Comment #1, by Ladylee

Hi Tayari,

This whole tragedy has terribly disturbed me because I lived and worked in New Orleans for a couple of years after graduate school (I wrote about it- see my blog). And you hit the point head on: a lot of people didn't leave because they can't afford to leave. Plain and simple as that. One out of six people in New Orleans do not have cars. Public transportation is their only transportation. Heck, I even met a lot of people who have never been outside of the New Orleans city limits! Combine that with the fact that New Orleans hasn't had a devastating hurricane in close to forty years and you can see why people could not or would not leave...

Thanks for posting a reputable charity on your site. Like I said, I've lived down there, and I've seen some serious poverty, people barely making it as it is under favorable circumstances. I wanted to give in some way, but didn't know how. So thanks again for suggesting a reputable charity.

Comment #2, by Cherlyn

I noticed all the things you mentioned while I watched the news and looked at who was being interviewed. Thanks for posting this site because I feel compelled to help out. You'd like to know that the money you give will reach the people it's intended for.
Thanks.

Comment #3, by Margot Radin

I live in NY and I am in shock that no preperation for a hurricaine of this magnitude was ever made. We came together as a country for 9/11 we need to do this now. The poorest people in the country live in area of the south we must help.

Comment #4, by nancy

please we are asking for help maybe with the goverment we need a web site or radio/ tv where people can go and place there names so relatives know they are ok

Comment #5, by Ellen

Having spent much time in New Orleans I understand a bit about the values of the people there. Many Americans cannot appreciate the kindness and generosity of the vast majority of the population. So many live in what we would call poverty yet there is a richness and vibrancy to their lives that we will never know. Yes, we feel sorry for them now as the survivors stand on roofs and wade through contaminated water in an attempt to reach safety. Understand this: these people pulled so violently from their homes had NO way to evacuate, and this is a time to HELP rather than pass judgement. Every human being must be treated with dignity. When the death toll is counted, they will have suffered most. Please give whatever you can to the Red Cross.

Comment #6, by McDonald's to the rescue

Jeez - this is America?

I am sure you could get a quarter million troops to a banana republic in the carribean if you wanted to.

It's really sad!

Everyone there is black? That's how USA treats it's own people? I guess they figure these people don't matter?

Comment #7, by Susan Davis

It outrages me, that when another country needs help or assistance, our President pulls out all the stops. This is on our own turf and land and these people can't get help or get rescued. What is the problem? I was born and raised in Louisiana and I am shocked to see the poeple in their own state robbing it like they are.
I realize that people in New Orleans are in a very desparate state but robbing stores and trying to kill each other is not going to help people get rescued any faster.
Everyone is important, but there needs to be some order so that they can get to everyone. Whether you give cash or go out and spend 10 or 20 dollars on a few items it is all needed right now and will be greatly appreciate. Please find a way to do your part.

Comment #8, by Airdrop some water and burgers!

Fast food is probably 20km away - how hard to drop food to these people?

The sky should be filled with helicopters dropping aid by now, right?

Looting? That's a real shame - it shows what a degenerate society we all really have here - that wouldn't happen in other countries.. Sniping the rescue people? Say what? What is going on?

Not to mention that the hurricanes have been worsened by all the oil we burn into the atmosphere - it's all wrong folks. It's a lesson about global warming too - this is no natural weather variation over thousands of years - the frequent hurricanes correlate well with atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Drop some food and water to those people, leave the guns at home you dummies.

Comment #9, by Erica Armstrong Halaburda

Dear Tayari,
Can anyone imagine President Bill Clinton or even the weakest of Democratic Presidents behaving in this elitist, shameful way? George Bush, consider yourself exposed for the creep you are for all the world to see.
President Clinton was impeached for a personal matter that killed not a single soul.
How can we have this man continue in office?

Comment #10, by Katydid

You can make this political, you can blame--bottom line is no one could have really prepared for such a disaster as this and I fully believed that NO individual is responsible for the disaster. Tayria and Margot, you are so right. When it comes to poverty, there is very little help when disaster happens to the poor. People living on the edge before must resort to survival skills. Unless you have been there...you don't understand-red, yellow, black or white-many of us have lived poverty. We understand.
Stop the blaming and give. Give from the heart, from the wallet, or give yourself to help. Each individual in this country must help in some way! People need to stop wasting their time pointing fingers. Forget whos "fault" it is and put that energy into positive action! Now is the time to come to the aid of our neighbor and show what this country is truly made of.

