September 01, 2005
ON KATRINA
I don't have anything useful to add. I have no expertise. Options for charity can be Googled in a heartbeat, and I don't have the experience to vet any particular charity, so I'm not pointing at any of them for that reason.
So two things:
First, I'm holding my money until one of my daily reads has a specific need of assistance, because I prefer my charity to be direct & personal. That's just me. I'd rather help out someone I know, or at least the friend of a friend.
Second, Paul of Wizbang requests that bloggers post specific information about how victims can access the help they need. Sure, everyone knows you're supposed to ask the Red Cross for assistance, but what's their phone number? Where are they? Who should you talk to?
We don't know how FEMA works. Somebody read the news reports on what FEMA is doing and what it is not... Somebody read their site and distill it for those of us who don't have time for red tape.Flood insurance? I know the feds handle it. Who do I need to talk to? What do they pay?
Every natural disaster I send the Red Cross my standard $100 donation. I have no idea how to get money from them. It is a grant or a loan?
If I don't actually cancel my phones and my bill is auto-debit do they still bill me?
If I shut off my phone will I lose my number?
Heck- Somebody make an "Evacuee survival guide" with laser precision information on how to get help without clicking 50 links or waiting on hold 2 hours. If you can save 25,000 people 5 hours of looking up the same information, think of the power in that!
Think of the simple things- Thousands of people lost their glasses. Somebody set up a website where they can coordinate donations of (known) prescription glasses from people who no longer need them. Get a freight company to donate the freight. I bet FedEx will give you an account number that will route all the glasses to some agency in New Orleans.
If you have knowledge, please post it and trackback to Paul's entry.
» Letters from NYC links with: Disaster Relief Information for Victims and their Friends
» HurricAid links with: Advice From a Former Recovery Worker
Excerpt: The normal place to start in any disaster is with the American Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers at Disaster Relief Centers normally come equiped with xeroxed sheets of local/state contact numbers and victims or their family members can call to apply for...
Weblog: Letters from NYC
Tracked: September 2, 2005 03:14 AM
Excerpt: Contributed by Michelle at Letters From NYC Dear Paul: Below you will find most of what you need to help you get back on your feet. The normal place to start in any disaster is with the American Red Cross....
Weblog: HurricAid
Tracked: September 2, 2005 04:47 AM
Wow, here's something I know a lot about (being a former relief worker and former Red Cross volunteer). I can help people with info and you guys can spread the news. I'll sit down and start writing right now and see how far I get with it.
Thanks Blog Dad, see you're being of great help!
Kudos on your efforts to bring relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. There is another way bloggers and other thoughtful people can help:
I have opened forums at www.DisasterReliefIdeas.org for the discussion of ideas to aid disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I am not soliciting donations, only ideas. Experts in aspects of disaster relief (housing, healthcare, rebuilding, etc.) are also able to rate these ideas, giving us a means of identifying the most promising ones, which will be shared with disaster relief professionals and persons in authority. Please help our society by contributing your ideas, especially if you are unable to contribute financially to relief efforts.
E-Mail Me (Harvey)
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