Sometimes tragedy strikes close to home even when you live a thousand miles away. One of my sons lives in North Cedar, which is the Cedar Falls section under water in this video. His home is under water, he was one of the last to be evacuated after staying behind to help his neighbors, his dog was washed away in the flood (but thankfully rescued), and he is staying with friends in another town.

When Hurricane Katrina was over, I took in a woman who was relocated and lost everything. Now it is my family's turn to have a loved one affected by a disaster.

Right now my son's home still has 4 feet of water in it. It will be awhile before he can assess the damage and find out if his home can even be saved.

What a tragedy.