Big relief effort meets Katrina

Christian Science Monitor ^ | August 30, 2005 | Kris Axtman

[gorush]

Now that I know that the federal government, in spite of Constitutional restrictions, in spending huge amounts on my behalf, I no longer feel compelled to contribute privately.

[BellStar]

Saturday, September 03, 2005
RE: Hurricane Katriana,
I find the Red Cross to be offensive to Military People so I never link to them
here are two good ones instead to volunteer or provide cash donations,
Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or http://www.salvationarmyusa.org
Texas Response to Hurricane Katriana.
One Star Foundation: 1-800-707-6768 or http://www.onestarfoundation.org

KATRINA TIME LINE

August 28, 2005, Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.
August 29 - Katrina made landfall on, causing severe damage to New Orleans.
August 31- Nagin estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people died as a result of the hurricane, one of the nation's worst ever.
September 1, (Tuesday) 2005, Nagin expressed his frustration and fury at the response of other city government officials
September 2, 2005, Nagin continued his criticism of Authorities--particularly those on the federal level.
Hurricane Katrina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Nagin's performance in the Hurricane Katrina crisis has been criticized as well in his role as leader of the first responders and Nagin has been accused of deflection or letting his own people die in New Orleans for no reason. (see Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff's press conference, 3 September 2005). Nagin was criticized for not calling a mandatory evacuation until Sunday morning, with his reason for not doing so sooner being that he had to consult with city attorneys to see if he had the legal authority to do so on Saturday. As mayor, Nagin was also responsible for establishing evacuation centers and keeping local order. Yet apparantly there were no meals ready to eat (MRE's) stored at his designated evacuation center - the Superdome. There was no water purification equipment on site, no chemical toilets, anti-biotics or anti-diarrheals stored for a crisis. The mayor had not designated any medical staff to work the evacuation center. Nagin himself admitted "The convention center is unsanitary and unsafe, and we are running out of supplies for the 15,000 to 20,000 people."[1] The city had not established a secure sick bay within the Superdome. The city had not sent police or other vehicles through the poorest neighborhoods with evacuation announcements prior to the storm. There were no functioning backup emergency communications police or fire-rescue radios available. Additionally, the city stored the school buses on low ground where they were flooded and then not available for evacuation. [2]. City-Journal summarized their criticism this way, "Mayor Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco lost whatever fragile authority they ever had over New Orleans early Monday, as the waters still rose."[3]

[atomic conspiracy]

Trapped people are still posting immediate appeals for help on the NOLA blog. Go to the link. I tried to post this as a separate story but it wasn't accepted. Lives are at stake here. Please help if you can, or help get the word out.

[jocon307]

Bump

[Just Kimberly]

Actually, we have a regular benevolance fund - that goes to certain groups every few months - and being from a small town - do thew best we can.

We have heard FEMA wants 'things; and the Red Cross wants 'money'. Being a poor community ourselves, 'things' are easier to give than 'money'.

Additionally, every year, the fire departments and businesses in the area raise money for the Crusade for Cjildren', and organization in place for over 50 years - that gives money to handi-capped children all around the area. We have raised money for the local children's hospitals, Children's homes, etc.

This is the first time we have ever encountered problems with the R.C. - but I have been told by other FReepers this is the norm.

We give all we can, whenever we can - and it matters not where people are - we do our best. JK

Or were you trying to be smart and suggest that a special occassion is not the time to give? Just curious - we only have the semi's for one week - and they were donated. In Christ, Kimberly

[Just Kimberly]

Thank you for posting this info! JK

[DainBramage]

LOL

[Sledge61]

I saw reported on FoxNews that an evacuee in Baton Rouge, LA witnessed two empty grain barges crashed through the levee during the hurricane. This was a new reinforced concrete levee, and funding was not an issue. Even if it was a Category 5 Levee I doubt it would of held 2 barges being rammed into it by hurricane force winds. Someone needs to get this reported in the media.

[WestTexasWend]

Just to clarify, the link to the Red Cross was the Christian Science Monitor's, not mine.

I don't give to the RC and don't recommend them. The Salvation Army is my first choice, and Texas Baptist Men is another great group that's especially well situated to help in this case. Links to both have been posted here.

