More often than not, when a conversation has run out of steam, you talk about the weather.These days though, the weather is pretty important.

With a possible record number of storms this season, it is important to keep in mind that, despite the high amount of media coverage that has sensationalized natural disasters, students are still responding to needs of those who have been affected.

It’s great that after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the scare of Hurricane Rita, students are still aware of other countries and regions around the globe that have been affected by natural disasters.

Organizations such as The American Red Cross, and, on a local level, the group of international students who formed the organization Guatemalan Hope, are prime examples of groups that realize the broad scope of damage natural disasters can cause and that are doing all they can to help out.

With Wilma’s presence making this year a tie for the most storms in a single season, and with more than a month left, the chance of there being at least one more is likely. With this possibility looming, all further named storms in the Atlantic will be Greek.

Should there be another named storm this season, it will be named Alpha, Beta, Gamma and so on.

The World Meteorological Organization, which keeps lists of names for storm-prone regions, will, for the first time since storms became named, be forced to move to another set of names to use. Along the same line, names of storms which cause extreme damage, such as Katrina and 1992’s Hurricane Andrew are retired.

No matter the name or the amount of coverage, it is important to help those affected, be locally or thousands of miles away.

Copy Desk Chief Ryan Claunch for the Editorial Board