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Across the Fence:  New Orleans  |
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fiddlegirl
Farmgirl in Training
24 Posts
Deborah
Clymer
PA
USA
24 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 7:27:22 PM
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| Hi all, this is just a suggestion, but government is big and moves slowly no matter who is in charge. But individuals move much quicker. If you belong to a church or national organization of any kind, there may be a chapter or church in an area near the places hit. Use your directory's to look up chapters or churches, and contact them. Ask them what can be sent by your chapter or church to help them help the needy nearby. It is like the bucket brigade, they can't do it alone, but together we can. Take action now farmgirls, this is where we roll up our sleeves, we can't change the past but we can sure affect the future. Make those calls and get the balls rolling. God bless you all, Deb |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 08:11:42 AM
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| First of all I want to say that my heart goes out to everyone that was in the path of this huge storm. I personally believe that some of the blame needs to be held on the people of the city. They had 5 days notice this storm was going to hit, it wasn't "well take precautions because it MAY hit" no it was "WE ARE GOING TO GET HIT HARD, GET OUT!!!" but many people chose to stay. Now I understand that some people didn't have any way to leave but some of those people that were there could have. I saw of a couple that wanted to stay behind because of their dog, well take the dog with you. One couple had survived past hurricanes so they would be fine, well they weren't. Those that wanted to leave but couldn't, someone posted before the city should have used the school buses, ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, anything they had to get more people out. On one hand I do commend the mayor for working around the clock and putting the needs of his people before his own, that is awesome, BUT he is pretty quick to blame the president and the rest of the government for them not having food or water. THE CITY IS UNDER WATER!!! This takes some different planning on everyone's part of how exactly to get these supplies to these people. It's not as soon as the rain stops and the storm passes that food is there. I know it's easier for me to sit here and say that because I still have my house BUT people need to think realistically here. Then once the food and other supplies started coming the city people were shooting at them!!!! HELLO!!! These policeman and volunteer workers are there to help these people and they are getting shot at. People are being real quick to place blame on the president. This is NOT the presidents fault, in fact we cannot place blame on any one group or person. This is mother nature we are dealing with. The city has huge pumps to pump water out in case flooding does occur but they run on electricity, well the storm knocked that out, that is no one's fault. I just think that we are all upset and saddened that this whole thing happened and are wanting to place blame and point fingers at Bush and FEMA and the rest of the government. |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 08:14:19 AM
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| Well said fiddlegirl!!! This is America and should be a group effort!!! |
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Linda Houston
True Blue Farmgirl
538 Posts
Linda
Lake Charles
Louisiana
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 09:29:11 AM
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Amen
Linda H. |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 10:30:35 AM
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There is so much involved in responding to tis disaster the I don't think we can even begin to understand. It is easy ofr us to sit in our comfy chairs ans point fingers and get anger as I have done. Can we not all be to blame for aloowing some many to live in such poor circumstances? Were we doing anything to releive their poverty befroer this disaster? Was it even on our minds? We need to remember too that the media likes to focus on all the negative as it keeps us glued to our sets. WHere are the hero stories? WHere are the miracle stories? HOw can the people in there our devisasted city, loot, rape and kill? WHy are they not helping to give aid and rescue? Why are there those who shoot at rescue worker, citizens giving their time to help others. I don't understand that kind of evil.
So I pray and weep. OUr church will be joining with our denomination in sending aid, "Thourgh adversity come strength". I hope that will be true for America. Perhaps this is a God given wake up call to us to do better and change what needs to change. May God have mercy on us.
"The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach is joy. Take joy!" Fr.Giovanni |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 11:14:08 AM
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I thought I would add this in response to Julia - wanting to know where the good stories are. Apparently there have been people wanting to help that have been turned away. I found this article interesting:
(and obviously - no, I have nothing better to do than read stuff all over the Internet since my back is in such bad shape - lol!)
this from a Green Party activist in NOLA:
Report from a New Orleans green
by Malik Rahim
New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005 - It's criminal. From what you're hearing, the people trapped in New Orleans are nothing but looters. We're told we should be more "neighborly." But nobody talked about being neighborly until after the people who could afford to leave left.
