"staff of the gods"

As Gustav ("staff of the gods") nears the coast of Louisiana (AGAIN!), the people are being evacuated and FEMA is already in place. This will be a better result, I hope. I'm also impressed with the evacuation of the animals prior to the arrival of the Storm. I saw a clip on an evening news program this evening and I started to cry when the owners expressed how thankful they were for the service. All the animals on this news clip were evacuated in an air conditioned semi and the people were taken in buses, all to the same place and they were each tagged so the owners would be found quickly. I pray these people don't lose their homes and belongings, but hopefully this time they won't lose the animal members of their families. I'm glad we can learn.