Phone call from Red Cross Volunteer

Mikaela posts:
This from Kat, Red Cross Volunteer stationed outside New Orleans, who called ABQ poet Adam Rubinstein last night:

1. in her shelter, there has been an outbreak of head lice.
2. in the town she's in, there has been an outbreak of dysentery.
3. people are being triaged straight to the morgue.
4. the mosquitoes are returning, and "they're hungry and persistent." they're feeding mostly off of dead bodies in the streets. you know what that means.
5. 3 cops so far have committed suicide in the town she's in.
6. the workers at her shelter, which she's managing, have been working for 10 days straight, and refuse to take a day off because there is no one to replace them.

WE NEED TO RAISE MONEY AND SEND PEOPLE TO THE RED CROSS, who are actually making a noticeable attempt at controlling this preventable atrocity.

The only way to battle any of what is happening, and it is getting worse, Kat says, is to provide more money for vaccinations, cots, shelters, and most of all, people.

What they have currently is not enough. This is not a situation we can afford to ignore, and in the numbing aftereffects of CNN-addiction, it's easy to pull away and believe that since people are being transported and housed horribly, that at least the worst is over.

Bank of America is matching donations through its Matching Gifts program. Visit a local branch for more information.

To give directly to the Red Cross, click here.