Posted by Glenn Strickler on 9/3/05 6:43pm
Msg #63661

Donations

I would just like to take a moment to ask everyone to reflect on the events of the past week, and give a donation for hurricane relief. It does not have to be much. Anything will help. My plan is to donate a percentage of my earnings each week for the next few weeks rather than try to write a big check all at once. I think
everyone can do without eating out one or two meals, put off a couple of things in order to donate to the cause. I know everyone is feeling the pinch right now with higher fuel expenses, but there are hundreds of thousands of people who have nothing now.

Also, don't follow any email links to donate. Manually type in the website like the red cross or another charity that you are familiar with and donate that way or by mail. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there right now.

Reply by Cris_AR on 9/3/05 7:22pm
Msg #63666

I have a friend who had a large family there, the families showed up with more families behind them. (7 carloads to be exact)
They have thier hands full.
I sent enought diapers and formula to cover a couple of babies for a few weeks, I plan on continuing each week until they can figure out what they are going to do. We have a network of people willing to do the same.
Everyone is now accounted for in her family, thank goodness!
I have always been very grateful for what I have, if it makes any sense I am more so now.
We have wants and needs and I am cutting down the wants in order to help in some small way.

Reply by Iris_WA on 9/3/05 7:48pm
Msg #63669

A Survivor Writes From Downtown New Orleans

Forwarded by a concerned friend.

Thought you'd find interesting and, yet, very sad.
Unbelievable!

Below is the first communication we've had
from a family friend who lives in New Orleans. When
the threat of Katrina was realized, he sent his wife
and two young girls to Jackson, MS where his parents
live.. but he stayed behind. He is a pathologist and
had checked into the Ritz for a medical convention --
which presumably would be safe. That's where he
remains.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to all of you who have sent your notes of
concern and your prayers. I am writing this note on
Tuesday at 2PM . I wanted to update all of you as to
the situation here. I don't know how much
information you are getting but I am certain it is
more than we are getting. Be advised that almost
everything I am telling you is from direct
observation or rumor from reasonable sources. They
are allowing limited internet access, so I hope to
send this
dispatch today.
Personally, my family and I are fine. My family is
safe in Jackson, MS, and I am now a temporary resident
of the Ritz Carleton Hotel in New Orleans. I figured
if it was my time to go, I wanted to go in a place
with a good wine list. In addition, this hotel is in
a very old building on Canal Street that could and
did sustain little damage. Many of the other hotels
sustained significant loss of windows, and we expect
that many of the guests may be evacuated here.
Things were obviously bad yesterday, but they are much
worse today. Overnight the water arrived. Now Canal
Street (true to its origins) is indeed a canal. The
first floor of all downtown buildings is underwater.
I have heard that Charity Hospital and Tulane are
limited in their ability to care for patients because
of water. Ochsner is the only hospital that remains
fully functional. However, I spoke with them today and
they too are on generator and losing food and water
fast. The city now has no clean water, no sewerage
system, no electricity, and no real communications.
Bodies are still being recovered floating in the
floods. We are worried about a cholera epidemic.

Even the police are without effective communications.
We have a group of armed police here with us at the
hotel who are admirably trying to exert some local law enforcement.
This is tough because looting is now rampant. Most of it is not
malicious looting. These are poor and desperate people with no housing
and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of
themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the people are armed and
dangerous. We hear gunshots frequently. Most of Canal street is
occupied by armed looters who have a low threshold for discharging their
weapons. We hear gunshots frequently. The looters are using makeshift
boats made of pieces of styrofoam to access. We are still waiting for a
significant national guard presence. The health care situation here has
dramatically worsened overnight. Many people in the hotel are elderly
and small children. There are ID physicians in at this hotel attending
an HIV convention. We have commandeered the world famous French Quarter
Bar to turn into an makeshift clinic. There is a team of about 7
doctors and PA and pharmacists. We anticipate that this will be the
major medical facility in the central business district and French
Quarter. Our biggest adventure today was raiding the Walgreens on Canal
under police escort. The pharmacy was dark and full of water. We
basically scooped the entire drug sets into garbage bags and removed
them. All under police escort. The looters had to be held back at gun
point. After a dose of prophylactic Cipro I hope to be fine. In all we
are faring well. We have set up a hospital in the French Quarter bar in
the hotel, and will start admitting patients today. Many will be from
the hotel, but many will not. We are anticipating dealing with multiple
medical problems, medications and acute injuries. Infection and perhaps
even cholera are anticipated major problems. Food and water shortages
are imminent. The biggest question to all of us is where is the national
guard. We hear jet fighters and helicopters, but no real armed
presence, and hence the rampant
looting. There is no Red Cross and no Salvation Army.
In a sort of cliché way, this is an edifying
experience. One is rapidly focused away from the
transient and material to the bare necessities of
life. It has been challenging to me to learn how to
be a primary care physician. We are under martial
law so return to our homes is impossible. I don't
know how long it will be and this is my greatest fear.
Despite it all, this is a soul edifying experience.
The greatest pain is to think about the loss. And how
long the rebuild will take. And the horror of so many
dead people.
PLEASE SEND THIS DISPATCH TO ALL YOU THINK MAY BE
INTERESTED IN A DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT. I will
send more according to your interest. Hopefully their collective
prayers will be answered. By the way suture packs, sterile gloves and
stethoscopes will be needed as the Ritz turns into a MASH.

Greg Henderson

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 9/3/05 11:19pm
Msg #63691

Re: A Survivor Writes From Downtown New Orleans-IRIS

Iris,
Thank you so much for sharing your correspondence from Dr. Henderson.

Reply by Iris_WA on 9/4/05 8:57am
Msg #63696

Bonnie_CO re A Survivor Writes

Not to complicate things, but Dr. Henderson is not someone known to me. I received this from another who forwarded it from someone else. In his missive, Dr. Henderson asked that it be shared around to those who might be interested.

Since there is precious little information coming directly from the affected parties, I thought this might be of interest here.

(As an afterthought, I was only praying this had not been a scam of the sort that usually springs up within a few days after such a massive catastrophe, and that I had unwittingly helped spread such a scam.)

It felt genuine to me!

Reply by Les_CO on 9/4/05 1:23pm
Msg #63711

I am donating one "signing" a week, for the next month...then we'll see. I suggest ALL "mobile signing agent notaries" do what we can. Just chalk it up to doing a signing for some deadbeat SS that doesn't pay! We've all done that! At least this way you know your work/ money is going to help someone deserving. ( I hope!) I'm sending my check ($100.00, my last signing fee) to: American Red Cross PO Box 37243 Washington DC 20013 (it's a write-off)
I hereby give Joey Lee with D&T Signing permission to forward the $140.00 (Clark) they owe me to some Katrina relief fund, or Signature Plus to forward the $85.00 you owe me (Lynch) likewise. Or Security Title the $125.00 (Green) you owe ditto. Please send a reciept to me!

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 9/4/05 9:57pm
Msg #63733

Iris- seemed genuine to me also as he had not asked for money, etc..., Still...thanks for sharing it!
Anyway....
Les, sounds like a great idea, I'll do that too. Every cent counts! Thanks!

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 9/5/05 3:33am
Msg #63745

Great Idea, Les

Matter of fact, Steve Scraggs of Foutain Valley, CA you still owe me for a signing over 80 days ago. Send the money to the Red Cross and send me proof and I won't sue you in small claims. It will be cheaper for you in the long run and you can do some good in the bargain. Sounds like a deal.