Finally a good story from New Orleans

Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu has been working with the relief workers in New Orleans, helping rescue people from roofs and buildings...this is the second-in-command of the state, getting his hands dirty and virtually putting his life in danger to help his constituents! AP had a story today about his continued efforts to assist in the search and rescue of the citizens of New Orleans, and at the end of the article they had this final bit of information that has made this man a hero in my eyes:

During the search and rescue, many people have asked Mr. Landrieu to call their family members in other areas to let them know that they survived the hurricane and have been taken to safety. When many other politicians (or workers in general) may have told them that he did not have the time or ability to do so, Mr. Landrieu has written down the phone numbers on any piece of paper he can find, and is in the process of calling survivors' relatives to give them the news. According to the report, his pockets were literally full of tiny pieces of paper with names and phone numbers for him to call.

He told the reporter about one such call he made: he called the victim's daughter and told her "Your daddy wanted me to call you and tell you he is OK and that he loves you." When the reporter asked what the response was, Mr. Landrieu said the woman started crying tears of joy because she had been convinced that her father had died in the hurricane.

This was just one of many calls that this man is making over the course of this week while he is helping with the relief effort in this city. He is truly a man of great character.