If you ain't got no money in America, you're on your own. People were told to go to the Superdome, but they have no food, no water there. And before they could get in, people had to stand in line for 4-5 hours in the rain because everybody was being searched one by one at the entrance.
I can understand the chaos that happened after the tsunami, because they had no warning, but here there was plenty of warning. In the three days before the hurricane hit, we knew it was coming and everyone could have been evacuated.
We have Amtrak here that could have carried everybody out of town. There were enough school buses that could have evacuated 20,000 people easily, but they just let them be flooded. My son watched 40 buses go underwater - they just wouldn't move them, afraid they'd be stolen.
People who could afford to leave were so afraid someone would steal what they own that they just let it all be flooded. They could have let a family
without a vehicle borrow their extra car, but instead they left it behind to be destroyed.
There are gangs of white vigilantes near here riding around in pickup trucks, all of them armed, and any young Black they see who they figure doesn't belong in their community, they shoot him. I tell them, "Stop! You're going to start a riot."
When you see all the poor people with no place to go, feeling alone and helpless and angry, I say this is a consequence of HOPE VI. New Orleans took all the HUD money it could get to tear down public housing, and families and neighbors who'd relied on each other for generations were uprooted and torn apart.
Most of the people who are going through this now had already lost touch with the only community they'd ever known. Their community was torn down and they were scattered. They'd already lost their real homes, the only place where they knew everybody, and now the places they've been staying are destroyed.
But nobody cares. They're just lawless looters ... dangerous.
The hurricane hit at the end of the month, the time when poor people are most vulnerable. Food stamps don't buy enough but for about three weeks of the month, and by the end of the month everyone runs out. Now they have no way to get their food stamps or any money, so they just have to take what they can to survive.
Many people are getting sick and very weak. From the toxic water that people are walking through, little scratches and sores are turning into major wounds.
People whose homes and families were not destroyed went into the city right away with boats to bring the survivors out, but law enforcement told them they weren't needed. They are willing and able to rescue thousands, but they're not allowed to.
Every day countless volunteers are trying to help, but they're turned back. Almost all the rescue that's been done has been done by volunteers anyway.
My son and his family - his wife and kids, ages 1, 5 and 8 - were flooded out of their home when the levee broke. They had to swim out until they found an abandoned building with two rooms above water level.
There were 21 people in those two rooms for a day and a half. A guy in a boat who just said "I'm going to help regardless" rescued them and took them to Highway I-10 and dropped them there.
They sat on the freeway for about three hours, because someone said they'd be rescued and taken to the Superdome. Finally they just started walking, had to walk six and a half miles.
When they got to the Superdome, my son wasn't allowed in - I don't know why - so his wife and kids wouldn't go in. They kept walking, and they happened to run across a guy with a tow truck that they knew, and he gave them his own personal truck.
When they got here, they had no gas, so I had to punch a hole in my gas tank to give them some gas, and now I'm trapped. I'm getting around by bicycle.
People from Placquemine Parish were rescued on a ferry and dropped off on a dock near here. All day they were sitting on the dock in the hot sun with no food, no water. Many were in a daze; they've lost everything.
They were all sitting there surrounded by armed guards. We asked the guards could we bring them water and food. My mother and all the other church ladies were cooking for them, and we have plenty of good water.
But the guards said, "No. If you don't have enough water and food for everybody, you can't give anything." Finally the people were hauled off on
school buses from other parishes.
You know Robert King Wilkerson (the only one of the Angola 3 political prisoners who's been released). He's been back in New Orleans working hard, organizing, helping people. Now nobody knows where he is. His house was destroyed. Knowing him, I think he's out trying to save lives, but I'm worried.
The people who could help are being shipped out. People who want to stay, who have the skills to save lives and rebuild are being forced to go to Houston.
It's not like New Orleans was caught off guard. This could have been prevented.
There's military right here in New Orleans, but for three days they weren't even mobilized. You'd think this was a Third World country.
I'm in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, the only part that isn't flooded. The water is good. Our parks and schools could easily hold 40,000 people, and they're not using any of it.
