but their eyes were watching God

As I look in horror at images of the utter devastation in Puerto Rico, the title line of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel keeps running through my mind:

They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.

Though the line occurs during a hurricane, for the people of Puerto Rico, I fear that the worst is coming now that the storm has passed. And all they can do is watch and wait and pray and hope more help is coming.

And, considering what is making front page news, and what seems to be on the mind – and twitter feed – of 45, it doesn’t seem that near enough help is.

The pictures are hellacious:

The reports coming out of the island are even worse.

An article published by Relevant Magazine yesterday said:

While the death toll so far is limited to 13, the human toll is just starting to be understood. Infrastructure has been destroyed, about 95 percent of cell service has been wiped out, all power has been lost, and officials are evacuating in preparation for the imminent collapse of a dam. “Hysteria is starting to spread. The hospital is about to collapse. It’s at capacity,” Mayor Jose Sanchez Gonzalez of Manati told The Associated Press on Saturday, weeping. “We need someone to help us immediately.”

I cannot understand why this is not our very first priorty right now as a nation.

It says so much about the sad state we are in that it isn’t.

I feel completely helpless as I watch these people suffer needlessly, when there are more resources available to help them that aren’t being utilized.

I am hoping with all my heart that the American people will collectively start paying attention and demand from our leaders that more be done immediately.

And I am praying that every private aid organization is mobilized, flooded with donations, and overwhelmed with volunteers.

We cannot stand by and allow a humanitarian crisis like this to continue to escalate.

We can do better than this.

Somewhere deep down, we are better than this.

We MUST answer Puerto Rico’s cries for help.

And we must do it NOW.