's an addendum to my column about Katrina.

Friday afternoon a reader called in with an idea.

He said we have three empty elementary schools - one each in Silver Lake, Claypool and Akron.

Why not determine how many Katrina refugees each school could accomodate?

They could sleep in classrooms. There are kitchens. Surely the Salvation Army and Combined Community Service and the community at large could come up with food and clothing.

Over time, these people - most of whom have lost everything they own - could find work and housing here and be assimilated into our community.

At first, the idea sounded far-fetched to me. Louisiana seemed like an awfully long way away.

But then I came to work Friday night and read a fascinating Associated Press story on the Indiana wire. The story appears on page 3A. It says that the number of refugees flowing into Indianapolis could reach 2,000 by next week.

And agencies in Indianapolis are wondering how they are going to cope.

Suddenly, the idea seemed much more feasible. The Katrina refugees are only going to be a couple hours away.

So hey, Mayor Wiggins, Acting Supterintendent Bailey and Warsaw at large. What do you think? [[In-content Ad]]