Guest Blogged by Winter Patriot
As usual in the case of a “natural” disaster, I’ve seen plenty of ideas lately — good ideas, bad ideas, ugly ideas — and one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a while came to me from MoveOn.org. Here’s the message; they said to forward it to anyone who might be able to help, and I’m happy to pass it on:
Tens of thousands of newly homeless families are being bused to a stadium in Houston, where they may wait for weeks or months. At least 80,000 are competing for area shelters, and countless more are in motels, cars, or wherever they can stay out of the elements. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross are scrambling to find shelter for the displaced.
This morning, we’ve launched an emergency national housing drive to connect your empty beds with hurricane victims who desperately need a place to wait out the storm. You can post your offer of housing (a spare room, extra bed, even a decent couch) and search for available housing online here.
Housing is most urgently needed within reasonable driving distance (about 300 miles) of the affected areas in the Southeast, especially New Orleans.
Please forward this message to anyone you know in the region who might be able to help.
But no matter where you live, your housing could still make a world of difference to a person or family in need, so please offer what you can.
The process is simple:
* You can sign up to become a host by posting a description of whatever housing you have available, along with contact information. You can change or remove your offer at any time.
* Hurricane victims, local and national relief organizations, friends and relatives can search the site for housing. We’ll do everything we can to get your offers where they are needed most. Many shelters actually already have Internet access, but folks without ‘net access can still make use of the site through case workers and family members.
* Hurricane victims or relief agencies will contact hosts and together decide if it’s a good match and make the necessary travel arrangements. The host’s address is not released until a particular match is agreed on.
If hosting doesn’t work for you, please consider donating to the Red Cross to help with the enormous tasks of rescue and recovery. You can give online here.
As progressives, we share a core belief that we are all in this together, and today is an important chance to put that idea to work. There are thousands of families who have just lost everything and need a place to stay dry. Let’s do what we can to help!
Thanks for being there when it matters most.
— Noah T. Winer and the whole MoveOn.org Civic Action Team
Thursday, September 1st, 2005
Free Shelter for those In Need!! What a progressive idea, no?
Please help MoveOn.org on this one, if you can!
Thanks for that WP!
Yes, we progressives are very much motivated to help others.
You know what, MrBlueSky? We generate all manner of discussion here and we do welcome all opinions … so sometimes it gets hot on certain threads and I think that can be a fun use of the net because everyone needs to blow off steam on occasion … 😉 … on the other hand sometimes I find those threads a bit of a hassle… but efforts like these — initiatives that really put the blogosphere to constructive use — these are the things that make all the rest of it worthwhile … my opinion only, but of course you’re all welcome to share it.
tree, rope and seditious Brad Friedman, swing you treasonous asshole! :O :plain:
truly amazing how caring efforts to house homeless disaster victims brings out the murderous hate in some.
Gee, I guess Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, etc, would have *never* thought of helping out their fellow citizens, eh?
crud-a-rama………
Aren’t there any closed military facilities (BRAC closures since the 80’s) in LA, TX, or MS to which the survivors could be taken? Military bases have LOTS of housing and dining capacity.
Winter Patriot and Brad – I know this is a free speech blog, and I know y’all don’t like to delete opposing opinions (and thank you again for that) – but I have an idea. Is there ANY WAY we could have a thread specifically and entirely devoted to ways to help these people, maybe with the stipulation in bold and large letters on the front post stating that anything negative be moved to another thread set up specifically for that purpose (so they can’t accuse us of not tolerating dissent) ?
I, like many others who regularly post here, have simply abandoned the thread that was taken over by the trolls – though I know a lot of it is just people letting off steam, I really don’t have room in my life right now for that kind of unproductive anger. I’m not any happier than anyone else about the failures that made this disaster far worse than it could have been, but it’s exhausting to pick through the trash to find useful information. All we need is a place to post links and phone numbers and information and make the coordination of effort as efficient as possible.
I know it’s a lot of work for y’all to police something like that, but some of us really need to help right now, and time is short. Infants, elderly, and sick can not wait – we have to move NOW.
Am I outta line here?
What about state parks opening their campgrounds? A lot won’t have electricity or enclosed shelters, but they have water, and tarps and tents can be set up until something more permanent comes along. It wouldn’t be that difficult to set up distribution centers for food and supplies in those areas.
re #9 Sorry Kestrel but I think we’re gonna have lots of threads about what’s happening and what’s gonna happen in New Orleans and vicinity … and there will be lots of places where people can post information about how we can help … you can ignore that one thread but pay attention to all the rest of them, ok?
re #7 no, Peg. Sorry. I was correct in #5. Got it straight from the horse’s mouth. I support his right to his opinion even though I disagree with it.
#4 Superwoman – just have to let you know something amazing…a friend of ours, staunch Bush supporter..was so angry at the lack of leadership in this disaster..stating he was sorry he ever voted for Bush…then went to the Dome here in Houston, about 1.5 hours away found a family of 7 and turned over a beach house for their use as long as possible.
Don’t think the beach house as luxurious, but it has a/c, clean sheets and a fully stocked kitchen.
My husband was so shocked he called me to tell
me about this !