Comment #11, by Kay Webster

Tayria

Many thanks for your blog. In Australia we are seeing and hearing about the devestation and the atrocities of Hurricaine Katrina.

The Australian Prime Minister has pledged a hefty amount of Aussie dollars to assist with this tragedy (as we did for the Aceh Tsunami). We are also sending over disaster experts to help.

Kind regards

Comment #12, by Webmaster (Yorkrose)

Somebody made the comment about needing a communications area. At the risk of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons there is one at the above url.

I hope this helps, ill try and check in and keep it edited, if it starts being used.

Good luck for those in the path of the hurricaine.

Thanks for the info on where to donate Tayari
you were the first relevant article to come up in the google search.

P.
(UK)

Comment #13, by veronica

The effects of this disaster will have an impact to these people and this nation on a greater scale then ever conceived.

500,000 people in one City alone left with nothing - the dead too numerous to count.

It pales the World Trade Center attack to next to nothing in comparision.

Yet, will the government of this Country ever learn the lesson these events were meant to teach - I do not think so.

This country will remain stubborn enough to keep thinking no disaster will ever hit it, nor will it ever learn that it needs to prepare itself for whatever else will be coming up.

Unfortunately, until this government starts preparing for the unforeseeable events to come - events like this will not be the last.

Comment #14, by andy evans

this tragedy only shows us all how unprepared the bush administration is for any kind of disaster be it weather or terrorism.
Record high oil profits and record high gas prices...hummmm..think about that for awhile.

Comment #15, by tommy B

I am shocked and saddened that everytime something; ANYTHING, bad happens in our world that someone has to shoulder the blame. Shame on you who condemn those who are or will be attempting to assist. The people of the Gulf Coast need our prayers, dollars and human efforts. Let's not waste time assessing blame to those in the government.

Comment #16, by American Poverty

I now understand that those people who stayed behind in New Orleans were too poor to evacuate themselves.

I think it's sad to see this number of poor people, most of them black. The warm weather in the south probably increases the number of street people etc. Shame on all Americans who allow your fellow citizens to live in poverty. The hurricane just let us all see how many poverty stricken black people you have there - it's terrible to see the effects of racism in this way, it is an eye opener for me and I am sure to others. America is the richest nation with an infant mortality rate that ranks with 3rd world countries. You have the best of the best - if you can pay for it. Yuck. Open your eyes America - is this the best way to live?

Comment #17, by miranda

i think whatis happening in mississippi and in louisiana is really sad what people are doing to stay alive is really sad too. Many people need alot of help down there and drinking water and also some food that they can eat so that they can stay alive. many people are still stuck and are not being rescued and i think that these people need to be rescued by military officials and other rescuing authorities.

Comment #18, by Andy Evans

The blame game!!
Someone IS accountable whether you all like it or not. This storm was predicted and it was predicted to be one of the worst sorms ever. FEMA, RED CROSS, HOMELAND SECURITY should all be ashamed of yourselves.
I was personnally in homestead for the relief effort as a medic and gave it my all...even there I saw mistkakes that should have been corrected for such a disaster. No one learned a thing!!!!!!!
This was so predictable it is soooo! not funny. 10,000 people killed, maybe more.........HOLLY SHI@!!!!!!
Bible belt wake up!!! bush should never have been elected and now you see why. His administration is full of people that have been given posts for political favors and haven`t a clue as what there job intails.
I obviously did not vote for Bush, I can only hope that after all there mistakes they will help these poor people recover from this terrible disater and forget being a polition..republican or democrat.
Im sure Bush will make the most of this take lots of photo opps and come out smelling like a rose!

PS...Record oil profits....RECORD GAS PRICES!!!! MY GOD ARE YOU ALL STUPID!!!
Look where they have there priorities.

Comment #19, by Pat Jack

Mobile phones users in Katrina affected Area Codes,
(especially prepay users) are demographically and geographically,
out of minutes, have no airtime, on second batteries.
The lucky have some capability to re-charge.

Big Mobile Phone providers plan a release of phone cards at the Astrodome.
It's a media circus.

