Haiti Aid

Digby has compiled an excellent set of links for anyone wanting to give aid to Haiti. The donations have been generous, and it's been good to see all the networks run coverage on this diaster, but the scope of devastation is staggering, and hard to take in. While I was driving home, I heard NPR reporter Jason Beaubien break up talking about it all.

The Red Cross' International Response Fund currently says that donations to date have allowed them to:

• Pledge $10 million to support humanitarian relief activities of the Haitian Red Cross;
• Deploy disaster response experts to Haiti to provide relief and recovery expertise;
• Send 5,000 family kits that include blankets, kitchen sets and water containers;
• Continue our global programs to prevent disease, reconnect families separated by crisis and promote respect for global humanitarian principles.

Best wishes to all.

Update: Good lord. Digby posted a link to some photos compiled by The Boston Globe. For the most graphic, you need to click a warning to see them.

I'm reminded of a NPR story years ago, after another natural disaster, on rescue dogs and their handlers. In some cases, they knew someone was trapped in a collapsed building, but it was too dangerous to go in, so although it was wrenching, they couldn't try to help. Also, as the hours and days progressed, it became rarer to find anyone alive. Some dogs are very sociable. Apparently, finding only dead bodies mades made the dogs depressed, or hurt their morale, or however one puts it for dogs. Because of this, their handlers would occasionally have a healthy person hide in a building so the dog could find him or her, to keep the dogs' spirits up.

Haiti could use all the aid and hope and spirit-raising they can get right now.

Trouble the Water

Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner for Best Documentary, Trouble the Water, is currently in limited release. Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott, residents of New Orleans' lower 9th Ward, were there when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Kimberly got a video camera shortly before, and she documented what happened to them. I just saw the film, and it's powerful stuff. Here's the trailer:



The film intercuts Kim Roberts' footage with news footage from the time, and the filmmakers film the Roberts throughout their long trek, checking in with them periodically up to roughly the present. The government indifference and incompetence on display is infuriating. The 9/11 calls, and other moments, are heart-breaking. But there are also some pretty inspiring moments, too — from the Roberts, from the people they huddle in an attic with as the water rises in their homes, from a heroic neighbor. The survivors have been treated very poorly, but they're very appreciative toward the National Guard when they finally show up, and they buoy each other through camaraderie, faith, humor, and in at least one case, music. There are too many striking moments to name them all, and I wouldn't want to spoil them, but two involve the camera just staying on Kimberly – recovering a photo from their devastated home, and performing a rap she's recorded.

The site for the film lists theaters that are or will be showing it. It also has links to organizations working to rebuild New Orleans. NPR's Morning Edition interviewed Kim Roberts, and David Edelstein has a good film review. Check out the film if you can. And especially given how bad things already are, here's hoping that Gustav doesn't make them much worse.

(Cross-posted at The Blue Herald)

Tornado Aid

Blogger Monkeyfister lives in the area hit, is trying to get the word out and the donations flowing (thanks to Cernig of The Newshoggers for spreading the word).

Monkeyfister recommends:

American Red Cross
Mid-South Chapter
1400 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901-726-1690

And:
United Way of the Mid-South phone in a donation at (901) 433-4300.

They take DIRECT donations, so you can skip all the National-level waste and delay, AND they serve nearly every community in the affected radius.

A large area was hit:


As the AP reports:

At least 55 people were killed and hundreds injured Tuesday and Wednesday by dozens of tornadoes that plowed across Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. It was the nation's deadliest barrage of twisters in almost 23 years.

"We had a beautiful neighborhood. Now it's hell," said Bonnie Brawner, 80...

The AP's slideshow is pretty harrowing.


Here's Monkeyfister's other key post:

Whilst we're waiting for George's Promised Prayers to roll in, down here in the Tornado-Stricken Mid-South, I might recommend some DIRECT HUMAN INTERACTION...

As Scout Prime is to NOLA, I am, suddenly, to the Mid-South area (I LIVE here, and was Live-Blogging these horrible storms all night), and have started to get the help-ball rolling down here. Some of you know where I work. I started a Food Drive there today for the Mid-South United Way Food Bank.

As the area affected is so broad and detached, and everyone in the Country was distracted by politics last night, as yet, there is no central assistance hub set-up. So, at the link, above, you'll find the two agencies with the broadest radius to help the area right now. Both take DIRECT donations.

A small-blog swarm on that post (or this comment) would be greatly appreciated by more people than just me. I can't describe how wide-spread the damage is down here. It's enormous. The Media, per usual, is only just now waking up to the situation, after their Super-Duper-Let's-All-Wet-Our-Pants-Together- Tuesday Political Hangover. Like NOLA, these are REALLY poor folks down here, and have nothing, and nowhere to go.

A short post about this at YOUR Blog, linking either to my post, above, or directly to the two Orgs mentioned in the post above, would sure be a big help, and would be greatly appreciated by many people who are relying on help. They are all that we have right now.

I just donated a deer's worth of ground venison, along with the 100 pounds of rice and quart-sized ziplock bags that they said that they needed at the United Way Mid-South Food Bank, when I phoned them this morning. Their pantry is BARE, and I'll be loading them up with all the potatoes, rice, veggies, bags, and other staples that I can fit in my truck tomorrow.

This is serious Red State country, and a flood of help from the DFH Left would REALLY make a big difference in a number of good ways.

I thank you all in advance...

Your humble peer,

Monkeyfister

Thanks.



(Cross-posted at The Blue Herald)