Perhaps this terrible tragedy will make some changes of heart.
Take care, friend.
Winter Patriot ….I could not believe the hatred I heard in the postings of the blog about JC…never heard that type of posting here before.
What I heard from JC was a first thought but he changed his opinion in the last of it…yet the angry, mean posts had not understood that.
No one can believe that the poor being left without food and water in unspeakable conditions should be blamed…they are not making policy…just trying to live day by day. Not everyone is born with priviledge in the world…not everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps…but they are still our brothers and sisters and deserve a share in America.
We have military bases with housing, can’t these be used as temporary housing? We have military planes and helicopters to move our citizens. NOW !
How much decision does it take to help our people NOW.
# 8 AMEN….JESSE JACKSON IS STATING THE SAME THING RIGHT NOW.
OT for Superwoman and others: On a previous thread you were right and I was wrong about how a post was intended to be interpreted 😉 Apparently every word was intended to be taken literally. I disagree with the author although I do support his right to say whatever he pleases. And I would have said "I disagree with you Joseph" early on in that thread, except I tricked myself into misunderstanding him. Now that thread is a mess and there’s no point going back there to post anything but I wanted to tell you that I was wrong back there … and to apologize for my dimwittedness. END OF OT and carry on, please!
WP –
We’re about as far from Houston as anyone in the continental U.S. could be – and we’re strapped and elderly to boot. But if there were a way to expedite a drop-off of refugees, we’d see to it that the people were cared for. We’re good people up heah – and we know how to cope. But maybe the climate’s a bit chilly. (We have an extra room.)
AND, WP –
You’re wrong about JC, I THINK. I believe that he’s distraught and angry and terribly anguished and lashing out. But I’ve always found his thinking to be sound in the past, and I’m not going to allow the wolves to devour him without sufficient evidence of true malice and fanaticism. Please allow human beings a little leeway for FEELING as opposed to PC posturing!!!
Here’s an idea: temporary housing could be built for the evacuees, like the tarpaper barracks buildings the military built during World War II when it was rapidly expanding and opening new camps and bases all over the country. Tarpaper barracks don’t take much time to build and neither do quonset huts for that matter, and can be built by Army engineers and Navy "seabees" and even [with the required quick instruction by engineers] non-engineer military personnel and also civilian volunteers, especially those with prior construction experience. They could house forty or so evacuees in each barracks building. Would it be cosy? No, but these are extenuating circumstances. It would however be shelter and a have a potbellied coal stove for heat. At least this would give them some kind of shelter until they can start to get their lives back together.
I have an extra room in my home with a private entrance anyone needs Please contact…free to use until they can get their life together again………..DEBRA
Hi forgot to tell you I live in Pembroke Pines FL.We also have a campsite down the street….18.00 a day. They have showers, laundry room and a store. would be willing to help someone with a tent and some blankets…..Debra
This might be of interest. I just read that FEMA oursourced the emergency management to a business in Louisiana called IEM for a contract of well over a million dollars. Is that par for the course for this bunch of bunglers in DC??
Also, regarding Dennis Hastert. I refer to an article in the latest Vanity Fair regarding old Dennis and some foreign payoffs for his cooperation. Read it.
Elisabeth
the article is titled "an inconvenient patriot" about Sibel Edmonds who worked for the FBI as a translator and was fired for trying to relay valuable information that, apparently, the FBI didn’t want to know. Gets stranger and stranger.
I live in the state of wash. we have an extra room or perhaps two and a hide-a-bed.
billie dahl
wenatchee, wash.
98801
In response to the question about closed bases yes they are starting to use them to house the refugees (or evacutees which ever works for you). They are sending a bunch up to Edwards AFB in Massachussetts.
Ok I goofed I mean’t Camp Edwards NOT Edward’s AFB sorry 🙁
Is there anyway we could set up a place for people to match up…like if you need some help or work done in your home..you know, remodeling or something, someone could live in your home for free and help you for room and board???
Is there anyway we could set up a place for people to match up…like if you need some help or work done in your home..you know, remodeling or something, someone could live in your home for free and help you for room and board???
Hello,
Just a comment, of disbelief. I have a 4 bed. doublewide and have contacted many places including going personally to a shelter where red cross moved in. I was amazed! There were people in the gym and I was told…if we feel we have anyone to fit this we will let you know but, we turn this over to FEMA…these people will be screened and so will you and then we match! There was a lady who brought diapers and etc. and was turned away, said, just hang onto them, we do not need them now! What is happening? Then I see there are thousands that need homes. Yet none are allowed to leave once they come into a shelter? I can pick someone off the street and not go through this. I understand protection and security, but we are talking good people needing a place and cannot go until upper authority says so? Are they homeless or are they in bondage to a system?
Well, we do not know any person totally, ever, but our small church has reached out to help and people still on the street in shelters and etc and cannot come. What is this all about? I know red cross and others have money from govt. We do not but, they could help us to help them and all together we could help lives that have been broken and displaced.
Well I said, my heart this am, I pray that God will by pass some of these places and send the hurting who are serious and wants help.
We will begin to look on the streets for those who have need as well.
God bless all.
Shirley :O