In 2007, I had the great experience of visiting Laredo, Texas, a community on the Mexican border, for the purpose of delivering disaster preparedness workshops with the San Antonio Small Business Development Centers. Over the past several days, Laredo has experienced extreme flooding as the water levels of the Rio Grande River rose to 42 feet. As of today, the levels are back down to 30 feet, as residents await a decision as to whether disaster aid will be made available to their community. Sadly, many of the affected residents were without flood insurance that costs, on average, $1500 annually in that community. It is particularly difficult in this recession for small businesses and families to budget for expensive insurance coverage until they learn the costs of being uninsured. I will post alerts to this blog as soon as private fundraising initiatives are announced for those who wish to contribute. Laredo is not a wealthy community and needs our support.