In requesting additional funds from Congress for Hurricane Katrina recovery, President Bush said Katrina devastated an area "roughly the size of Great Britain."

Even that comparison, as incredible as it sounds, doesn't begin to tell the story of Katrina's impact on the region and my hometown. As CEO of a company based in New Orleans, I can tell you that my staff and I are still struggling, not only to continue our business, but to rebuild our lives.

Our company, like 80 percent of the city, experienced flood damage. The first floor of our building had 13 inches of water, and we lost furniture, equipment, our inventory of magazines, office supplies – pretty much everything. Our staff is still spread out all over the South. Our 35th Anniversary Year celebration was interrupted.

For many families and businesses, it was so much worse. As of February 2006, the number of confirmed fatalities in Louisiana was 1,101 – and we know that others of our neighbors were lost in the evacuation.

To demonstrate the severity of Katrina, and the difficulty of the rebuilding ahead, here are a few facts about the city that were recently published in New Orleans' daily newspaper, The Times-Picayune:

Much work needs to be done. Insurance companies are dragging their feet; FEMA is dysfunctional. The U.S. Corps of Engineers is responsible for what experts call the biggest civil engineering mistake in history.

What happened here was unbelievable, inconceivable, horrible. Even with the predictions of experts, we thought it would never happen. But it did, and now we have to recover and rebuild. Many people lost loved ones, their homes, possessions, jobs and health insurance – literally everything. Many left the city and will never return. This was a life-changing event. We believe that this too shall pass, but we also know that we must take action to speed its passing. We have been blessed with supporters and friends who are helping us get past this horrific experience. We are recovering and rebuilding. Repairs are being made to the office and things are getting back to normal. We can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

And we continue our work. I want to personally thank our dedicated staff who labored under difficult conditions to make this issue of the magazine a reality; thanks to the editors, staff and student journalists at Black College Wire; thanks to Pearl Stewart and Stewart David Ikeda; and many others too numerous to name here; and thanks to our advertisers for their continued support and trust.

I want to assure you, our loyal readers, that we will publish our 35th Anniversary Commemorative Issue in April, and it will be our best!