Hurricane Relief - What Would You Bring? 534
andyring asks: "In a few weeks, I will be going with a group from my church down to some of the hardest-hit areas in Louisiana and Mississippi to volunteer in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. We will be there six days, and have 10 people going so far. At this point, I don't know much more than we'll be in either Slidell, La. on the northeast shore of Lake Ponchartrain, or Pass Christian, Miss., right on the Gulf Coast near Gulfport/Biloxi. Not knowing what we'll be faced with, and having somewhat limited room for supplies, tools and equipment (probably a U-haul trailer), what would you bring on a journey such as this? Any Slashdot readers between Lincoln, Neb. and the New Orleans area interested in contributing to our effort, such as donations of equipment/supplies/tools/etc?"
What would *I* bring? (Score:4, Insightful)
Essentials (Score:5, Insightful)
Food
Water
Shelter (canvas tents, large)
Tools (Tarps, gloves, hand saws, hammers, crowbars)
Large Commercial-grade trash bags
Cheap duffle bags / backpacks
Bicycle(s)
Why Is This On Slashdot? (Score:0, Insightful)
I seriously doubt most people on this forum would have any real clue to answer this question correctly. All your going to get is a bunch of pimply-faced teens who think they know what you should do, but really, they're just talking out of their asses.
Slashdot is not the place to get this question answered. The responses would likely cause further confusion for you. Why don't you talk to the Red Cross, Salvation Army or some other aid organization first?
Everything you will need for 12 days, plus (Score:5, Insightful)
The very worst thing you could do would be to arrive there and become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.
It might also help if you got an invitation from officialdom, with some idea of where they think they need to put resources first, so that you maximize your value, and have written official sanction to even be in the area you can show to the guards at the blockades.
-- Terry
don't go (Score:4, Insightful)
Your intentins are good, but if you don't have training you will be a hinderance and a liability.
A short list from personal experience (Score:2, Insightful)
You'll want shelter, either provided to you or taken with you.
You'll want food and something to cook on. A propane camp stove would be perfect. Coleman makes a nice 2 burner stove. Food should be as nonperishable as possible.
Clean clothes and comfy shoes are a must.
If you want power for cell phones, GPS, 2 way radios, etc, I would suggest getting one of those emergency car starters. These are sealed lead acid batteries and usually have about 20Ah in them as well as a 12V plug. Some even have a 110V inverter built in.
Make sure you have some place to sit. Milk crates, camp chairs, whatever. It will make a difference. Trust me.
Purell or other water-less hand sanitizers. These are a life saver.
Bring your own water, as water there is likely to be contaiminated.
Minimal set of cook ware for cooking. Think stuff you NEED (pots, pans) and think light!
Don't forget extra batteries. This has screwed me over so many times.
Aside from all that, anything that is needed for you to actually do your job!
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:3, Insightful)
But, to answer your question again, I'm sure you're not the only one actually. There are lots of ignorant people in the world. Especially on Slashdot.
Re:take a brick wall, baseball bat (Score:4, Insightful)
It seems adding another layer of management didn't help anything, who would have thunk ?
Water (Score:1, Insightful)
and lots.
Re:The only thing you need... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's very typical of christians to seek out folks who're really suffering, and offer them help in a veiled attempt to bring them "into the flock". Not saying that's you, just making a general observation.
Consider bringing stuff you think the youngest children will need. Kids suffering is the worst.
Re:don't go (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:3, Insightful)
in it , and that is that .
In california they are required to build to earthquake standards .
The same should go for all hazardous zones .
Japan is often hit by Typhoons, big ones, and they long ago mandated buidling codes .
Peace,
Ex-MislTech
Start by figuring out what your are going for (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The only thing you need... (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't bring your bibles. These people need real actual help, they don't need folks coming down there with ulterior motives trying to convert them.
Don't you think maybe there are some folks over there who already are Christians and would like a copy of the bible to replace one that was destroyed?
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:3, Insightful)
Absolutely - if you don't have any, check with local EMS/Police services to find out what they wear. You're looking for something safe, lightweight, good ankle support, and waterproof.
Bring one of these [katadyn.ch] for yourself, and recommend that each group member brings their own.
Bring one of these [leatherman.com].
These are great too [campmor.com], you'll want dry feet.
Some sort of protective glove [mytoolstore.com]. Leather/Kevlar etc are all good. Bring a box of nitrile gloves [coleparmer.com] too.
A headlamp [www.mec.ca] is a great thing (this one has a dual-bulb system).
All this stuff is for you.