Big Mobile Phone providers are proposing a limited number of methods
to deal with a National Catastrophe impacting oil and food exports and imports.
The oil reserves themselves are in and amongst this destruction in the salt domes.

Old School, the phone companies could easily pump free minutes into all phones
with the same programs they send you all that spam with.

An immidiate and global distribution of FREE MINUTES and FREE AIRTIME
to all phones in the Katrina devestated Area codes and Katrina evacuation routes
must be implemented now. Out of minutes = no communication = disorganization

Physical distribution of cards will create a fast and dangerous trade market.
The people who distribute these cards could seed more volitility into this situation.
The people distributing these cards in the long-term are in a dangerous physical situation.

The people of this nation affected by National Security and National Disaster issues
as a result of Hurricaine Katrina must have MANY to MANY communication NOW.

Vendor locations for pre-pay are shut down,
phone cards along evacuation routes are sold-out or in limited supply.
These refugees don't have, or cannot get to, prepay cash.

Our phone service is so capitalized and compartmentalized,
it seems very inneffective at this time compared to a wide open
100% free phone system. And I'm not advocating a 100%
free phone market of any sort, I just want you to think
about the difference it would make and how close
we can get to that, in the shortest amount of time.
For the purposes of Katrina RESCUE and RELIEF.

Pre-pay Mobile Phone user Market closely mimic those
Americans victimized by Natural Disasters.
They are prey to SCAMS and FRAUD.

Young people with prepay 'Virgin Mobile' phones as well as
the markets of Tracone, prepay markets, are not being afforded
the opportunity to use their EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DEVICES,
especially in the long-term. These markets must be sustained
with the Automatic scripting of free minutes pumped into the phones,
globally with no regard for economic strata, race, etc..

Again, the pre-pay Market is made up of the poor, elderly, infirm,
handicapped, low and fixed income, children, etc ...

The phones are lifelines to order in the short and longterm.

The FCC must require all phone companies to fill all phones in the
area codes affected by Katrina, especially flooded New Orleans,
with free minutes. This must be done globally without
regard for race or economic class. The AUTOMATED scripting
on Mobile phone service providers administrative computers to
push free minutes and free airtime globally to all Mobile Phones in Katrina
affected areas is the American thing to do. Push the free minutes
to prepay and to CORPORATE customers as well. Give them to everyone,
now. Let this place communicate and continue RESCUE, continue RELIEF,
and continue to REBUILD in the longterm.

Alltell.com is continuing to produce an organized, informed and effective
response to Hurricaine Katrina Relief issues.

http://www.alltell.com/corporate/media/0905hurricanerelief.html

Other Mobile Phone Providers are thinking and acting, check their homepages.

HERE ARE THE EMAILS for the FCC bigwigs,
email them to get free minutes for Katrina devestated area codes -

KJMWEB@fcc.gov
Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov
Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov

Copy and paste those emails into the -TO- box of your email.

I don't want to attack the phone companies.
I just want all of us to send some suggestions as to how they can help.
Ask the Mobile Phone companies for what we need, free airtime,
unemcumbered with their marketing schemes.

Email the customer service departments of all the Mobile Phone
companies you can think of. Gather their customer service EMAILS,
their Media reps emails. Forward all of this.

Check knowledgeable communities on the internet that address
the needs of Katrina Victims and Refugees. Ask the phone companies
for what we need, free airtime, unemcumbered with their marketing schemes.

Ask the Mobile Phone companies to establish an account to
DONATE FREE MINUTES from YOUR PLAN.
Ask them to MATCH YOUR DONATION.

Thus, any injured or incapacitated person with a phone, and any phone
they might FIND that is working will get them through. Many to many
communication.

Auto location of the looters who hunker down can be facilitated,
they can be saved also, rather than slaughtered.

Additional resuce is enabled which is critical as resuce options
continue to approache the point of no return for some stranded infirm, etc..

People will come through the network.
That's what this is about right, people!

Where there are discarded phones, their are babies, children,
women and men. The phones need to have minutes.

Guard dogs can hear phones dialing, ringing, etc..

Guard electronics can sniff and locate the phones, as well as the
ability of a Guard dog to smell a warm cell phone, the warm battery
and it's characteristic smell.

These phones are lifelines and key to restoring order.