This is criminal. These people are dying for no other reason than the lack of organization.
Everything is needed, but we're still too disorganized. I'm asking people to go ahead and gather donations and relief supplies but to hold on to them
for a few days until we have a way to put them to good use.
I'm challenging my party, the Green Party, to come down here and help us just as soon as things are a little more organized. The Republicans and Democrats didn't do anything to prevent this or plan for it and don't seem to care if everyone dies.
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Edited by - greyghost on Sep 05 2005 11:15:27 AM |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 6:05:14 PM
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Thanks Lynn there seems to be alot of inside information our media doesn't bother to tell us.
Marianne |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 6:37:09 PM
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Today I saw on TV a list of major corporations that are giving money to the Hurricane Relief effort. Millions and millions of dollars have been pledged by Microsoft, GE, Shell, Wal-Mart, and on and on. The list must have contained 20 or 30 major corporations. Each company giving 5 million or more! The Gulf Corporation that helps sponsor Nascar drivers is giving a million dollars. The relief is on the way and the levees are getting steadily fixed and it has only been a week since this horrible catastrophe! Please do not concentrate only on the horror. Just try to help in some way. Everyone is complaining about the government not doing anything. We ARE the govermnment. Remember of the People, by the People and for the People? Those who can, get in there and help and fix things. All can do something positive like giving to the Red Cross and just plain spending an hour in prayer each day for those suffering and dying. Please, let's leave the anger and negativity behind and focus on what can be done to move forward.
jpbluesky |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 6:44:43 PM
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My heart just goes out to those babies and children who have been separated from their parents. Can you imagine how they must feel? I wish I could sew them all blankies and stuffed dolls and animals, and then tell them for sure mommy and daddy is coming to pick them up and take them "home". We all have to do what our hearts are leading us to do to get homes for these children. We are a GOOD nation, full of good people! Together we can work miracles!
Being is what it is. Jean Paul Sartre |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 05:36:21 AM
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I got an email this morning from a good friend of mine in California. She wanted to help the people in New Orleans so badly, and even after giving to Red Cross, she felt the need to do more.
So, being the proactive person she is and with a heart of gold to match, she found this source:
Southern Texas Women's Ministries
P.O. Box 9714
Houston, Texas 77213
713-455-1221
If you purchase a gift card at Target, Walmart, JC Penney, Sears, Shell or Exxon, or a phone card, you can write a personal note, enclose the gift card, and send it in another envelope to the ministry above. They then will distribute the cards to victims now housed in Houston. Gift cards should be in small denominations, like $10 or $15.
my friend felt better knowing that she had personally touched someone in need in this situation, and I think it is a good idea. Perhaps even our mail art crowd could do this and include a smile or a drawing in their card!
jpbluesky
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 07:04:57 AM
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JP -- thanks for the info on the gift cards. I think doing so mail art to send with it is a wonderful idea. This weekend there was a donation truck set up accepting diapers, wipes, and formula for the babies and small children affected by the hurricane. When people donated their items they were allowed to write a note in permanent marker on the package.
"If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you are lucky enough!" |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 12:45:49 PM
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What I don't understand is there are many countries ready and willing to help us. Russia has there troops standing by but the president has not asked them for there support. We can't do this alone. We have helped so many other countries, why can't we accept help back???
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 10:41:17 PM
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Kim, I heard today that the EU is sending a lot of needed supplies to the area. I can understand why a sitting president would not welcome foreign military onto our soil. It just doesn't seem prudent, and believe me, it pains me to defend George Bush.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2005 : 4:47:35 PM
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I am not a tv news junkie, in fact, for the most part, cannot stand to watch tv news. So that's my disclaimer. Here's a link to an interesting commentary by someone who has watched alot of cable tv news and what he finds disparaging about it all. Helps put the coverage into perspective.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2125683/?GT1=6900
**** Love is the great work - though every heart is first an apprentice. - Hafiz
Set a high value on spontaneous kindness. - Samuel Johnson****
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2005 : 8:35:26 PM
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I have stopped watching all the coverage. I was just getting more and more depressed listening to it. I know that probably sounds selfish considering what those poor people have been through. But it was just getting to be too much.
