Samantha Perez's Hurricane Journal has a new entry

We've heard a great deal from people who are reading Sammy Perez's heartrending diary about how Hurricane Katrina turned her family into gypsies. They tell us it leaves them feeling "sad, sad, sad" but praise Sammy as a brilliant writer. That's pretty much right on the money.

Here at Tattoo Central, we have been aching right along with Sammy and our readers. Thousands of people have followed Sammy's odyssey across Louisiana, feeling the hurricane and finding that there really is no place like home... except sometimes home is gone.

We also want to take a second to thank, broadly this time, the readers who have stepped up to lend Sammy and her family a hand. We're not really sure about everything that's been sent, but we know that quite a few people have mailed boxes, some have sent gift cards and other have penned notes of encouragement. It's all greatly appreciated. We'll have more to say about the outpouring of generosity that we've seen for Sammy. It's a bright spot in a dark picture.

By the way, on a related note, Sammy's writing more than she can send us because she faces, off and on, two key problems: an old computer and a lack of internet access. If there's a reader out there who can help outfit her with the technology she needs, we'd sure love to hear from you. Sammy's got an amazing story to tell -- and important one -- and she's trying her best to keep it up. But it would help an awful lot if she didn't have to squander so much time and energy trying to keep her old laptop running and finding someplace to hop on the 'net.

Meantime, go read her new entry: Hurricane Journal. And keep watching The Tattoo. There will be more soon.