One thing that's amazed me following Hurricane Ike is the lack of the national media's attention to the impacts the storm had on the Texas Coast. I think we at News 10 have given this story a lot of coverage (deservedly so), but it seems that few stations outside of Texas have given it much consideration. My parents live in the Kansas City area, and they keep asking me for updates on what's going on in Houston.

I think there are two things going on here. First, I think in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, even a destructive hurricane like Ike looks mild by comparison, at least in the media's eyes. From now on, if a hurricane doesn't leave a city flooded or kill hundreds of people, it's not going to be seen as a "big deal". But consider this: Hurricane Andrew, which before Hurricane Katrina was widely considered the most destructive hurricane in modern history, killed "only" 65 people. The death toll from Ike in the U.S. is already up to 50 and will likely climb higher as recovery efforts continue.

Second, as Chris pointed out to me the other day, there are a couple of issues that have captured the national media's attention, namely the financial crisis and the presidential election. Those are big stories that affect everyone in a very profound way. However, there's still no excuse (in my mind) for ignoring Hurricane Ike. Following Katrina, there was a major outpouring of support and donations from people across America. But with so little attention devoted to Ike and so much fear about the financial situation in this country, I worry that folks along the Texas Coast aren't going to get the help they so desperately need.

It's up to us to help make sure our fellow Texans get the assistance they need. We have hundreds of people right here in Central Texas who are still in shelters, waiting to return home. Several local shelters and relief organizations are asking for donations and volunteers to help those evacuees. Go to this page to find out what these agencies need and where you can go to donate supplies. There's also a great website called Texas Responds that serves as a portal for making donations or volunteering your time to relief organizations working right here in the Lone Star State. And of course, keep the folks along the Texas Coast in your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks. Many of them are just beginning what could be a long and arduous recovery process.