Will the people who have million-dollar second homes on the East Coast beaches be able to get out of the path of Hurricane Irene in time? Will Hurricane Irene disrupt air travel to their third home in Aspen or their fourth home in Sedona? Will they lose an entire day of tanning on the beach?

People with only one home far from expensive beachfront property may not understand how inconvenient for rich people a hurricane can be. Is low-cost, subsidized federal flood insurance all we can do for the wealthy? Can’t we raise taxes to make sure they’ll be able to rebuild on the same flood-prone spot? Some millionaires may be trapped on their million-dollar yachts on the Intercoastal Waterway. Is there nothing that can be done for them? Can’t FEMA airlift their yachts to safety? And put them in five-star hotels until after the storm? With premium cable channels, of course.

Sure, not all of us can afford a 10-bedroom house on the beach, or even a vacation to a beach, or even a day on the beach, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help our millionaire brothers and sisters.