Situation Critical – Emergency Mobilization Underway
ByThe Friend of the Red Cross have united and are contributing to the disaster in Louisiana in unprecedented ways. Yet still there is need for more help. I have several comments about the disaster that may go against the grain of most commentators concerning this tragedy in our Gulf States.
Personally I do not attribute the flooding in New Orleans to the hurricane that recently swept through the area. What you say – surely the hurricane “caused” all of this flooding and destruction to the city. No that is incorrect, you heard this rightly, the hurricane did not cause the flooding and disaster in New Orleans. For a full account of the history of the gulf city I refer you to an NPR article by David Kestenbaum.
Despite the controversy over how to fix the problem in the dike, there are thousands of people stranded and in need of basic necessities. The Red Cross can help. The following is a plea from the folks at The Red Cross:
Thousands of desperate families are taking refuge from
Hurricane Katrina in more than 230 Red Cross shelters in the
affected areas.
– American Red Cross is launching the largest mobilization
of resources for a single natural disaster in our history.
– We’re preparing 500,000 hot meals a day to serve to
survivors who have no where else to turn.
– Several hundred emergency vehicles and thousands of ARC
staff and volunteers have been deployed from around the
country for immediate emergency assistance.
Red Cross disaster response teams are deploying to the
hardest hit communities to distribute drinking water and
other supplies to victims who were unable to flee from
Katrina.
Contributions are urgently needed to support the Red Cross
Disaster Relief Fund.
Patric O'Brian
Radical Brewing
