New Orleans is all but abandoned – except for the stranded, the rescuers and the louses.

Biloxi and Gulfport have been devastated. The fate of many smaller towns is still uncertain.

Images out of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi recall destruction of biblical scale, something straight out of Genesis. Hurricane Katrina has left the Gulf Coast ravaged. The numbers are staggering: hundreds of people – perhaps more – have died, almost 3 million people are without power, and thousands more are homeless.

Scenes normally associated with far-off people and far-off disasters have unfolded in the United States. There’s a refugee crisis developing that could have people camped out at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, until at least December. Buses, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will transport the homeless from the New Orleans Superdome to Texas in a caravan. It could be three or four months before people are able to return home.

Civil society has broken down. Buildings burn because firefighters can’t reach them. Police let looters have their way with the city, focused instead on desperate attempts to save lives. Communication networks have been destroyed; the area’s essentially cut off. Safe drinking water is in short supply. A public health emergency has been declared for the region. Martial law has been declared.

And the stories of personal loss are difficult to bear.

It’s numbing. It’s overwhelming. And that’s from our vantage point nearly 2,000 miles away from the devastation.

But the country is not helpless. When the tsunami struck a world away, the United States rallied to send aid. When the Pentagon and World Trade Center were struck by terrorists, fire departments from around the country responded. We would expect nothing less now.

While there are a number of worthwhile agencies that will assist in the recovery, the Red Cross is the go-to outfit for disaster relief in the United States, and it needs help. Already, the organization is running more than 250 shelters in seven states for the victims of Katrina. The first priority is providing the refugees with shelter, food and water. The best way to help the Red Cross meet those needs is by donating money. In-kind donations, such as blankets and canned food, take time and resources to manage. They’re difficult to handle, so don’t send them yet. Money, however, can be put to work immediately. Donations can be made to the American Red Cross online at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669).

Looking at the pictures, the enormity of the loss is difficult to grasp. From a distance, the scale of the flooding and destruction is clear, but the photographs are out of sorts, difficult to comprehend. The close-ups show the pain on the faces and the shattered communities, but can’t put the widespread suffering into context.

Here in Maine, we’re left sitting in the rain, forced to imagine the horror faced by our brethren in the Deep South. This is a national catastrophe and demands a national response.

America’s generosity, strength and resilience have been tested before. Each time, the country has responded. And so it will again.