How To Aid Katrina Victims

I feel petty even mentioning that my life has been hectic. My life is placid compared to those displaced or suffering in New Orleans and the other devastated areas.

Please go to Glenn Reynold's site and give to one or more of the many great organizations that are helping people in real need.

Austin Bay has some thoughts:

We’ve a million people dispossessed and they are suffering. Critics grouse that the response to Katrina’s devestation has been abysmally slow. Compared to what? Slow compared to our expectations is the correct answer. Compared to every other nation on the planet, we’re moving at warp speed to address a natural disaster of extraordinary magnitude.
Watch what happens over the next week, as American aid organizations, religious groups, and willing individuals act. America’s great wealth is matched by its generosity. America is responding decisively to Katrina’s tragedy.

A nice slap to those poor, idiotic souls who've taken the opportunity to bash the President at the expense of the dead and injured. I would say they should be ashamed, but alas they have no shame. It's all politics to them.

Peggy Noonan has a great essay about this event and the response from elected officials under extreme stress.

All I can say is that I hope that disease does not run rampant and that relief can get to those who need it as soon as possible.

Update: As someone who has worked in an emergency response capacity, it's easy to slam those providing assistance as being slow and ineffective. It's also wrong.

It was not Bush's, Nagin's or God's fault. It was a natural disaster that was caused by nothing more than a storm hitting a spot that is susceptible to flooding.

I imagine that a case study will be done looking at how, when all services broke down, people reverted to barbarity.

Update: I was willing to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt. Not anymore.