Hurricane Disaster Relief Information.

As bad as the destruction in New Orleans is, at least be thankful that we live in a country that has the resources to help many of those in need. If you would like to help out by donating to some non-governmental relief organizations, the best domestic one bar none is:

The American Red Cross
By phone you can call 1-800-HELP-NOW.

There are some other organizations that are doing good work such as:
The Masonic Service Association of North America

Also the Teamsters Union has a disaster relief fund that does fine work as well.

Oxfam primarily does international work, and very fine work I might add, but they also have an American chapter. They are particularly good at getting help to those who are the most desperate.

In disasters like this, what is frequently overlooked is the plight suffered by pets and other animals left in the ruins. If you would like to help out in this way, consider making a donation to one of the following organizations:

Noah’s Wish
The Louisiana SPCA
The Humane Society of South Mississippi

If you’re not willing to donate money I suggest donating blood. It’s the best free way to help those in need. Also if you wish to donate supplies, such as blankets, medicine, food, and water, please keep in mind that it is very costly and time consuming to sort these things while addressing people’s needs in a disaster area. For this reason I suggest you donate cash so the people on the ground working the disaster can buy the supplies they need the most. It also helps those in the region hurt economically by simulating local markets that have destroyed. But if you are insistent on donating supplies remember to ask the organization what supplies they need most.