Our hearts go out to the millions of American affected by the tragedy unfolding in Katrina’s wake. As the President stated yesterday, America is a strong, resilient nation, and although the going will be tough, we will get through this.

Beyond those directly impacted by the hurricane, much of the country is being hit by spikes in already-high gas prices, partly due to the fact that the hurricane struck drilling platforms and refineries. Even before Katrina, it was becoming clear how vulnerable our energy supplies are to even small disruptions.

Katrina underscores our pressing need, as a nation, to free ourselves from our overwhelming dependence on oil. We do this by diversifying our energy portfolio, investing in renewable energy and making our cars go farther on a gallon of gas – not by drilling in America’s last wild places.

In the coming weeks and months, there will be time assess the lessons we’ve learned from this disaster. In the mean time, please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

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Published: September 1, 2005