What we can do

[Roller]

I've been racking my brain trying to think what we, as individuals , can do to help out. Unfortunately, I haven't come up with much. I looked at www.foxnews.com and they basically suggest sending money to charities, particularly, the Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html. Thier help page is at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167683,00.html

I would be willing to go to New Orleans to offer help, but from what I've read, showing up there could be more of a hindrence than a help. We need to get people out, not send more people in. I did call Carnival Cruise Lines last night and they said they were sending a ship with supplies, but the person with whom I spoke didn't know whether they were also planning on picking people up. Those ships can hold close to 3,000 people.

It's great that people are opening their houses, but if you do, please be very careful as there are many scammers out there. I would suggest not posting your phone number since your address could be gotten that way. Also maybe consider using a non-trackable email account, such as Hotmail.

Besides donating money and offering housing, the only other area where I think individuals can help is to donate to the shelters. I saw on the news last night a shelter in Baton Rouge asking for donations of socks and underwear. I'm sure they all need food and other clothing as well.

I will research names and locations of the shelters and post information on this board. If anyone is willing to drive to New Orleans to help, it may make more sense to gather donation from your neighbors and drive the goods to a shelter instead. I may be doing this myself. Then we can perhaps shuttle people from the shelter elsewhere if they have a place to go.

I'm sorry for the minimal amount of ideas. If anyone has more, please feel free to post.

[rchop]

I am also wanting to help with aid and relief. I have a multi-passenger van in Orlando, FL. I am wanting to fill it with a bunch of water and non-perishables and haul them to the Gulf Coast. I am not sure where to take it. I could als haul people out once I am there. I would like some guidance in how to approach this. rchop@bellsouth.net

[NicoMoon]

Hi rchop,

Thanks for your generous offer!

We are reading on a lot of boards where others are offering transportation as well.

My idea is that we need to coordinate with the Red Cross or any agencies who are in the affected areas and create a network of drivers who can move people from a defined pick up point and then onto their destination or at least to another driver who can get them where they are going.

This will take some coordination effort, and the best thing I can suggest is for all of us to get busy and start inviting people to post here.

We're in the process of setting up live broadcasting right now, so there will be updated information coming through on our radio station here, hopefully by this evening.

In the meantime, we need some volunteers here to moderate threads and keep things moving and organized.

If anyone can help out, please email me at: nicomoon@livewire.fm

[Franklin]

I tried calling the Louisiana Red Cross last night, but the lines were constantly busy. So I sent them an email asking if we can coordinate with them such that they provide drop-off places near the affected areas for food, clothing, etc. and where people can be picked up to be driven to shelters or other housing.

I have yet to receive a response. I will continue to try to get an answer. If others can also contact them, perhaps they'll respond. I will post the information here if I ever get. We have people here willing to drive to the area, but it will do no good if there is no coordination. If anyone can think of any other organization or knows of any shelters need ing help, please post. Thanks.

[emobilize]

Organizing transportation/caravan is definitely what is needed. The problem is whereto (need to find destinations able to handle the influx of people) and how (need to know how to get to the people _safely_). Unfortunately I have very little knowledge of the geography and have no idea what the current situation is in the surrounding area. But if there is a safe location nearby the city (within roundtrip driving distance for a tank of gas in the car) that is large enough to handle hundreds of people/cars showing up, then we can use it as a congregation point. Then we need to find temporary shelter for people -- both the volunteers and the evacuees. Then a fan out system to drive the evacuees even further -- directly to more permant shelters hopefully. Of course, knowing how to get into the city safely is important -- I think red cross and other disaster relief agencies don't want untrained civilians to go in on their own because of safety concerns. People can always go pick up people outside the Superdome, but I would hate to ask anyone to brave the crowd there and the authorities might object to the unplanned help and the problems that might cause them. This is very difficult, but having somebody actually in the area who can get the information out to people would be a good first step.

