As the skies darkened and the winds picked up Monday morning, all eyes were on the impending arrival of Hurricane Gustav.

The bad news of the storm is not yet fully known. Until the storm has fully cleared the affected areas, we won’t know the full extent of the damage.

We know people have already died in the storm’s wake and we expect further loss of life is certainly possible as the storm moves inland and the likelihood of extensive flooding remains.

Early reports are that the storm’s initial damage is not as extensive as was originally feared.

However, the good news of Gustav, if good news can be found in such natural disasters, occurred hours prior to the first drop of rain and the first gust of wind.

A pronounced change in preparation and awareness has occurred in Mississippi and Louisiana and in national response to the hurricane.

In New Orleans, the scene of horrendous tragedy during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, thousands and thousands of citizens were evacuated well ahead of the storm. The massive human tragedy of Katrina appears to have been averted with Gustav.

Hurricane Katrina caught America off guard and found federal emergency plans ill prepared. The state and national response to Gustav appears to show that we’ve learned our lesson.

As damage is still unfolding and discovered, we pray for the victims and for our community’s quick return to normalcy.