help

Atrios has links describing the horror of what is going on in the wake of the hurricane.

Seppo’s work has donation matching, so donate through him if you know him. Otherwise, donate directly through Red Cross or indirectly though Liberal Blogs for Hurricane Relief (this also goes to Red Cross but gets bundled up). I know what I wrote before, but get the hell off your asses if you haven’t donated yet and make a donation. Almost everyone I know that reads this blog is a yuppy, just like me. I KNOW you have disposeable income. Pony up and save some people’s lives. Do it NOW. There is absolutely NO excuse. Don’t be a selfish bastard. People are going without food and water. Old people and children, the least resilient of the population, are dying. People are sleeping in sitting water and among feces. They have a shortage of clean bandages and do not have running water to keep the sick under sanitary conditions. This is not ok.

Just this morning on the radio, I heard of a diabetic woman trying to get into a drugstore to try to get test strips. She was afraid that she would be arrested but went in after she was told she wouldn’t be arrested. I heard of a woman weeping uncontrollably as she scoured for baby supplies and food, terrified her kids were going to die. A man was interviewed while carrying out some soap and toothpaste and he reassured the reporters that he wasn’t taking anything to get drunk or high off on. It’s devastating that people are reduced to this, and because of the fact that there ARE reckless selfish looters taking material goods unrelated to survival, this man had to actively distinguish himself from them. (With so much sewage in the streets, soap is actually going to be pretty important to keep baterial illnesses at bay and to keep from spreading disease. Although without clean water, I don’t know what they are going to do.)

I have no tolerance for looters who are trying to get drugs or jewelry and shooting up people and fighting in the horror of what is going on. I cannot fathom what makes people do this when people are dying left and right. But I have absolutely no condemnation for people who are starving and thirsty who are trying to rescue whatever perishables from flooded and destroyed stores before everything rots, if it hasn’t already. It is clear that people have been left in dire straits for days, and first you have to live. I know that if I didn’t try to keep my family alive and fed through this type of situation, I would feel like a failure as a human being.

ETA: The stories pouring in are utterly terrifying and heartbreaking. I read about bartering for what bits of food and little water there is. At that point, I STILL don’t condone violence in ANY way, shape, or form, but if some people are desperately looting NOT for personal material gain, but with hopes that they can find something to barter with for food for themselves and family, shit, what the hell do I say to that? What kind of right do I have to condemn them? What would I do? Some of Lindsi’s friends are stuck there as well. I wish them well and quick rescue, as well as for everyone else.

ETA again: I keep going back and forth on this, but damn, the looting. I have to answer my own question and say that I would still not take anything that wasn’t food and perishable. If the item was going to be ruined in the next few days (and not because someone else is gonna take it anyway), then I would take it. If I’m trying to just keep myself alive, I would try to get food in whatever way possible that does not include hurting other people. I wouldn’t take things that the owners may be able to use for long-term recovery.

I think I didn’t adequately understand how terrible things were until yesterday. And it’s simply mind-numbing. Please contact your companies/employers and see if they have some sort of donation matching. People desperately need your help.