The severe flooding in Louisiana has driven thousands from their homes. At least 40,000 homes have been damaged. This is a demographic disaster for those affected. At least 11 people have already died. And, for many, finding safe harbor remains a matter of life and death.

Airbnb, one of the great innovative companies of the P2P era, has moved into this space with the following announcement.

Can we learn from this experience? The private sector is about public service. What is called the public sector is bogged down, orders people around, overutilizes resources, and, too often, doesn't get the job done.