A lot of young and elderly will die of dehydration in the next days.
Refugees need to FIND THE RESOURCES, they need minutes.
Many of them are lost, out of state, with no transportation.
The Katrina refugees need free minutes and free airtime.
Those needing rescue need those minutes.

The automated and global scripting of a push of free minutes to all cell phones
will most importantly transcend the racial and class structures.

This is DISASTER RELIEF and should never
approach the line over which NATURAL DISASTER PROFITEERING
is approached, lonterm or shorterm, by any company.

Jockying for market position at the demise of the American People,
will be observed if it is present.

Schemes to give out free phones to lock in desparate customers in the
months ahead are PUTRID. Schemes to get customer database information
for Phone Marketing departments is off limits here.

Keep it on the up and up, script the automated push of the free minutes
to all Mobile Phones in the Katrina devestated area codes and evacuation routes,
gloabally. Now.
Mobile phones users in Katrina affected Area Codes,
(especially prepay users) are demographically and geographically,
out of minutes, have no airtime, on second batteries.
The lucky have some capability to re-charge.

Big Mobile Phone providers plan a release of phone cards at the Astrodome.
It's a media circus.

Big Mobile Phone providers are proposing a limited number of methods
to deal with a National Catastrophe impacting oil and food exports and imports.
The oil reserves themselves are in and amongst this destruction in the salt domes.

Old School, the phone companies could easily pump free minutes into all phones
with the same programs they send you all that spam with.

An immidiate and global distribution of FREE MINUTES and FREE AIRTIME
to all phones in the Katrina devestated Area codes and Katrina evacuation routes
must be implemented now. Out of minutes = no communication = disorganization

Physical distribution of cards will create a fast and dangerous trade market.
The people who distribute these cards could seed more volitility into this situation.
The people distributing these cards in the long-term are in a dangerous physical situation.

The people of this nation affected by National Security and National Disaster issues
as a result of Hurricaine Katrina must have MANY to MANY communication NOW.

Vendor locations for pre-pay are shut down,
phone cards along evacuation routes are sold-out or in limited supply.
These refugees don't have, or cannot get to, prepay cash.

Our phone service is so capitalized and compartmentalized,
it seems very inneffective at this time compared to a wide open
100% free phone system. And I'm not advocating a 100%
free phone market of any sort, I just want you to think
about the difference it would make and how close
we can get to that, in the shortest amount of time.
For the purposes of Katrina RESCUE and RELIEF.

Pre-pay Mobile Phone user Market closely mimic those
Americans victimized by Natural Disasters.
They are prey to SCAMS and FRAUD.

Young people with prepay 'Virgin Mobile' phones as well as
the markets of Tracone, prepay markets, are not being afforded
the opportunity to use their EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DEVICES,
especially in the long-term. These markets must be sustained
with the Automatic scripting of free minutes pumped into the phones,
globally with no regard for economic strata, race, etc..

Again, the pre-pay Market is made up of the poor, elderly, infirm,
handicapped, low and fixed income, children, etc ...

The phones are lifelines to order in the short and longterm.

The FCC must require all phone companies to fill all phones in the
area codes affected by Katrina, especially flooded New Orleans,
with free minutes. This must be done globally without
regard for race or economic class. The AUTOMATED scripting
on Mobile phone service providers administrative computers to
push free minutes and free airtime globally to all Mobile Phones in Katrina
affected areas is the American thing to do. Push the free minutes
to prepay and to CORPORATE customers as well. Give them to everyone,
now. Let this place communicate and continue RESCUE, continue RELIEF,
and continue to REBUILD in the longterm.

Alltell.com is continuing to produce an organized, informed and effective
response to Hurricaine Katrina Relief issues.

http://www.alltell.com/corporate/media/0905hurricanerelief.html

Other Mobile Phone Providers are thinking and acting, check their homepages.

HERE ARE THE EMAILS for the FCC bigwigs,
email them to get free minutes for Katrina devestated area codes -

KJMWEB@fcc.gov
Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov
Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov

Copy and paste those emails into the -TO- box of your email.

I don't want to attack the phone companies.
I just want all of us to send some suggestions as to how they can help.
Ask the Mobile Phone companies for what we need, free airtime,
unemcumbered with their marketing schemes.

Email the customer service departments of all the Mobile Phone
companies you can think of. Gather their customer service EMAILS,
their Media reps emails. Forward all of this.

