E-mail from a friend of mine in New Orleans

First off, I wanted to thank everyone for their support. All of you either
called or e-mailed me (or made me fun CDs, thanks Brit) to see how Luke and
I made out. Since I've been back, this is the first chance I've had to
e-mail. I've been literally working around the clock, reporting and writing
until about midnight every night.

But the reason I'm sending this e-mail today is to ask you all for help.

Yesterday, I spent the day at a FEMA trailer park in south east Louisiana.
There a group of lower ninth-ward residents are living in the same community
as a group of St. Bernard Parish residents. (Just some background info, both
communites are completely different and would never shop at the same grocery
store, much less live side-by-side together. St. Bernard is white; lower
ninth is black. But both communities were flooded and people lost
everything).

I couldn't believe the stories I heard. Anita Davis spent five days in the
Superdome, too afraid to move because it was dark and she heard shotguns.
She saw a dead 2-year-old in the garbage can one day. When she began running
out of food, she ate an M&M a day and drank a few ounces of water to sustain
herself. The bathroom's were so disgusting from overfilled toliets and urine
and feces all over the place that she took a washcloth and put soap on it
and covered her mouth to use it. She said she "broke out" of the superdome,
ended up in a shelter and then was brought to the FEMA trailer park. She
can't sleep more than 3 hours because of the nightmares.

Theresa Lee was rescued from the roof of her home after she and her family
cut a hole in the attic, where they saw bodies floating past them.She can't
swim and says she sometimes has nightmares that she's drowning. She used to
own a daycare center and is trying really hard to reopen one where she now
lives.

I haven't cried since I've been back (believe me I did a lot when I was up
in NY) because despite what people have gone through, there is an inner
strength and spirit that comes out when I talk to them. These people NEVER
should have had to endure what they did.

When I was home, a lot of people asked me how they could directly help. They
wanted to see the money go into the hands of someone who really needed it
instead of a big American Red Cross fund. Well these two famlies need it. So
I'm asking all of you to send this to people who really feel the need to
give, who have the money to give. Send it to friends, family members,
co-workers, principals, teachers, businessmen and women...anyone you think
can afford to open up their wallets. The one thing both these women were
grateful for is that their story is being told.

They need clothing (not hand-me down stuff but new clothing), pots and pans,
silverware, dishes, everything to fix up a home. Wal-mart gift cards can
cover a lot of these things.
They need transportation and I know it's not realistic that someone wants to
send them a car, but this e-mail may end up in the right inbox. You never
know.
Their FEMA money is running out fast, and they're starting to get really
frusterated. They also need some encouragement, a card to say that someone
across the country hasn't forgotten what they've been through.

FM me if you want their addresses

Message edited 10/11/2005 3:59:39 PM.

Re: E-mail from a friend of mine in New Orleans

If people want to help, this is a legit e-mail sent directly to me from a friend of mine who is working down there. It just breaks my heart and puts things into persepective for all of us.

Re: E-mail from a friend of mine in New Orleans

the only thing that confuses me is that yesterday when I was on the USPS site it said that mail delivery was still suspended there.
maybe I read wrong. or maybe its back up now...I guess I should have checked before I wrote this...ok going now....really.


ok its not there today....perhaps I was just smoking crack yesterday.

Message edited 10/10/2005 8:44:37 PM.