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Dear
Friends:
The last three days have put a lot
of things in perspective.
We flip a switch and lights come
on. Now we realize it's a miracle.
We turn on the taps and clean water
comes out. Now we marvel at the bright, cold fluid and know
how important it is to sustaining our very lives.
We casually pick up fresh
fruits,vegetables and other supplies at the grocery store. Now
we realize each grape, each tomato, each gallon of chilled
milk is worth its weight in gold in New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast. We are rich, indeed.
In the
face of such enormous tragedy, we also realize that a straight
crease in your slacks, a properly removed stain, a replaced
button are things the people affected by Hurricane Katrina
wish they could worry about. Instead, they are
concerned with survival and long-term rebuilding of their
lives, their property, their sense of safety.
Our hearts and prayers go out to
those who have lost everything. Together, we can send a hurricane of help in
their direction. Below you will find a
collection of links to help you as you consider what you want
to do to assist the millions of people who are currently
homeless and destitute after Katrina. Thank you for any assistance you give to aid in
the efforts currently underway.
What is most needed:
What will do the most
good right now? Money. Lots of it. This will be
one of the most costly salvage and rebuilding operations ever
undertaken by this country. Your
generous giving will be part of a trickle that becomes a
gushing river of funds to assist in this
process.
DO NOT give in to your impulse to help by going
to the devastated area at this time.
Professional rescuers and assistance agencies need to bring
every resource to bear on the problem. People (though
well intentioned) who arrive to "help" will only strain scarce
resources right now, and may require rescuing
themselves.
If you feel able to go and
assist, use one of the links above to
volunteer yourself. Then wait for instructions from the agency
as to when you should go and what you can expect to be doing.
Coordination of efforts is all-important if we are to see
progress on this monumental disaster being cleaned up any time
soon.
If you own or belong to a company that has
resources that might be of help in getting aid to stranded
people, or in helping to rebuild, contact FEMA
so that your assistance can be combined most efficiently with
that of other individuals or companies that have volunteered
it.
I am only one, but I am one.
I cannot
do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let
what I cannot do
interfere with what I can
do.
-- Edward
Everett Hale | 