As for other ideas to help, right now I am just doing web searches and trying to get relevant information about where and how people can help gathered at one place. I see that some of you have been advertising for this forum and I think we need to keep doing that. Ultimately, as more information is gathered, maybe we will need pages of condensed information where people who want to help and people who need help can access and get that information without having to search through a million messages (that's what NOLA.com has deteriorated to). If we can offer a list of places to drop off donation or places that need volunteers according to geographic area, that would be very helpful to people. Then it's advertise advertise advertise so that people know about it. I think this kind of information isn't really available at the moment and it is very frustrating for people who want to help, and spreading this information is a very important task.

[Katrina]

Writing from Oregon...
we would like help in getting out the word that we have arranged for people here locally to "adopt a family" that have been affected by the hurricane. We are a group of people who are interested in sending families a personal touch of compassion and personal things they may need during this devastating time while in shelters. We'd like to get names of people in shelters and the address to send packages to on a weekly basis. It is my hope that I can help in hooking up families that want to help with families that need help and get some correspondence going with these victims on a more personal level and give them a little something to look forward to each week while they are in shelters.
People interested in "adopting a family" can reply to adoptafamily@msn.com and hopefully we will get some help from the media and shelters getting us names of victims and addresses where we can begin hooking people up and sending packages.
Thanks
Kristin Howard

[babymaniac]

I have been going to the "I'm ok" boards and offering to place phone calls for the victims to their families,letting them know they are ok.My local Salation Army does not have trucks to accept donations yet. So I am just trying to do what I can from home.

[chrisnnavarre]

After going through Ivan, I can tell you what the people need that's not provided. They need lamp oil, oil lamps, batteries to keep their radios running and for their flash lights. They need to make contact all along the Mississppi Gulf coast with neighboring cities, they need to get lists out so that people can make phone calls for them to relatives.

I'm going in tomorrow, but basically on a fact finding mission. I will take some lamp oil, batteries, etc. etc...

However I will go and come back. Gas is a real problem now and will continue to be for some time in the future.

Contact me directly for more info... if needed.

(850) 936-7542

[marjie]

I would like to reply to the folks posting from Florida..we would like to get involved with meeting up, perhaps a small caravan, to take in supplies (batteries, gloves, etc) and get people out to more comfortable shelters. Gas definitely is challenge right now..but we will help in any way! E-mail me
magymay5@aol.com or I can be reached at 239-821-1342

[chrisnnavarre]

I would like to reply to the folks posting from Florida..we would like to get involved with meeting up, perhaps a small caravan, to take in supplies (batteries, gloves, etc) and get people out to more comfortable shelters. Gas definitely is challenge right now..but we will help in any way! E-mail me
magymay5@aol.com or I can be reached at 239-821-1342

According to CNN, security in and around the Biloxi area is also an issue now. Mainly because of the gasoline situation. We have gasoline here however no cans are available in the local stores for transport. Also many people are starting to return into the Mississippi Gulf Coast and are running out of gas on the side of the road. Some people who had full gas cans have been robbed of their fuel at gun-point.

[marjie]

Thanks..haven't seen that on CNN...are you still going? I am flying into Houston tomorrow..have family there in the medical profession so maybe that is the best way for me to help...Good Luck with your efforts!

[ChiliPalmer]

Great minds think alike. I'm currently organizing an expedition into the Mississippi Gulf Coast to drop off basic supplies (via my truck, out of Jacksonville, FL). My biggest concern is gas; I might have to turn back and have no idea how far I can get into Mississippi. Any road, last night I took donations at work to round out what I was putting up myself and am picking up supplies from other folks who collected things but had no idea where to take them. We leave tomorrow.

[marjie]

I have heard from a private pilot flying in supplies as best he can, that there is gas throughout these areas...good luck and God Bless

[Monkey Phat]

There are many organizations in Texas that are taking "in kind" donations.

Good for you!

http://livewire.fm/forums/showthread.php?t=88