If you're looking for stuff to bring for other people down there... bring money. Go there, find out what's needed, drive away, buy the stuff they need, and bring it back to them.
Also for you, bring some beer.
Good luck.
Re:don't go (Score:4, Insightful)
The disaster is basically over. This is the rebuilding time. They need grunt labor and they need brains. There is food for the workers, if you don't mind "one size fits all" menus. Finding shelter might be a problem if they don't bring their own or make good arrangements.
Other than that, from what I've heard from people that have been there and back, the big clue is to tie in with community groups and steer clear of FEMA and the state government. They are trying to do Big Picture rebuilding. The community groups are trying to help reassmemble people's lives.
Ignore the parent poster (Score:4, Insightful)
God bless!
Re:don't go (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not pointing you out with this statement, but the notion that it takes an "expert" to help people is a bad one, IMO. The American way (at least down South, still, and probably in the Mid-West) is to roll up one's sleeves and get to work without waiting for the "authorities" or Uncle Government to arrive.
The original poster will do fine; he will help several families, learn about an area of the country he may never have seen before, learn new skills, and gain a lot of intangibles from the experience. But be a hindrance or liability? Nah...
Re:don't go (Score:5, Insightful)
Can you use a hammer? Great, then you can frame a house.
Can you use a shovel? Great, then you can help clean the two feet of mud out of some peoples' houses.
Can you talk to people on a phone? Great, then you can help relay calls to relatives in different shelters or shore up the help lines at utilities' or relief orgs' call centers. You see, most people who really need to can't go to www.fema.gov or the like.
Can you spare some plastic containers/chest-like things? Building materials? Cleaning supplies? Shovels, axes, chainsaws, drills... no clothes please, by the way. We've got quite enough.
Do you know how to build/fix any part of a house? If you do, could you show me and others?
Could we have some jobs? You don't have to be Halliburton to bring business down here.
We need long term help, especially. Medical care, jobs, schools, houses, neighborhoods. The Military just get people off their roofs and make sure they don't starve or kill each other. The Red Cross if for emergency relief, and who knows if they'll share their overly large (70%) share of the donations. FEMA is for, apparently, acting as a political lightening rod and blaming Ray Nagin for everything.
Anything will do. People that "know what they are doing" are doing a shit job of it. People who have seen whats happening and just come down to do whatever they can have done the best job. By far.
Parent poster makes a good point (Score:5, Insightful)
Some christian hints:
For people who believe in God / Jesus, and are in doubt (repeat: IN DOUBT), you can tell them that it was God / Jesus who brought you there. God acts thru kind acts of people. But I'd say it's wiser to let them draw their own conclusions.
It wasn't God who brought the destruction to the people - but the ineptitude of people in the government and those who decided to build a city below sea level. Global warning is the result of greedy men (i.e. sinners) polluting the air, so this makes a good defense against the idea that "God destroyed their houses in his wrath etc etc".
But then again, I'd recommend you to keep silent about this, unless you want to be seen as another one of the bible thumpers out there.
Tolerance (specially towards those who reject christianity) is the sign of a true christian, because Jesus helped the heathens, and was merciful with all.
St. Francis of Assisi, said: "Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary". The greatest way to preach the gospel is to do what Jesus would do: Love and help those in need. Remember St. Paul's words: If I have the gift of prophecies, but no love in me, I'm useless.
If possible, don't mention christianity at all. Just mention the name of the community if you're asked. Remember what Jesus said: Do not do good deeds and proclaim them over the skies. Don't let your left hand know what your right hand does.
Power inverters (Score:5, Insightful)
If you don't have a generator (and even if you do), power inverters can be real useful... These things can take 12Volt powr and provide 110 for things ranging from laptops to power tools. This means that they can run off of your car's battery and generator. Xantrex [xantrex.com] (formerly statpower) is who I know, but there are now many other similar suppliers of these things... They start at about $40, and can be found at places like Radio Shack. They're invaluable when you're mobile/remote/stranded or just plain out of mains power (to steal the british saying).
They range from a tiny 75watt unit that can plug into your accessory outlet, and should handle most chargers and laptops to units over a kilowatt that will probably need to be wired direct to your electrical system (presuming that it's even robust enough to drive the monster at full load).
Once you've got that, I'd also suggest a couple of jell cells, for running things that want mains power when you're in places like a hotel room with no power (you can charge them off of the vehicle power during the day). I wire mine with a 12-volt accessory plug (make sure to put a fuse on it). You can often get them out of small dead UPSs.
You can use them when you're mobile, and after you've placed your larger generators where they're most needed. I first came up with the idea in my tree-hugging days when I needed to charge a video camera battery at a logging protest and the only power I had access to was an RCMP vehicle.
