marmalady
Executive Chef
Since we're all about food here, thought I'd post this link; they can put you in touch with your local food banks:
www.secondharvest.org
It's going to be a while before anyone can get into New Orleans; the last I heard they were evacuating the entire town; but, as someone else posted, the other towns along the gulf are accessible now.
Relating an experience from Hugo (which includes the RC, and is the basis of my feelings about them); it was about 2 weeks after the storm; folks on the 'mainland' were getting power and water back, and most folks were hunkering in for the 'restoration' phase. My ex is a chiropractor, and an elderly man and his adult son came staggering into his office, saying they had just walked 30 miles (Charleston is surrounded by barrier islands - James, John, Wadmalaw, Kiawah, Seabrook, to name a few) to get help for their isolated fishing community on Wadmalaw. If anyone remembers the Pat Conroy book/movie about him being a teacher on DeWees Island, we/re talking the same kind of rural, isolated fishing communities. All of their water is from wells, which of course, are run by electricity. These folks had had no water or power for two weeks, and no way to get off the island or communicate that they needed help.
We contacted the Red Cross, and the local disaster people, who said they "had no way to get to those people", and just dropped it. Completely. They were also turning back trucks still arriving in the city with water, food, clothing, etc.
Current hubbie, partner on a morning radio show in CHarleston, organized a dropoff at the radio station; we thought we'd have a truckload, and someone donated a small panel truck. We ended up with 3 huge truckloads of goods. Guys with chainsaws showed up, and they hacked their way out onto the island to clear the way. (Again, mind you, this was TWO WEEKS POST!). We drove into a little AME church, where the deacon met us, and formed a 'bucket brigade' to offload the goods we brought out. Took is all day, and as we were ready to leave, the deacon said, hold on a minute; up drove a station wagon of 'church ladies', with the best fried catfish, hush puppies and slaw, with sweet tea - and the church choir, who sang gospel songs for us as we ate.
Don't ever underestimate the power of the little people!
www.secondharvest.org
It's going to be a while before anyone can get into New Orleans; the last I heard they were evacuating the entire town; but, as someone else posted, the other towns along the gulf are accessible now.
Relating an experience from Hugo (which includes the RC, and is the basis of my feelings about them); it was about 2 weeks after the storm; folks on the 'mainland' were getting power and water back, and most folks were hunkering in for the 'restoration' phase. My ex is a chiropractor, and an elderly man and his adult son came staggering into his office, saying they had just walked 30 miles (Charleston is surrounded by barrier islands - James, John, Wadmalaw, Kiawah, Seabrook, to name a few) to get help for their isolated fishing community on Wadmalaw. If anyone remembers the Pat Conroy book/movie about him being a teacher on DeWees Island, we/re talking the same kind of rural, isolated fishing communities. All of their water is from wells, which of course, are run by electricity. These folks had had no water or power for two weeks, and no way to get off the island or communicate that they needed help.
We contacted the Red Cross, and the local disaster people, who said they "had no way to get to those people", and just dropped it. Completely. They were also turning back trucks still arriving in the city with water, food, clothing, etc.
Current hubbie, partner on a morning radio show in CHarleston, organized a dropoff at the radio station; we thought we'd have a truckload, and someone donated a small panel truck. We ended up with 3 huge truckloads of goods. Guys with chainsaws showed up, and they hacked their way out onto the island to clear the way. (Again, mind you, this was TWO WEEKS POST!). We drove into a little AME church, where the deacon met us, and formed a 'bucket brigade' to offload the goods we brought out. Took is all day, and as we were ready to leave, the deacon said, hold on a minute; up drove a station wagon of 'church ladies', with the best fried catfish, hush puppies and slaw, with sweet tea - and the church choir, who sang gospel songs for us as we ate.
Don't ever underestimate the power of the little people!
