In my opinion All people look for strength within their souls and lives to find a place of permanency to call a home. We try to establish roots to grow and have a family.. whether you pray for it or wok hard for it it provides some commonality. When devastation happens we look back at our original choices of geography, people you care for and make your next choice to rebuild or move on. Is that not what life is? Choice thrown at us daily, risk in following a dram and the endurance to follow that dream. I have no answers other than were you listening, watching and understand consequences.

As a civil servant in social services in Texas let me say that I have returned to the same areas, called flood plains for a good reason, with the same people asking for help to rebuild yet again for the third and fourth time. When does this become a bad choice instead of their home. I would not continue to live in areas prone to disaster by choice. Some times we face tough decisions. Put ur big boy lands and face them.

Mood

I don't comment much-- I just like to watch

Nothing like praying for people you don't know who are someplace you aren't to make you feel like you've done something to help them even though you haven't lifted a finger or spent a single dime.... That the storm has hit one of the poorest parts of the nation and most deeply entrenched in religion. The "true believers" will probably be saying soon that the storm was God striking back at the non believers and unfaithful even though their group is the greatest in number and intolerance to those others they blame.

I think your friend could have logical recourse to a “Free Will Defense of a Devil”. Indeed, some years back I published a proof (granting a couple of common sense assumptions) that this is an adequate theodicy for such cases of so-called natural evil in “Can Theism Survive Without the Devil?” Religious Studies (An international Journal For the Philosophy of Religion, Cambridge University Press), 11, pp 231-244. Seems to me this is an obvious move for those who believe in devils/demons to begin with. That is, I think it is those who believe in a good God but no devils (with free will) that are confronted with the logical problem.

Prayers our hopes and wishes.

[thehill.com]

You should ask her if god created the hurricane. Then you could ask her what good praying if god sent it.