Check knowledgeable communities on the internet that address
the needs of Katrina Victims and Refugees. Ask the phone companies
for what we need, free airtime, unemcumbered with their marketing schemes.

Ask the Mobile Phone companies to establish an account to
DONATE FREE MINUTES from YOUR PLAN.
Ask them to MATCH YOUR DONATION.

Thus, any injured or incapacitated person with a phone, and any phone
they might FIND that is working will get them through. Many to many
communication.

Auto location of the looters who hunker down can be facilitated,
they can be saved also, rather than slaughtered.

Additional resuce is enabled which is critical as resuce options
continue to approache the point of no return for some stranded infirm, etc..

People will come through the network.
That's what this is about right, people!

Where there are discarded phones, their are babies, children,
women and men. The phones need to have minutes.

Guard dogs can hear phones dialing, ringing, etc..

Guard electronics can sniff and locate the phones, as well as the
ability of a Guard dog to smell a warm cell phone, the warm battery
and it's characteristic smell.

These phones are lifelines and key to restoring order.

A lot of young and elderly will die of dehydration in the next days.
Refugees need to FIND THE RESOURCES, they need minutes.
Many of them are lost, out of state, with no transportation.
The Katrina refugees need free minutes and free airtime.
Those needing rescue need those minutes.

The automated and global scripting of a push of free minutes to all cell phones
will most importantly transcend the racial and class structures.

This is DISASTER RELIEF and should never
approach the line over which NATURAL DISASTER PROFITEERING
is approached, lonterm or shorterm, by any company.

Jockying for market position at the demise of the American People,
will be observed if it is present.

Schemes to give out free phones to lock in desparate customers in the
months ahead are PUTRID. Schemes to get customer database information
for Phone Marketing departments is off limits here.

Keep it on the up and up, script the automated push of the free minutes
to all Mobile Phones in the Katrina devestated area codes and evacuation routes,
gloabally. Now.

Comment #20, by D. Thompson

For all of you who are so quick to condemn Pres. Bush, you must first understand the situation. Two days before the hurricaine he already called for a state of emergency and moved FEMA and Redcross down there. But they must be invited in, they can't cross the state line without the Gov. invitation. But, the Gov. waited for days to call them. Thus, the mess we see. The Mayor and Gov. had discussed evacuation of N.O. for years but nothing was implemented. Hundreds of school buses and city buses could have evacuated those with no cars. But, they were left parked and then flooded. Local mismanagement of resources was the problem. These local politicians know how poor their people are. So look at the facts before you point a finger. By the way, the poverty you see here is due to generations of welfare. A system that entangles and enables. Giving a man a fish, but not encouraging hime to fish for himself and his family. Maybe with the situation changed, those from N.O. who didn't work learn to be in control of their own destiny. We are a great nation because we are a love and caring people. God has blessed us and will continue to, if we help each other.

Comment #21, by andy evans

Bush appointed all these idiots, politically motivated positions as I call them.
Bush and only bush is responsible, terrorism or mother nature however bad needs an immediate response...god and love have nothing to do with response time!
Love comes later after the first responders have rescued all the living.
This is America and this kind of action should not be forgiven or forgotten.
There shame will haunt this administration for the rest of there lives.
Please give to help New Orleans and anyone affected by this storm....because god only knows where the gov`ts money will really go!

Comment #22, by zornitsa

Dear man ,
I please for you help.
I hope you to help me and to understanding me right.
I hope you to understanding my English too.
I live in Sofia-capital on Bulgaria.
Please,I am in BIG needing and needing from you help.
Personale history:
My yang mother dead from cancer.
I haven't father too.I know that God is in you and He can to help me by you,the why He is in you.I don't know did you want to help on us?I live only with mygrandfather.
He is very old and half blind.He have little pension so'so 100$for one month.
I haven't my work for now.Hope God to help me I to have my work.I hope you to understanding my write to you and help on us with some money help.please.Please, write to us did you want to help,Yes or No.You can to write to: roza378@mail.bg If you want you can to help on us with money:
FIRST INVESTMEN BANK
ACC#1013831809
SWIFT CODE:FINVBGSF
BANK CODE:15091501
Please send money if you have on heart to:
Zornitsa Dimitrova Petrova
I love you
Hug and kissess in God.I love in in God.