If I have any readers in Louisiana and Mississippi, I hope you're okay.
Michelle Malkin has a roundup of online news related to the hurricane. The American Red Cross has a form set up for donations. On Fark, one commenter gives sensible advice:
A few notes from a Red Cross veteran:Posted by kswygert at August 29, 2005 01:08 PMPlease don't try to drive to Louisiana "just to help out". It's a very sweet idea, but for at least the first few weeks, disaster management is a huge logistical clusterfark without random people showing up. You are much more likely to end up a victim yourself than you are to save/assist somebody. Donate money instead!
Alternatively, sign up with your local Red Cross, church, or community group as a volunteer. You'll recieve training in a necessary field (disaster assessment, family services, shelter management) as well as food money and local housing. Don't worry--relief operations will probably be going on to a greater or lesser extent for a year. You're not gonna miss it if you take the time to sign up. My last posting was for six weeks.
Also, don't think of this as a good time to donate last year's clothes or a huge box of random cleaning supplies. I worked at a logistics center and we would recieve boxes of this stuff from churches. Once again, it's a nice sentiment, but your old sheets, batteries, canned peas, and winter coats (it's summer! in the South!) basically just sit on a shelf in some warehouse until the operation closes down and we throw them away. Seriously, the most helpful thing you can do is give money, even if it feels cheap.
A cash donation means we can buy as many cots, first aid kits, cleaning kits, teddy bears, etc. as we need. It also means the stuff we buy is organized, professionally packed, and clearly marked so we can count it. It doesn't matter what you gave if it can't be counted! Cleaning stuff that isn't professionally packed is also a hazard to warehouse workers.
Thanks for the help everyone and good luck.