I know that Canada is helping, and has already offered to send teams of hydro workers, construction crews, cleanup crews, naval vessels and other aid workers, but like others have mentioned here, everyone's being told not to send people or come into those areas yet, to wait until there's more infrastructure to keep the aid workers safe too. Right now there's no food, water, hydro or safe places to house the victims yet, much less a huge influx of foreign aid.

The Canadian Red Cross is being flooded with donations earmarked for the Katrina survivors. Other parts of the world are responding as well, you're just not hearing about it yet.

I heard that Germany is offering aid. Why is this so bad? It just gets worse and worse. I've never seen anything like it. I am glued to the TV and filled with tears. This is horrible. LLL

fox news posted this today:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168002,00.html

the world is not without response...you can locate the world's newspapers here: http://www.ipl.org/div/news/

the paper here in stuttgart:
http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/stn/index.php
(turn down your sound as they have a very annoying ad popping up today)

[ August 31, 2005, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: msdiana ]

Thanks Msdiana all the way from Germany. CNN is saying that the need is so great all aid is frustrated. Rescue and recovery workers are doing their jobs without sanitation, water, food, or sleep. This is so unbelievable. It's like the end of the world.

My son is in college in Louisiana. One of his friends were panicking about getting to her family down in NO. He called to ask what he should do. I advised him against it. He went with his heart and got stuck in traffic there plus his cell phone went powerless.

I hadn't slept for days watching and wondering if my son made it out in time. He did along with three family members of his friend.

I'm a native of La and just can't wait for the opportunity to get there to help. Meanwhile, I'm making flyers to send out to my neighbors to gather any/all sorts of clothing to send to the Astrodome where the refugees will be housed.

Just days prior to all of this devastation, the Postmaster and I chit-chatted about La and FL. He was helping me lift a large box that I was sending out to LA and FL for my children. He is from there too and will help with the cost of shipping items there.

Despite the fact that I'd seen the postmaster for years, we never said anything but hello to one another until that day.

That must have been God that united us natives to help His people.

As far as the looters, I believe the ones that are getting food and survivor material should. The ones that are getting guns and other non-sense will pay more dearly than they have already. That's no way to act in the face of adversity. Hopefully they're getting the guns for the gators that are sure to surface if not already. Hope some got insect repellant instead of silly items.

Sugaree

[ August 31, 2005, 11:32 PM: Message edited by: Sugaree ]

The sad thing is that the criminals will prevent the people in their area from getting rescued because I doubt they will send in rescuers if their lives are in danger.

Smile, I believe you think like me. I was thinking today that when the government begins a rescue effort, they have so much planning to do. The people who are sent, even if they are military have jobs they do every day and arrangements have to be made. We are seeing horrible images on tv, and people there are understandably very hungry, hot, dirty and very uncomfortable at the least, but help is on the way. I think it also seems like things are moving slow because we can watch it 24/7, but we may not be getting the entire story. I've been watching it on all 3 channels and have heard different versions of the same topic. It's only been 48 hours since the hurricane moved out of the area.

A friend and I discussed going to NO this week, but I couldn't because of finances and she ended up going to France because her mother was very ill. I think we would've planned to leave today and it is unlikely we would've been there for the hurricane. I saw several women tourists who were stranded, pulling their luggage around with them. How scary! Women alone in a city that is in anarchy, criminals with guns..... I pray they will make it home safely.

I appreciate the countries who have offered help, whether financial or physical. And I think the some of the stars will contribute, again, it's only been 48 or so hours.

Sugaree, I can understand why you would want to go right down there and help and I'm not a LA native, only visited once. I think a lot of us have that urge - of course we do because we're Americans.

Well, I guess you guys have figured out that I'm a news junkie.

Daisygirl

Online donation site for American Red Cross: Hurricane 2005 Relief and Victims of Hurricane Katrina.

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

Daisy and smile, you are right. I may have jumped the gun on being critical, but it has been days now. I want to see these people rescued and fed.

I don't know about all of you, but this is definitely cahnging my perspective on life. When I went in the basement to do laundry this morning and it was hot (we have no air in the basement) I thought whiney thoughts for a split second. Then I thought of the refugees. When I learned about the gas prices, I thought...at least we have a car. The list goes on. I am counting my blessings, but it doesn't help the people in need.

What are some of you doing to help, other than prayer...


What are some of you doing to help?

Other than donating money right now, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot we can do. I too want to jump on a plane and get right down there and start helping to clean up. The Canadian Red Cross is putting teams together who will begin going into the devastated areas for three weeks at a time, but right now they want only specific professional skills, and even they have to wait for the okay from the affected states' governments.

Hubby and I are talking about possibly joining a Red Cross team for November, or perhaps next spring...they'll still be needing help then. Hubby's a strong, energetic carpenter/electrician/plumber handyman, so would be a big help. I'm a chronically fatigued wimp, but would still like to do something mundane and tedious that nobody else wants to do, like sorting clothes or serving food. We're going to look into that possibility.

PS. One thing I'm REALLY good at is putting together "care packages". We've been sending cp's for years to various people in situations where the cp's are more useful than money. I don't know if that would be a useful gift in this situation, but it's one little way I can show I care.

[ September 01, 2005, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Eagle Heart ]

Are we all accounted for?