Katrina Networking

I am using my networking and marketing skills to pass along vital information to organizations, volunteers and survivors of the 2005 hurricane season. Grants, networking, advocating, assistance resources, articles and more. Updated regularly to better assist you.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Hurricane Help for Schools



Sorry it's been a couple of days folks. Been busy getting a paying project out the door. A setback in my vertigo made my schedule have a meltdown.

However, I have FINALLY found a list of schools from all the affected states that are in need. I am still trying to find out how recent the lists are, BUT, it has email, phone and mailing addresses - VERY good site!

http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/disasterrelief/schools/index-state.cfm#

7/12
As Leslie mentions in her comments, the needs lists have changed significantly since this website was last updated. But the main thing is, the needs still exist. Contact the school of your choice and help them out. Find out what they need. Most schools in the south will be starting in August, so they don't have much time to gather themselves.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Needs List - UMCOR


2/11 Volunteering With UMCOR

There is still much more to be done. Annual conferences report a drop in volunteers, yet volunteers will be needed in force for years to come. Contact your jurisdictional volunteer coordinator to find out more about scheduling groups or going as an individual. You can also give to help rebuild churches through the Katrina Church Recovery Bishop's Appeal #818001. Learn more about this special appeal here.

Hurricane Response Report
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/media/emergencies/Hurricane%20Toolkit.pdf

Umcor Update

UMCOR Listed among “Big Names in Katrina Relief” by Newsweek

NEW YORK, NY, June 29, 2006 -The United Methodist Committee on Relief ranked sixth for the amount raised for hurricane relief in a recent survey by Newsweek of the "Big Names in Katrina Relief." UMCOR raised some $64.5 million for hurricane relief and rehabilitation that will fund long-term recovery for the next three years. This is in addition to the thousands of hours United Methodist Volunteers have put into the recovery effort and the $7.6 million United Methodists and others donated in relief supplies.
"UMCOR is thankful that the capacity for giving is so great," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's Deputy General Secretary. UMCOR's policy of using 100% of all designated funds for their intended programs ensures every dollar donated will go to hurricane recovery. UMCOR uses other funding to provide for its administrative costs.
UMCOR's niche in long-term recovery is the day-to-day work of helping individuals and families restore their lives and recover what was lost in the disaster. By hiring and training local people to be case managers, or family advocates, UMCOR is able to accomplish this goal. Case managers help survivors by working with them to create their own plan of recovery. These advocates then ensure that survivors receive the assistance they need to follow this plan. "UMCOR's response through the Annual Conferences is much more than case management," said Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for UMCOR. "Our staff and volunteers can offer assistance such as building materials, rental assistance, and spiritual and emotional care because of the generous financial backing of United Methodists."
UMCOR is working in partnership with five annual conferences to assist the most vulnerable survivors for years to come. This system of working with annual conferences and coordinating efforts with local organizations ensures that UMCOR's relief and rehabilitation programs are not duplicating the efforts of other organizations and ensures that the particular needs of a given community are met.

UMCOR Sager Brown Issues Top Supply Needs

NEW YORK June 30, 2006-UMCOR's relief supply warehouse, the Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, La., issued a new list of most needed relief supplies this week. The top two needs are not the standard kits, but specific cleaning and bedding items that are needed to fulfill requests after 2005's many disasters. Interim Director Ted Warnock noted that relief supplies are needed in the following order:


1. Cleaning Supplies
2. Bedding

Cleaning Supplies
Bleach
two 1 quart or one 82 oz. bottle
All purpose cleaner (like Lysol) 32. oz. bottle
Liquid laundry detergent Two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle
Heavy duty trash bags 24-bag roll, 33-45 gallon
Scouring pads Package
Paper towels Rolls – any quantity
Insect repellant spray 6-14 oz. can
Dust mask respirators Any quantity
Toilet paper Any quantity
Sponge mops with replacement pads Any quantity

Bedding
All bedding should be new and in its original packaging.

Flat double-bed sheets (full size) Packages of 2
Pillow cases Packages of 2
Pillows Packages of 2


The link to print out a shipping label:
http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits/print/shipping1.htm

The address to send the items to:

UMCOR Sager Brown Depot
PO Box 850131
Sager Brown Road
Baldwin, LA 70514-0850

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Saturday, January 14, 2006

ABC News Article About Wasted Housing

FEMA Trailers Slowly Being Turned In Updated 10/4
The total number of people living in FEMA issued travel trailers and mobile homes continues to decline. As of Sept. 29, nearly 93,000 people are still housed in 34,552 FEMA provided trailers in Mississippi. Since the FEMA trailers have been issued, 12,224 have been returned, according to FEMA officials contacted by GCN. This means people are returning to their homes or finding alternative living resources. There are still some people receiving FEMA trailers. This is because some apartments are being rebuilt or have been shut down that people were living in since the hurricane. This is particularly true for some elderly Coast residents.


Available Housing for Katrina Evacuees Caught in Federal Red Tape
VA Offered FEMA Thousands of Single-Family Homes; Deal Finalized Four Months After Storm Hit

Jan. 13, 2006 — Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August, evacuees have lived in shelters, trailers and hotels, desperate for long-term housing. ABC News has learned that housing that could have been provided almost immediately to those displaced was instead tied up in bureacractic red tape.

Brazella Briscoe of New Orleans has resided in a cramped hotel room with his wife and son for months.

"If you were on vacation, this would be lovely — like I said, the people are absolutely wonderful — but living here is another situation," he said.

Two weeks after Katrina hit, ABC News has learned, the Department of Veterans Affairs offered the Federal Emergency Management Agency 7,000 government-owned, single-family homes.
But those houses sat empty for three months while bureaucrats squabbled over paperwork.
"Nobody could break through this bureaucracy and get this done in a week or two days and get these people into these homes, and it's just disgraceful," said Jerry Hauer, an emergency management expert and ABC News consultant.

The plan was to provide Katrina victims single-family housing for 18 months, free of charge. But critics say it is a classic tale of the government's inability to respond quickly to those in need.
'Example of Absolute Incompetence'

"Ridiculous," said Rep. Benny Thompson, D-Miss. "Katrina occurred in August. Here we are in January, and we are still going through this paperwork shuffling by bureaucrats when we have families in dire need of housing. It's another example of absolute incompetence."

According to a memo obtained by ABC News, last October the VA tried to prepare houses for some evacuees "as soon as possible," but the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's Office ordered them to "cease work" until an official agreement could be signed by the two agencies.

No houses were occupied even though officials acknowledged "housing needs [were] urgent."
The VA has purchased thousands of single-family houses all over the country mostly through defaulted mortgages.

Today the VA did not respond to a request for an interview, nor did the agency answer questions ABC News has been asking for weeks.

FEMA officials issued a statement saying they had worked hard to provide housing to 700,000 families, and that they are trying to "rapidly" fill the government-owned houses.
When the joint FEMA-VA agreement was finally signed in early December, there were 2,000 homes available, but not a single one was occupied.

Briscoe says he wishes he could have been in a house a long time ago.

"If we could get a home to get to some type of normalcy, we would certainly appreciate it," he said. "It does absolutely frustrate me to know that they do have these amount of homes available to people and didn't tell anybody."

As of tonight, no government official could say how many Katrina victims are in VA housing.

ABC News' Pierre Thomas filed this report for "World News Tonight."