If you haven't already thought of it: communications equipment, including hand-radios. I wouldn't presume that cell phone service id reinstated wherever you're going.
point of contention (Score:3, Insightful)
That isn't fact. Keep science and religion seperate. Many believe global warming come in cycles (IE: leaving an ice age). You're bound to offend more people than you comfort.
-everphilski-
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:3, Insightful)
Please don't oversimplify this (Score:3, Insightful)
Sorry, but this is simply oversimplifying the situation to the extreme. ;-) First off, you have no idea what the situation is like there. Second, did you know, for example, the utter chaos that can occur when bunches of people all over a country (as big as the US no less) just spontaneously decide to "roll up their sleeves" and go help or bring supplies? When you have hundreds, or thousands, of people just walking around looking for things to do or all bringing truckloads of supplies, which happen not to be needed? Do you have any firsthand experience with this, that guides your advice here?
You'd be surprised at how many people, for example, would donate time or resources that aren't even wanted/needed at the scene of the disaster. Taking resources as one example, in some disasters, they've literally FILLED large warehouses with ultimately useless donations. That is why everyone says to give money, because there's usually no shortage of needs, it's just that what's needed, and how much of it, is in constant flux.
As for "time" donations, inexperienced people with good intentions can do as much harm as good. It is not uncommon that people who were trying to help suddenly are needing help, instead. People can end up exposed to toxic materials without realizing it, etc., etc. They only have emergency medical services from what I hear right now, and they really need to keep those places open for the official relief efforts and the first citizens returning to the city.
If people want to help, great, but don't just fill a truck with random stuff and show up at the disaster scene saying "hi, we're here to help!". Either have a plan first and get clearance with the authorities, or just donate. Or, help out displaced persons locally. There's lots of ways to help.
Here's what we really need... (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want to help us, the best thing you can do is make sure the media's prototypically-short attention span doesn't waiver from the fact that this area needs help... big help.. not some church group handing out towels.
What we need are people WATCHING THE MONEY that's being spent down here. That's where we need the most help. If we don't get it, New Orleans is going to end up like Iraq... with billions given to politically-connected special interest groups and no substantive infrastructure or improvement. That's the legacy the current administration is doing in the wake of an ADD populace who isn't paying attention.
What we need most are people who are paying close attention to what the feds are doing. The people of the Gulf Coast can deal with things. If you REALLY want to help, be active politically, and insist that taxpayer money goes directly to local communities instead of Halliburton. Right now, a shitload of federal money is going to Halliburton, just like it is in Iraq.
Don't come down here. Get on the phone and call your representatives and demand that the resources dedicated to this area are not squandered away in a plethora of no-bid contracts. That's what's happening now. Everything else is paltry compared to this.
If you really want to help, that's what you need to do. If you want to go on some goofy, fuzzy, feel-good, field trip that won't make any significant difference, go ahead with your other plans. But I sincerely urge you to seriously consider what I'm saying. I cannot stress how important it is. WATCH THE MONEY LIKE A HAWK!! We are going to get screwed if the American people don't pay attention!
What you can expect here... (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't see a group of people wanting to help others. I see a group wanting to make itself feel better by wandering into a disaster area and getting in the way.
98% of what others have posted here is not relevant.
It doesn't matter where you go in the affected areas. By the time you get down here, essentials will be available everywhere. Right now, even in the most outlying areas, essential supplies, including gas, are readily available. Food, water, repellant, tools, gas. It's all available within a convenient distance now. You're too late.
I've been in the area since the storm. I've lived in New Orleans for 20+ years. I've been all over the area. I've been on boats. I've been rescuing people, animals, handing out food, you-name-it, I've done it.
You guys are leaving in a few weeks? What for? It's all over now.
Let me be blunt. Don't use us as an excuse to make yourselves feel better about yourselves.
What you can expect to find is a string of communities working hard to rebuild and your U-Haul won't make a difference. Maybe if you had been down here three weeks ago it might have, but honestly, at this late point, it's more a superficial, shallow token than any real needed help. You come down here you're going to be IN THE WAY. Yea, if you're giving stuff away, you'll find people who will appreciate it, but the gesture is largely ceremonial and you might want to re-examine whether or not you're doing this for yourselves as opposed to those who have been victimized.
With all due respect, I am resentful of the little media circus you've staged on Slashdot.
If you want to help, you'll offer a place to stay up where you are for refugees and offer them conveniences there. Coming down here is SELFISH.
