I write this on a plane heading out of St. Paul, Minnesota to Memphis, Tennessee. Mother Nature has caused an unexpected turn of events and Hurricane Gustav is currently on a direct path to slam New Orleans. This would be the second major hurricane to hit New Orleans in three years and many fear that Gustav will be Katrina, Part II.

Due to this turn of events, the Republican Party has decided to greatly scale down the events at the convention because they do not want it to appear that they're partying while the Gulf region is submerged under water. President Bush, who was expected to speak to the convention tomorrow, will monitor the storm from a government facility in Texas. It's probably not a bad thing that a highly unpopular president can skip his party's convention.

Let's go back to why I'm on the flight. With the convention on hold, I realized last night that St. Paul is not where I need to be. I want to report on the people affected by the storm and so I'll be in Memphis. Memphis is the destination for over 1500 evacuees coming by train from New Orleans. My goal is to report on their stories, to capture what it's like to leave everything behind and hop a train and head to a completely new city. Who's waiting for them? Where do they plan to go? Do local Memphis residents want them around? I'll be looking for younger people and those with young families. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm happy NBC is giving me the opportunity to tell this important story.

I often tell people that Hurricane Katrina was a defining moment in my life. I realized that there was still a lot of work left to do in America. Call it my own civic reawakening if you will. After watching MSNBC and seeing bodies floating down the street, and thousands of the poorest people in America receiving little or no care, I realized that inequality still exists on a huge scale. It changed me and I hope that my reporting about the people affected by this storm will open your eyes to the hardships faced by the people in this country who live in the Gulf Coast region.

Once I land in Memphis, I'll be heading to a train station where hundreds of evacuees are due to arrive. The train should stop anytime between 2-5am so this will be a late night. I'll keep you updated.

POSTED ON HOTCHALK.COM

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