HOW to help “the katrinians”

Many residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have been forced from their homes, and are in need of assistance.  These are not refugees, and while they may be displaced, many desire to return to their communities.  I’ve noticed some difficulty in naming these folks, and would suggest that they might be called “Katrinians” - those affected by this terrible storm.  

In the past two and a half years that I’ve worked in Okeechobee, I’ve come to learn that local residents are extremely generous when it really counts. The recent events in the Gulf Coast have pulled at our hearts and challenged us all to dig deep into our pockets, especially in light of our own local experiences with severe weather.   

With overwhelming media coverage, many are very concerned about what can be done to ease the suffering and assist in recovery.  Officials have cautioned us not to go on the road to offer help, but we still desire to lend a hand. And, rising fuel costs and the expected higher costs for future goods and services has got our attention. 

Today’s column is designed to offer suggestions on how to help right here at home,  and how to cope with rising energy costs.

1.      When driving - Slow down!  Excessive speed wastes fuel.  Do you really need to pass the car in font of you so you will be in front of them at the next red light?  Speeding creates greater opportunities for serious injury and property damage.  Accidents will cost ALL drivers more in insurance premiums, health care costs, legal fees, traffic school and tickets.  Serious accidents from speeding may deprive you of people you love forever.  Wouldn’t it be better to arrive a few minutes or seconds later?  And, you can take all the money you save in gas and costs and send it to the Katrinians!

2.      Maintain your vehicle: Tune up your engine, check your tires for proper inflation, change the spark plugs, clean the air filters.  All of these common sense maintenance tips can save you gas.

3.      Purchase a fuel efficient vehicle.  If you don’t need the 4x4 with hemi-supercharged engines, if you aren’t regularly hauling armies of troops all over Iraq, and if you don’t regularly pull livestock trailers, consider trading in that gas guzzler for a smaller vehicle that will pass many more gas stations before fill-ups.

4.      Car Pool. Get together with friends or relatives, plan your driving trips in advance, and have a friend to talk with on your way about town.  With less cars on the road, it may even ease traffic congestion.

5.      Save Electricity. Turn off unnecessary appliances, lights, computers, TVs, chargers.  Turn up the thermostat in your home and office.  Since electricity comes from power plants that burn natural gas or oil, saving electricity saves fossil fuels, reducing the demand and lowering fuel costs.

6.      Send money to your favorite charity.  Check out the guidelines supplied by the Federal Trade Commission to see if the charity is legitimate.   http://www.ftc.gov/.  Decide where your donation is best used – to help displaced residents, rebuilding funds, emergency relief supplies, faith-based organizations, or service organizations that you already know.  Our office can not endorse any particular organizations or funds, but we can share a list of several that have been referred to us from other Extension offices and staff in effected areas.

7.      Donate purchased materials (e.g. phone cards, non-perishable food or personal comfort supplies).  Contact the charity that will receive them to be sure they can get them into needy hands.  Once you give the items to that charity, they must spend money to deliver the goods – and cash will help them pay for these transportation costs.  Don’t send clothes or perishable foods.

8.      Create care packages that will be sent to effected Katrinians:  Mississippi 4-H suggests putting together 4-H activity kits which contain supplies, 4-H coloring books, 4-H T-shirts and lesson plans and activities for kids and parents.  Project Backpack was highlighted on National Public Radio last week; they assembled 5000 kid’s backpacks filled with school supplies and games that are on their way to effected kids; see their website at: http://www.projectbackpack.org

9.      Consider offering housing to Katrinians.  Many have offered homes, rooms or house sharing on a temporary basis.  Before you make the offer, be sure to think through what it will mean to have strangers for several months in your homes and decide what you can afford to provide.  

10.  Write letters of encouragement – for example, Mississippi and Louisiana 4-H offices accepted letters of encouragement that were sent to effected 4-H club members.

Oh, and one more relief idea is essential – Pray.

I’ve placed a contact information sheet and links to more information on our Okeechobee Extension web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on recovery donation suggestions, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners.  

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Millie Ferrer-cahncy, Interim Dean Last update: 04/27/2011 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

 

Katrinian (& RITA) Assistance Organizations and contacts  

Updates:

April 2011 - Here's a suggestion for property owners to help become prepared for these kinds of disasters:    http://www.homeinsurance.org/  covers a variety of topics with the tabs at the top of the page and their article, "Complete Emergency Preparedness Resource Guide" has a wealth of information and resources.

Friday, September 23, 2005 4:51 PM    From: Abigail Borron, EDEN Communication Specialist

RE: Information for Katrinians (Survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita)

Due to the large displacement of individuals from their homes in the affected states, there is a tremendous need to get them information that can help them to transition back to their home and property when deemed safe to return. Until then, a number of states are housing evacuees in various shelters.  In an effort to help package educational resources that are helpful to these evacuees, EDEN had set up three pages (one for each of the affected states):

These pages were not all-inclusive -  However, they provided state-specific fact sheets and their current needs. If you know of evacuees in your community or state that could benefit from receiving this information, you can  print them  and then place the available cover page on top - making a simple package of information.

9/8/05, 5 PM: " The good news!  We have found all of our Extension Employees!  But we have 8 who have totally lost everything.  Two of our county offices were totally destroyed and the Harrison County office is being used as a shelter and morgue.  Our Coastal R&E Center was heavily damaged, but is actually open today (it was new and built to be hurricane proof).... Other offices sustained heavy damage... Walthall lost a roof, George had water damage, etc. " - Dr. Susan Holder, Mississippi 4-H Youth Development

As of Tuesday, September 6th , NASULGC had been informed that there are still 5 Louisiana and 12 Mississippi Extension Employees unaccounted for. Your prayers are needed as well as your funds.

Louisiana State University    LSU 4-H specialist Janet Fox reports that over 35 Extension agents and support staff lost their homes, contents, and personal belongings. Several of these personnel have children and and must locate to new schools and housing.   A fund to help Extension agents, 4-H members and for those Katrinians housed at 4-H Centers has been established at the Louisiana 4-H Foundation,  PO Box 25100, Baton Rouge, LA 70894-5100.  Cash donations can be made on-line at their web site: http://www.la4hfoundation.org/  or by phone (225) 578-2196.  Please note, it may be difficult to reach this number due phone line difficulties.

Mississippi State University -  Operation 4-H Relief  is the way 4-H members, volunteers and staff are reaching out to those families and children in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

• Letters of Caring and Hope - 4-H members can write letters that are encouraging.   The letters will be distributed through local 4-H Agents and 4-H youth and adult volunteers to young people affected by the hurricane. 

• Mississippi Operation 4-H Relief Activity Kits:  For the families and young people in shelters or in isolated areas without power and services, the days are getting long and the young people are getting restless, specialists have designed activity boxes.  These boxes are full of supplies and have lesson plans and activities for kids and parents.  They also include 4-H coloring books and other curricula.  When possible 4-H T-shirts are accompanying the boxes. The kits bring out the “heart” in the 4-H emblem; this generosity brings together families in this difficult situation.

Links to lots of other relief organizations

• The American Red Cross   http://www.redcross.org   

• CNN has an extensive list of web links for all kinds of assistance organizations:  http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina/help.center/
• The DisasterHelp web site is part of the President's Disaster Management Egov Initiative:  https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml