Hurricane Katrina produced two results - extreme devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi and extreme acts of kindness from individuals and organizations across the rest of the country.

The performance was a difficult one the first time, but Mother Nature seems to want an encore, as Rita bears down on Texas Gulf Coast cities.

It's not often people show the same enthusiasm for a sequel as they did the original, but when it comes to volunteerism, American Red Cross Little Egypt Network Director Sandy Webster says Southern Illinoisans should hold up.

"Volunteer-wise it's incredible; we didn't have enough volunteers before Hurricane Katrina," Webster said.

Now, she said, residents are lining up for courses to become trained Red Cross volunteers. The human drama left from Katrina, some of which has filtered into Southern Illinois, tapped the giving spirit in many people.

Webster said if Rita does the kind of damage many expect it to do, the U.S. will be facing the type of long-term crisis it hasn't experienced in a great while.

"I likened it to what was going on in the country during World War II," she said.

Texas may end up needing as much help from Rita as New Orleans needed from Katrina, but with experts predicting a second major hurricane shooting gasoline up as high as $4 and $5 a gallon, those wanting to help may feel financially overwhelmed.

"It's been my experience even without the Katrinas and Ritas, the largest percentage of donations come from people who make $30,000 or less," Webster said.

Amanda Nickerson, an associate professor of educational and counseling psychology at the University of Albany and a member of the National Association of School Psychologists, said Rita may generate a whole new swell of response from people, but it may also leave some feeling helpless.

"I think we'll probably see both," she said. "If someone has given so much and it has been very emotionally intense and labor intensive, they may not have much more to give."

On the other hand, Nickerson added, some may feel the need to do more.

Nickerson is primarily concerned with the number of school-aged children the storms are displacing. Finding ways to continue education in a new place is a challenge many school districts across the nation have suddenly had to tackle, thanks to Katrina, she said.

The good news is, Nickerson added, it may have trained people to ready themselves for potential after-effects of Rita.

"I think since the effect of Katrina is still on people's minds, they are very sensitive to the needs of families and children," she said.

Herrin resident Dave Matthews, a Red Cross volunteer, won't forget some of the stories he's already heard from Katrina survivors, especially those of young children.

"They are telling stories of losing everything, with no place to go back to," Matthews said. "Kids have lost all their toys and the thing about the kids, they've lost their school and they don't know where their friends are."

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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