More Katrina News Links

[liz_marcs]

Once more pimping:

The American Red Cross relief efforts. Choose "Hurricane 2005" relief on the donations page.

Second Harvest, the food bank network, relief efforts. To donate funds, go here.

Via ad_kay: interdictor remains in New Orleans and is among the people on the ground fighting to save the city. His blog is a "must read" for people interested in getting a first-hand account of the tragedy unfolding there.

MoveOn.org via its Web site is coordinating efforts to get people displaced by Katrina free housing.

Don't forget to chek out Wikipedia's page on Hurricane Katrina.

Fats Domino is one of the missing NOLA natives in the wake of Katrina.

Speaker of the House Hastert says that he supports an emergency bailout, but raised questions about a long-term rebuilding effort. Which I'm sure the people of New Orleans really, really need to hear right now.

Try not to let your blood pressure rise upon reading this, but Jamaica has offered to send aid and personel to help the devastated region, but the U.S. government has refused the offer. I had read something similar about Canada offering to help and the U.S. government turning them down, but because the only source I could find was a liberal blog and not a legit news organization, I couldn't post it here in good conscience. However, we have confirmation from Jamaica that this is going on. Good enough.

The head trauma surgeon at Charity Hospital is begging for help to get his patients evacuated while he watches Tulane University Hospital just down the street complete its evacuation. Here's the thing: Charity Hospital is one of the poorest hostpials in the nation. It serves people who have no health insurance and no money to pay for care. Tulane is where the people with health insurance go. According to a Charity Hospital nurse who called in to AirAmerica today as part of the staff's effort to get the word out to any and all government officials who might be listening: they have no food, no water, no electricity. They're fighting off looters and they're fighting to keep patients alive and safe in stone age conditions.

As for my last rage-fueled post, let me be clear:

I've been trolling all over the place for news where I could find it. It's my never-quite killed reporter's instinct kicking in. I've got the Google-fu skillz, and I've got the soapbox. I can't resist. So I've been posting links with little or no comment.

However, today was just too much and the frustration spilled over. People are dying on the streets. Law enforcement officials on the ground are in tears. The devastation across the region is apocalyptic in nature and scope.

And I've been treated to a dose a of Marie Antoinette from the Administrative Branch of our Government.

Luckily, the Legislative Branch is not. Congress plans to pass emergency aid before tomorrow morning. In addition, some House members are proposing legislation that would prevent new bankruptcy provisions from harming Gulf Staters now facing financial catastrophe because of Katrina.

Comments

[misagoddess.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the news, Liz. You are amazing. Hope you don't mind, I pimped you on my lj. So all *three* of my readers may turn up soon. :-)

Thank you again for all the hard work you are putting into these updates - I think I trust your links more than the news networks right now.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

Thanks. *blush*

I don't think I'm the best source. I just now found out that Fats Domino is missing.

I've just got mad Google-fu skills.

I've been to New Orleans and the people there were positively wonderful and warm. And no, I didn't miss the absolute crushing poverty just out of sight from the tourist areas.

Although, I have to admit, it's the only place in America where people were very excited about that I was from near Salem, MA. Usually people are more impressed with the Boston connection. That opened up a lot of conversations with people who were working around the French Quarter.

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Liz,

Thank you for cooling me down with your advice. I don't know what came over me.

And thanks, too for the fantastic updates.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

Probably what came over me in my last post. Pure. Unadulterated. Rage.

I'll go kill my post to your LJ now so all the evidence is gone. :-)

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

And I see the post is complete gone. :-)

Nevermind.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

Liz, thanks for the linkiness; I've been listening to NPR, which has some drawbacks; one of them is the lack of editorial comments on BS like a guy from FEMA saying "that's why it's important to leave when you're told to get out." in the face os the sheer lack of transportation for many people trapped by the storm.

Julia, still working on getting my head around the sheer magnitude of the losses

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

You are indeed doing an awesome job. I've been getting all my one-stop reliable news links from you and matociquala today. The reportorial instinct never dies!

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

FYI: Kung Fu Monkey is matching donations to the Red Cross. (That's the guy who exec produced the Global Frequency TV show, if anybody caught that torrent.) It's just a guy with a PayPal button, but I'm pretty sure he's legit.

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

Just checked the comments: he's offered ways to verify that the money he's matching is going to the Red Cross. I donated through him.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I knew that the Urban Search and Rescue Unit from Vancouver had flown off to Lafayette, but hadn't heard that they'd been turned back. That is just sheer idiocy, because New Orleans and the area need all the help they can get. The DART unit has the capability of providing fresh drinking water and other urgently needed services, and Canadians would be proud to send them to help. It's very strange that our offers would be refused..
I heard a woman on Larry King ask if other countries had offered help, because America is so quick to respond to other's disasters. Well, we have offered, and been refused, if that report is true. Unbelievable.
I heard that Fats Domino has been found and is safe.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

Just put the link about Fats in my new post. :-)

Yes, at this point, the little things are making me happy.

Turns out, there's been a ton of rescue/aid offers from abroad and the U.N., yet very little of it is being reported in the press. Or it's being lost in the shuffle. I can't tell since the news is flowing fast and furious.

I feel like a fannish geek saying this, but it reminds me of S5 Babylon 5 when the Centauri turned back all aid efforts from the other worlds.

God, I must be tired. I sound like flipping Andrew on BtVS.