Disasters

State government agencies and non-profit organizations stepped in quickly after Hurricane Katrina struck. They're prepared again, if needed, for a repeat performance.
A group of law enforcement officers from Minnesota is helping patrol the city of New Orleans. Lieutenant Otto Wagenphiel, who is commanding the Minnesota contingent, has been in the area for about a week with nearly 90 officers from a number of Minnesota departments. He says New Orleans is pretty empty, now that officials have stopped the reentry.
The Federal Reserve continued its slow, steady increase of interest rates Tuesday, saying that it thinks Hurricane Katrina's economic impact will be short-lived. Will it?
Private donations to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina now exceed $1 billion. But not all disasters bring in such big money. How do people decide which causes should receive their financial support?
Hurricane Katrina has inspired a nationwide outpouring of sympathy, grief and outrage. We watched the institutions of society crumble before our eyes on television, bringing out the best in some and the worst in others. What did the storm teach us about the human condition?
President Bush has pledged to rebuild the area of the Gulf Coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina. But many say meaningful long-term recovery will only happen if the country addresses the region's poverty in the process.
President Bush promised "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen" to rebuild the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast in a speech Thursday night from New Orleans. Nearly three weeks after Katrina hit, what does the situation look like on the ground?
John Roberts' Senate confirmation hearings have commanded a great deal of news coverage this week, but there are a number of other important stories developing as well. Locally, Minneapolis and St. Paul narrowed their field of mayoral candidates in a primary election Tuesday and Northwest Airlines said it started hiring permanent replacements for its striking mechanics amid reports that it is preparing to declare bankruptcy. In Washington, Senate hearings begin Wednesday on the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina.
George and Sheila Augustin didn't expect to wind up in Minnesota when they left New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina. But when they learned their home was underwater, they came to Minnetonka, where George's company has an office. They're safe and -- for now -- George has a job.
People who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina are now scattered across the country, many in evacuee camps. Since shortly after the disaster, there's been discussion about how the should be described. President Bush joined a number of black leaders when he came out against the use of the word "refugee." Commentator T. Mychael Rambo, an actor and singer in the Twin Cities, also raises questions about the term.