I'd also trust giving through any national retailer (Lowes, WalMart, HomeDepot, OfficeDepot, etc) more than giving to the RC. They took in untold millions for the OKC bombing and the OKC tornado and just never got around to distributing much of it back to actual victims...

[thackney]

BTTT

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

[BellStar]

Wal-Mart
is pushing

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

I'm pushing
Wal -Mart too!
I have been helping feed 100 - 150 evacuees at a time
and Wal -Mart has been providing us most of the
food and supplies.We have a big we care - what ever we have we share!
attitude in Texas as you know.

[LibertyRocks]

HOMESCHOOLER ASSISTANCE...

Ambleside Online is providing an assistance page with curriculum ideas, suggestions, internet links and example weekly schedule. This is geared towards helping homeschoolers, and organizations as they meet the educational needs of the children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

For more information see the thread here at FreeRepublic: Help for Homeschoolers displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Or, visit the Ambleside site directly at: http://amblesideonline.org/HELP.shtml

[Candor7]

I simply had enough of the whining democrats last Friday,2nd September. They want to blame our President and his administration for this disaster. They are nuts. I decided to demonstrate some Freeper Initiative here in Vermont, where Republican State Gov. James Douglas put together "Operation Special Delivery"; where citizens in ONE day filled 34 tractor trailers with goods requested by Gulf Port Search and Rescue. As we speak the VT State Police are escorting these rigs to the Miss. Border.

I went to Home Depot. I went to the Check Out with 6 demijohns of Drinking Water. It was going to cost me $66.00 including the deposit for the 5 gallon containers. I said to the Check OUT Lady, " I would buy twelve of these if I didn't have to pay for the bottle deposit, they can't come back, they are going to Hurricane Relief in Mississippi and the containers won't be back."

Our check out lady looks me in the eye,smiles, " Wait a minute honey!" and after a short phone call along comes the manager and when I told him what I was doing , he said, " Ring up 12 for the price of 6!" Now I loaded those twelve
5 gallon puppies onto my good old boy red chevy pick up and dropped them off at the local in processing point for Vermont donations and I can sure tell you, the fire chief's eyes lit up when he saw 600 gallons of water coming off my truck and bound now Gulfport!


Now thats what freeping is all about. The liberal whiners can just go and whine by themselves. Its us'ns that get the job done!

[WestTexasWend]

God bless you! You're exactly right...this illustrates the folly of thinking any government can take care of you. Care for yourselves and others and there IS no "red tape" or "miscommunication".

The HomeDepots (and, I'm sure, Lowes, but I wasn't in their stores during that time) REALLY stepped up after the 5/3/99 tornados ripped through OK. We were spared, thank God, but were in the middle of a big project and every morning for over a week I'd pull up around 7:30, just as three semis of company-donated supplies...plywood, tarps, generators, ladders, chainsaws, gloves, dustmasks, you name it...were pulling out. Then, as I'd check out at the contractor's desk, they'd already be getting together the load list for the afternoon trucks. They also took pains to make sure not all of it went to the F5 zone, but was sent to little towns that were hit but weren't getting much attention and didn't have any home centers nearby.

Having good neighbors like that makes it easy to be a good customer.

[cll]

Many thanks. We have already raised over $1,500.00 in our company (not a big company, actually a small family owned company) and sent it their way.

God Bless.

[girlangler]

Triton Boats is donating several shallow draft aluminum boats for wildlife officers to use in rescue efforts and Mercury Motors is donating the motors.

YEA!!!!!!

[b9]

Thanks for posting this!

[Tarpon]

That's good news. but they sure need air boats. Navigating over all those street signs and cars, props are not going to last long.

[girlangler]

On another post I mentioned the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has sent 30 WL officers and radio operators to New Orleans.

Several states have done so, and I'm thinking Florida has probably sent some airboats.

The shallow draft jonboats will work but they'll have to maneuver all that slowly, maybe with trolling motors. I have run those kind of boats over stumps and trees, so they'll work.

[WestTexasWend]

Thanks for posting the SoldiersAngels link!

http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/Operation_Katrina_Soldiers_Relief_Fund.php

Frankie Mayo is THE BEST...I've corresponded with her a couple of times at Operation AC...and I can guarantee any money sent for helping families of deployed military get their lives back on track is well spent with her group! Donating now, and thanks again!