If you come down here you're going to run into one of two scenarios:
a) A city that is in the process of getting back up to speed and you're in the way. You can do what other people have done, which is just set up somewhere and give out shit and people will line up, but most of the people will be the type that just take anything that's free and you'll just be enabling a bunch of freeloaders. We don't need that.
b) A "no-mans-zone" where everything has been destroyed and people are coming in and getting their shit and leaving. Again, you'll be in the way, unless you're brave enough to enter some of these flooded residences and help residents get a few precious items. But trust me, you'll spend about 10 minutes in one of these cesspools and decide you'd rather be back watching FOX on cable, so do us a favor and don't bother. The people who are in the hardest hit areas are getting their stuff and leaving... and if you want to help them, get them a goddam place to live.. don't come down and hover over the entrails that was their home handing out water bottles.
Please do not exploit us for your own selfish psychological needs. Many have come down here long before you people decided way too late that maybe you could launch some "humanitarian mission" and have been turned away.
If you want to help those affected by Katrina, go to one of the shelters housing evacuees. Those people are the ones that need the most help. The people that are in the city now are self-sufficient, or they have places to go. God is watching. Think about it. Don't use us. We've been abused already. Go to Houston or Dallas or Arkansas and help people in the shelters. DON'T COME to the affected area. Those that are down here have what they need. If you come down here and you ignore the people that are displaced in shelters, that's the biggest sin of all, at the expense of your selfish need to feel useful according to your own terms, in blatant disregard for the real needs of those affected by this tragedy.
For You or For the People You Are Going To Help? (Score:2, Insightful)
For you, high-top leather boots to keep the snakes from getting to you. Don't walk in water unless you have high-top waders. Farmland chemical run-offs will burn your skin, the snakes and alligators will bite. So stay out of the water. Maybe an inflatable raft if you are adventurous. Since you won't be down here long, don't worry about comforts of home, like your MP3 player or hair products. Live a couple of weeks like the locals. Hope you have an epiphany.
For the people you are coming to help, bring lots of tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant and soap. Clean clothes would be nice, or something to wash their current clothes with (Era, Wisk).
Since you are with a church group, I would guess alcohol would be out of your delivery agenda. If not, a small bit of fine brandy, rum would not go unnoticed.
Before Katrina, I had large bags of childrens clothes, shoes, adult clothes ready for my local mission to donate. After the storm, I just went through my closet and dumped a lot of my currently wearable clothes into bags to add to that. We donated about $4,000 worth of clothes. That's my donation this year, without the US tax receipt. So the Govt gets the money I would have gotten for the tax deduction and the people still get the clothes. The bags of clothes were donated to my local church who went there right after the storm.
My recommendation: Bring things you are willing to give away off of your back. This is devastation down here. Don't bring your comforts of home crap, unless you are willing to leave them to someone in need.
Re:The only thing you need... (Score:2, Insightful)
Was there something he said that made you think that his main focus wasn't helping people's immediate and actual needs? There's a thousand different ways you could have respectfully inquired as to this volunteer's motives. Instead, you automatically assume his motives to be dark and sinister. Ya, we all read your lame attempt to claim otherwise.
And the whole ending, with a plea for the children; great cover for that crass demonstration of your inability to act civily in light of an obviously negative past experience.
Insightful, indeed, but at what cost?
Re:take a brick wall, baseball bat (Score:1, Insightful)
One Small Note (Score:3, Insightful)
Virg
Re:What you can expect here... (Score:3, Insightful)
Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Waveland, Long Beach, Gulfport (where I live) and Biloxi still have plenty of people in need. They aren't freeloaders... they've been traumatized and certianly aren't getting much help in a timely manner from the Red Cross or FEMA. They sure as hell aren't what I would consider "free-loaders"; though there certainly are some lurking about. Those are easy to spot... since they are the ones acting like somebody owes them something.
My family has recovered. We're better off than a lot of people. We are helping as we can. But, if this guy and his crew want to come down here and help... Welcome! If it makes them feel good about themselves in the process... excellent. I sure wouldn't want them to come down here to help if it made them feel bad about themselves.
Since New Orleans didn't get the brunt of Katrina, I can see why you feel that way. Your damage came from the levees, and your state and local governments, failing. Mississippi got the full force of Katrina. All New Orleans got was an attitude problem.
For those interested, here are some pics from some of those areas me, my wife and a friend took:
http://tparker.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=30 [tparker.net]
Re:Boots not shoes. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Don't come (Score:3, Insightful)
Once again massive failures at the state and local level caused most of the early 'slow-response' problems, despite FEMA's attempts to help them be prepared.