Our country is hurting

[cheesymice]

Here I am again, sounding like a broken record, but please please please continue to donate money and supplies if you can. I don't care if it's a dollar, or an old t-shirt, or a cheap can of store-brand peas, if there's a collection drive for items near you, please give something. If you can send only pocket change to the Red Cross or Salvation Army, please do.

And I beg you please, conserve gas when you can. I know that people need gas to get to work and to school and for errands and that's fine, but please try to do what you can to not waste fuel. No unnecessary trips, no joy riding, try to economize your trips by getting more things done in one trip instead of making many trips. The coast is desperate for fuel. The shortage is real: hopefully it's only temporary once deliveries are re-established, but it's very important that the fuel that is available gets to these stricken areas. Generators at hospitals and shelters need to be kept going. Utility trucks and rescue vehicles need fuel to clear roads, re-establish communication services, reach survivors and deliver supplies.

THE COAST NEEDS FUEL AND FOOD. I talked to my sister this morning and she feels so helpless that she can't get to other family members and help because her gas tank is empty so she can't travel beyond the distance she can walk in her neighborhood, and what little is left of her town of Long Beach. Communication is non-existent, spotty at best so people aren't aware of where they can find food and relief services when it does get there.

Oh, and the president's little pat himself on the back session in Mobile just now? I'm... there are no words. And when he talked about looking forward to sitting on the porch of Trent Lott's bigger and better than before rebuilt beachfront Pascagoula home in the future. Fuck. What about all the little houses behind Trent's house that were washed away? The houses where middle to lower income families live, many of them without flood insurance? Where will they get their bigger and better houses?

Comments

[xionin.livejournal.com]

bush is useless. most of the people standing around him at that press conference are useless.

[glimmergirl.livejournal.com]

I can hardly believe all this badness is happening. :'(

Thanks for your updates on the Katrina situation, honey. It makes me feel less disconnected.

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

Sweetie, do you know about the_fund? We've started efforts to help individuals - currently we're focusing efforts on lostgirlslair and her fiance, but that's just because we know where they are and what they need.

We'd love to add more people that need help and more people that want to help. If YOU need something, or your friends, or your family, could you please, please let us know? There are a lot of people that are wanting to do something that can do it, and want to do it, right now.

::hugs::

[cheesygirl.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm aware of the_fund and fandom_charity. Luckily my family is doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. My immediate family has insurance, including flood insurance, so they will eventually be able to replace the replaceable things. I also have family members coming in from outside bringing what supplies they can so my folks are better off than a lot of people who have no one to come to their rescue.

I'm more concerned about the immediate needs of people down there. They need the essential things of life: food, water, and shelter. Fuel helps these things get to the people in need.

I'm so grateful to you and others who are helping victims who so desperately need things. ::hugs::

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

Okay, sweetheart. I'm so glad that you and yours are relatively okay. Know our door is open if there's something ya'll need. Wish we could magic up some gas.

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

WTF? Bush has officially lost his mind. I just listened to an interview done by the mayor of New Orleans. I think maybe he swore at Bush when they talked. Good going. Just made me more angry.

Glad to hear that your folks are doing OK. **hugs**

[astridaria.livejournal.com]

The Whole Foods near me is asking people to add two or five dollars to their bill as a donation to the Red Cross -- it's great to see so many people saying yes everytime I'm there (which is just about everyday). I hope other places of business do the same.

[genamarie.livejournal.com]

Keep posting, please! Like you, I think we are getting more accurate reports from people in or around the areas affected--ie. news from your sister.

With so much attention being focused on New Orleans (and yes, they do need the attention), I fear that Mississippi and Alabama may be getting overlooked. Based on your posts yesterday, I went ahead and made a donation to America's Second Harvest--their website today stated that they are delivering over 1.1 million pounds of food and I sincerely hope they will be going to Miss and Ala. They also had a note about which food banks were affected by Katrina and were now operational again--in particular, the Mississippi Food Network in Jackson.

I have since seen reports that the Salvation Army has been steadily going through Miss and Ala, so the next step is to donate to the division headquarters for that area (although getting onto the website is difficult).

I have also been emailing friends back in Galveston about the local efforts there. The daughter of one my friends is an elementary school teacher in the Houston area, so I asked about the HISD fund-raising efforts and here is a bit of what she told me...

"April's school had open house last night and she received one of the evacuees into her classroom. She'll probably start on Monday. She said the school told her that they will furnish school supplies and feed her breakfast and lunch. The parents burst into tears. From their personal appearance April thinks they are in a hotel and not a shelter or possibly with relatives, but are homeless and here for many months. April said the little girl, K, was absolutely excited about coming back to a brand new school."

She gave me several ways that they are asking for donations locally, so I will also give that way, as well. Had I not moved here, I definitely would have been doing some of the volunteering and donating in-kind gifts, so sending a little money is the least I can do. Texas is accepting a lot of the New Orleans evacuees and I know that it is going to put a strain on a lot of the local resources.

Hope you don't mind me using your lj for all of this, but I wanted you to know how much this Gulf Coast ex-pat appreciates you keeping us current.

And again, so glad your family is safe!

[genamarie.livejournal.com]

Oh! And forgot to mention, I then went over to fandom_charity and will now be getting Wes/Faith fic from Laure Alexander :-)