Well I haven't heard from my brother in over a week, but from what I understand Red Cross is providing meals in Jackson County. In Harrison County I believe they are also providing shelters, but I don't know how that is different from the schools that the counties are using for shelters.

I don't know what Salvation Army is doing.

I know a lot of church groups from day one have sent and contintue to send clothing and other needed supplies by truck and these go to the largest churches in the county and get sorted out.

My brother Pete that drove my mom back down to her flooded house that my other brother Mark is trying to repair, said he spent part of the day on Friday helping my brother Alex's wife (the Sheriff's Dept brother whose wife also works there, the one that totally lost everything) sorting out L and XL clothes from donations that they could use to give to folks in the Sheriff's Dept. My brother Pete said that he heard that between 30 and 40 of their 100 or so employees lost their homes, vehicles, everything. I think the number in Hancock County may be even more astounding, considering that Waveland and BSL are pretty much gone. And while Biloxi has been on the news a lot, other coastal cities in Harrison County, namely Pass Christian, Long Beach, and Gulfport, were devastated.

So...I'm thinking the best way to donate money might be to specific local organizations that worked as first responders such as the Sheriff's Dept, or to the local city or county directly, but I don't know anything about the mechanics of donating the money. Also I'm hoping sister cities may be able to make a big difference.

Remember when 9/11 occured, Red Cross was going to save part of the money for future disasters? Then public outcry dictated otherwise? Well nothing has been said about it this time, so I would not be surprised if they are raking it in and banking it, and not expanding beyond the current feeding programs or whatever they have set up.

As bad as things are on the MS Gulf Coast, and despite the fact I have immediate family there in precarious circumstatnces, I still worry a lot about the non-NOLA LA parishes, which still remain very much off the radar. MS has at least done somewhat of a job trying to make sure that aid gets to their state. I don't know if LA has it together to do anything beyond the mess they have already made in NOLA.

I think I have to go back to tracking hurricanes now. The reason is that there is no learning experience like watching them form from the beginning and getting that level of detail. If I stay away because I am so distraught about Katrina then I will be missing out on a learning opportunity that won't come back until next June.

edit -- found this not very encouraging story on red cross in sun herald online this am:

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12675763.htm

also this one from Sat, which only talks about Harrison County:

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12675771.htm

Apparently in Jackson County there are no other alternative buildings than the schools where a lot of people in the county are currently living.