"If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you are lucky enough!" |
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lareyna
True Blue Farmgirl
242 Posts
Arlene
Valley Ford
Ca
USA
242 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2005 : 12:12:16 AM
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Kay, don't feel guilty, I think we all would help all we could if it was possible, after 9/11 the psychologists actually recommended people stop sitting in front of their tv's due to the rising depression it caused.
I was Country before Country was COOL!!!! |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2005 : 09:58:59 AM
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| Many other countries have offered aid. In fact, some Canadians chartered jets and were down on the Gulf Coast doing rescues 5 days before FEMA got its act together! We have plenty of resources in this country, and as evidenced by the outpouring of monetary and hard goods donated, we can do a lot to help our fellow Americans. But don't think that other countries haven't offered and given aid -- they have! We all need to remember to be generous and to be thankful now and in the coming years as our country recovers from this terrible catastrophe. |
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JoyIowa
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Joy
273 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2005 : 09:54:45 AM
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Wow! All of us here at this forum, dedicated to calm lives, simpler living, and farm values have strong opinions on what has happened all over the Gulf Coast. I urge you to remember that it is easy to sit on the sidelines and offer opinions. I spent three years living in New Orleans and connected with some of the most wonderful people and some of the most horrible people. Every community has both good and bad. Instead of expending our energy on who did or didn't do what when, could we please ask, "What can I do to help now? or What do you need?" Even checking in our own communities. Blame isn't going to help. Only learning from our mistakes will help. New Orleans spirit will rise above this, I know it! I called my local Red Cross and found out if they had more volunteers locally, they could send more people who have been trained in diaster relief to the area. That's where I'm helping. I can be trained quickly to take a donation over the phone, or calm a hurting mom, or any number of things. This way I'm helping, not stewing over blame. My body and my world will be better for it. Blessings upon you all! Let's prepare ourselves! Maybe the 2000 preparations we made were the right thing after all.
Peace,
Joy
If it's not illegal, unsafe, or immoral, why not try anything once? Who knows? You may come back for a second helping! |
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reader
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
Cindy
Clarendon Hills
IL
11 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2005 : 2:00:45 PM
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Unfortunately horrible situations occur in every nation on the planet. The media is very good at covering the devastation, mistakes and lapses in humanity but they are not always good at covering the human responses that occur. I am also angry at the lack of government response to the situation and I want answers for the mistakes. But I am also proud at the continuous acts of kindness and generosity that I have witnessed over the last week. At my daughter's high school in 24 hours the school sent five semi-trailer trucks filled with necessary items to the diaster area with teachers at the wheel. We collected over 250,000 bottles of water, 500,000 diapers, 600,000 bottles of bleach, etc. etc. and $10,000. All this was collected and organized by one announcement over the school's public address system. I am proud to be part of that community and as this type of response has been seen all over the country, I am proud to count myself an American.
I would ask those that do not reside here in the US to understand that the good of the people does not always make the most interesting news so therefore you judge us by the stories the media chooses to show and not by the fiber that binds us to all Americans. |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2005 : 3:53:30 PM
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Hey Farm Girls!!
Did any of you hear about Dr James Riopelle, a physician, who saved all of pets that had been given shelter in a hospital in NO? He was told to kill all of these beautiful animals but refused to do so What a wonderful man. He and the animals were saved by the actor Matthew McConaughey (sp); he got them out by boat. They even saved 2 little hamsters who probably belonged to a child.
I have been angry with Matthew for about 2 years because he dated my friend's daughter, Michelle, for quite awhile and then broke up with her and broke her heart. He is now forgiven.
Connie
cozycottage |
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reader
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
Cindy
Clarendon Hills
IL
11 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2005 : 12:16:21 PM
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Connie:
What a great story about the animals being saved. I recently donanted to the Humane Society of the US to help save the animals that have been left behind. I can't image telling Dr. Riopelle to kill all of these innocent animals that had already endured so much. |
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Across the Fence: New Orleans |
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New Orleans
