Doing Our Part: Helping the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

The members of TechTV Forever, LongLiveTechTV (and 535 York, LLTTV’s podcast, available at longlivetechtv.com), and all of us here at TechTV Forever.net would like to take a moment to reach out to the entire community to do whatever they can to help the victims of hurricane Katrina, to help those people whose lives have been forever changed by this enormous tragedy slowly begin to put their lives back together.

There are several things that all of us can do to help, even in some of the smallest ways, where anyone, regardless of your location, income level, or position in life, can do something to make a difference. First of all, the American Red Cross [ http://www.redcross.org/ ] is taking donations, both monetary and of course, in blood. Please please please give blood. Blood supplies are constantly running low, and thie event will only strain or deplete additional supplies. Regardless of your blood type, please contact the Red Cross to see where and when you can give blood or make a donation. Remember, each donation of blood can save up to three lives. Look at it that way. A few minutes of being mildly uncomfortable and a free cookie, and you’re helping 3 people get their lives back.

Also: for a wider array of ways you can help victims in the many states devastated by the hurricane, head over to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency’s website [ http://www.fema.gov/ ] to see ways the various states have set up ways to help out. They have also presented a list of excellent charities and organizations collecting donations of money, clothing, and non-perishable food for delivery to the storm-torn areas and their phone numbers:
[ http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473 ]

Last but not least, whatever religion you practice, or spirituality you have, I suggest praying or meditating or whatever you may do, send positive thoughts, energy, even hope to the victims and the people working hard around the clock to repair the damage and save lives. If any new information comes up and we can find new and better ways to continue to help in the face of this tragedy, we’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, one of the members of the LongLiveTechTV group condensed a lot of this information here:

UPDATE // Two sites, NetworkForGood [ http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/hurricanes/ ] has compiled an incredible list of charities and donation links that anyone looking to help might find more than useful. Head on over there and help out as soon as you can!

MSNBC will be hosting a telethon this weekend to support the victims of Hurricane Katrina! Read more here:
[ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9146525/ ]

UPDATE //
The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance has compiled a list of important tips for anyone who has donated or is planning to donate to a charity committed to helping the victims of Katrina slowly rebuild their lives. Remember to protect yourself when giving, and to make sure that the most of your donation goes to the people who need it the most.

[ http://www.give.org/news/disaster_tips.asp ]

Additionally, if you are looking for a loved one, CNN is posting a “Safe list” of people who have been found and are out of harm’s way here:
[ http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/list/ ]

If you’re unsure that your donation is needed, or want to see the devastation firsthand, check out the following link, which includes sattelite photos of the affected areas in a before/after fashion. The damage is incredible and the need for assistance enormous:

[ http://oregonstate.edu/~holtt/ ]

UPDATE //
The political activism group MoveOn.org is hosting a website where people can donate spare rooms or beds to people in need of a place to stay. Visit Hurricanehousing.org to sign up, and refugees from the devastated areas will be able to search the database when they have internet access or speak with someone who does, and they will be able to find a place within reasonable distance to stay. Please, sign up and offer a spare room if you can-homes especially within 300 miles of New Orleans are especially needed.

[ http://www.hurricanehousing.org/ ]
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HOW TO HELP

As the Gulf Coast begins to dig out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, emergency organizations are executing cleanup and rescue plans, seeking donations and setting up outlets to provide information on the storm and its victims.

INFORMATION

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is taking the lead role in coordinating relief efforts. The agency is posting information about the storm on its Web site:
Federal Emergency Management Agency [ http://www.fema.gov/ ]

State responses and emergency information are being coordinated by the following:
Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness [ http://www.gohsep.la.gov/ ]

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (site down as of Tuesday morning) [ http://www.msema.org./index.htm ]

Louisiana Governor’s Office [ http://www.gov.state.la.us/ ]

City of New Orleans [ http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx ]

The Salvation Army’s Team Emergency Radio Network was taking requests for information on the welfare and status of loved ones in the hurricane area at its Web site:
SATERN [ http://www.satern.org/ ]

As of 9 a.m. ET, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that airports had been closed in New Orleans; Baton Rouge; Mobile, Ala.; Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.; and Pensacola, Fla. Major delays were expected at other airports in the Southeast and the domino effect from them could spread all the way across the country. Further information was available at:

Federal Aviation Administration [ http://www.faa.gov/ ]

The relief effort is still being hampered by flooding in some areas. Up-to-date information can be found at these Web sites:
The National Weather Service [ http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html ]
Hydrologic Information Center (river flooding only) [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/index.html ]

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DONATIONS – WEBSITES

American Red Cross [ http://www.redcross.org/ ]
Episcopal Relief & Development [ http://www.er-d.org/ ]
United Methodist Committee on Relief [ http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/hurricanes/2005/ ]
Salvation Army [ http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/ ]
Catholic Charities [ http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ ]
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster [ http://www.nvoad.org/ ]
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ http://www.la-spca.org/ ]

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DONATIONS – PHONE NUMBERS (Give cash or volunteer)
American Red Cross (800) HELP NOW (435-7669) English; (800) 257-7575
Spanish
Operation Blessing (800) 436-6348
America’s Second Harvest (800) 344-8070
Adventist Community Services (800) 381-7171
Catholic Charities, USA (703) 549-1390
Christian Disaster Response (941) 956-5183 or (941) 551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (800) 848-5818
Church World Service (800) 297-1516
Convoy of Hope (417) 823-8998
Lutheran Disaster Response (800) 638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service (717) 859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response (888) 256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (800) 872-3283
Salvation Army (800) SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
Southern Baptist Convention — Disaster Relief (800) 462-8657, ext.
6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief (800) 554-8583