Dr. Floyd Jones will never forget the look on the mans face.

He was a carpenter,the West Virginia University sports management associate professor from Pittsburgh said of the Hurricane Katrina survivor.He said, �€~All my tools were in my truck. It was washed away. My house was washed away. I dont know what Im gonna do.

Jones, happily, was able to present a check from the American Red Cross to help the man rebuild a little normalcy back into his life.

In September, Jones spent 17 days in the storm-soaked state of Mississippi, working with representatives from the Red Cross and to help assess hurricane damage while doling out relief checks from donated monies to the outreach organization.

In the wake of the storm, the Red Cross rallied teams of volunteers (they came from across the country and the world) to travel to makeshift shelters across hurricane area. They met with families, heard their stories and handed over checks from $360 to $1,500 to help meet fundamental needs as they continued to grapple with the aftermath of the killer hurricane.

The launching point was Montgomery, Ala., the site of the organizations national center for Katrina relief. For Jones and his group, it was on to Mississippi from there.

We went to Greenville and Indianola,Jones said.We hit Jackson, Natchez, Cleveland and Tupelo. The whole state, really, because the whole state was hit. And we didnt want one person to fall through the cracks.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., honored Jones as aVolunteer of the Yearfor his work there, but the WVU faculty member said he didnt make the pilgrimage for praise.

He went, he said, because he made himself a promise to help his fellow man in whatever way he could. His resolve built as he watched the wall-to-wall television coverage of the damage wrought in the Gulf Coast by the Category 5 storm.

I saw New Orleans descending into a city of misery,he said.I saw people falling further and further into panic. This wasnt about red states-versus-blue states. This wasnt about white people-versus-black people. This was about people helping people. I do have hope for the human spirit, even if we do have a way to go.

Jones was struck by the contrast of people and groups who behaved honorablyand dishonorablyin Katrinas wake. Here are the 10 lessons he learned from the storm and his relief work in Mississippi:

* Value of good listening skills. We realized we were dealing with mothers who had lost children, and husbands who had lost everything they ownedall the essentials necessary to maintain their livelihood.

* Great diversity of people from Red and Blue States. The Southerners we met would say, �€~We hate Yankees, but we love you guys.The Katrina disaster obviously brought out the best and worst in people. But I witnessed over and over again people givingnot out of their surplus but of sacrifice. It made a believer out of me.

* Some wealthy people ought to be ashamed of themselves. Why? Because if they dont advocate for the poor, the poor will never have the political might to generate the policy decisions that will result in legislating them out of poverty.

* Ordinary people do extraordinary things when they have to. Just ordinary people, who have little or who have much. Everyone who did anything to assist the survivors of this national disaster is my hero.

* The strength of the human spirit is immeasurable. The folks caught up in tragedy can make up their minds to survive. The amazing story of Katrina is that thousands of families are showing that spirit of hope and optimism.

* Value of the church. They (church workers) set up shelters, served meals, donated clothesthe church showed up and it showed up big.

* It was my turn as a 50-year-old. There were no longer any excuses. It was simply my turn.

* Remember how your parents raised you. All those lessons came in with Katrina, from getting along with others to being a good listener to thinking for yourself and standing up for what you believe in.

* The American Red Cross is a bureaucracy, but effective. It has its structural, management and staffing issues like any other major organization, but its still the best-prepared, best-organized institution to deliver aid to individuals caught up in a disaster.

* We can do better. I urge everyone to become advocates for the citizens of New Orleans, since they were failed by the system in so many ways.