Hurricane Katrina

BFulton · #1 08-30-2005, 10:25 AM

Just thinking about our sisters and their families in Louisiana and other affected areas... please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

CUnightowl82 · #2 08-30-2005, 11:38 PM

Dont know what to say... My heart goes out to EVERYONE in the gulf states (and of course the folks inland affected by Katriana's remains).

I lived in St. John Parish LA many years ago but ... I still feel connected to the folks there and it is very painful to watch the coverage. Going through 2 hurricanes myself (nothing like Kaktrina) I know how scary it can be.

I dont know what I can do to help... but I too will keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers.

In sisterhood...

sus · #3 08-31-2005, 02:21 PM

The architectural firm I work for is involved some with activities at the Astrodome here in Houston. We just received word this morning that about 25,000 people are being bussed from the New Orleans area to the Astrodome for shelter. The Astrodome's schedule of events was cleared until December for this purpose! We are currently organizing an emergency relief drive to collect items such as blankets, towels, toiletries, clothing, etc. for the people who will be making the dome their home for possibly the next three months. If any of your chapters are interested in organizing a drive of your own for these folks, I'd be happy to help you find out some contact information.

CUnightowl82 · #4 08-31-2005, 10:36 PM

If you have any contact information... I will surely pass it along to my chapter.

Thanks!

SigAlGal · #5 09-01-2005, 03:33 PM

Just wanted to let everyone know that this is a possible charity to contribute to that our LSU girls I'm sure are involved in...

http://www.lsu.edu/university_relati...050831_vet.htm

TigerGirl52 · #6 09-01-2005, 04:04 PM

Hi ladies! I don't post here very often. I am an alumnae of the LSU chapter. I am currently in grad school at LSU in Baton Rouge. We have several alumnae and active chapter members that have been affected by this hurricane. Several of our members have suffered severe flooding and wind damage to their homes. Others don't have homes to go back to. We have heard from several alums as well as active chapter members that have let us know they are safe. We are still awaiting word from some alums and active chapter members. Please pray for these women and their families. Also keep the relief and rescue organizations as well as our elected officials in your prayers. These men and women have had some pretty sleepless nights since the storm hit.

There are thousands of families here in Louisiana that are in desperate need of help. If you can...please donate your time or money to relief organizations. There is also a great need for clothing, bedding, food, water and other supplies. Trust me when I say that the entire state of Louisiana as well as the rest of the Gulf Coast would sincerely appreciate your help at this time.

Again, please keep our members and alums in your prayers. Emotional support is just as valuable as monetary support right now.

God Bless,
Allison

murraygrl1 · #7 09-01-2005, 07:25 PM

Please know that the Alpha Ups at Murray St. are keeping y'all in our prayers, if there is anything y'all need, know that we are here!! I hope that everything gets back to normal as soon as possible for everyone affected by the hurricane, of course, seeing the devistation in the area, I realize there is a long road ahead of you! Again, if there is anything we can do, please contact us.

In Sisterhood,
Amy Fishback

BFulton · #8 09-02-2005, 03:06 PM

Allison,

Thank you so much for posting. Please let all our sisters and indeed everyone there know that you are all very much in our minds, hearts and prayers. We know that there is quite a bit of chaos there now, but as things quiet down in a few weeks, remember that the sisterhood can help out with fundraising or other needs that the area has as well....

In Sisterhood,
Beth

sus · #9 09-04-2005, 01:54 PM

I just wanted to share my experience from last night:

Since so many victims of Hurrican Katrina have come to Houston, the city has opened the Astrodome, the AstroArena, Reliant Center, and the George R. Brown Convention Center along with many other small shelters for housing. A co-worker and I decided to answer the call for volunteer workers and arrived at the Astrodome at 9:30 pm last night. We chose a night shift b/c so many people were volunteering during the day, they were being turned away. We did our orientation and within 20 minutes were on our way into the Dome. I was taken aback at what I saw. The entire floor of the dome (the size used for pro football games) and the first four levels of mezzanines were packed with cots. Since it was getting late, many people were trying to sleep. The first image that popped into my head was the one in "Gone with the Wind" where you see the rows and rows of injured soldiers lying on the ground. That sight was definately a shock.

Our task in the dome was to post informational signs in all the restrooms on the first to fourth floors. We decided to start at the top and work our way down. Since the escaltors weren't running, we definately got our exercise! Shortly after making our way to the 4th floor, we were stopped by a group of medics. We weren't allowed to go any further b/c someone had passed out in the middle of the aisle and was being treated. We went around the scene, finished our job after about another hour, and started trying to find our way out of the Dome. Being directionally impaired because it was so late past my usual bedtime, this took a while! Despite the sadness of the situation, though, most of the people had surprisingly great attitudes. One older man actually made us laugh pretty hard when he yelled to us, "wooo hooo, look at those beautiful women!" We wondered if we should get him some water since he was obviously delirious from dehydration!

After this first task, we spent the next three hours in the supply room sorting clothes. This room, about 3/4 the size of the playing area of a football field, was filled with piles of clothes to be sorted by sex, size, and type. I've never seen so many donations! When I say "piles," I mean some stacks were at least eight feet high! At 2:30 am, we were comtemplating heading home when we heard that a large group of elderly, disabled, and children w/out parents would be arriving soon (estimates were of between 1500-3500 people). We waited but heard nothing further, so we began checking with the Red Cross for more information. There was no way we could leave when that many people who would not able to care for themselves would be arriving soon. When we found out the ETA for the group wasn't until at least 6 am which was after our maximum allowed time limit for volunteering in one night. We would then be in our required rest period, so we decided to go. It would have been horrible to have to leave in the middle of processing that group b/c of volunteer time limits.

All in all, it was an amazing night. I met people not only from Houston and New Orleans, but Indiana, Illinois, Canada, Mexico, and Brasil. I couldn't believe people who lived so far away dropped everything to come to Houston! If you live anywhere near any of the shelters now scattered across the country, please try to free up some time to volunteer. I never imagined hanging flyers and sorting clothes could be so rewarding! If you have items or money to donate, you can call the Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW for information on a drop-off point near you.

tsusig_2001 · #10 09-17-2005, 10:40 PM

The collegiate and alumni sisters at LSU are definately in all of our prayers and thoughts!

Let us know what you are needing and how things are going currently.

Alison, it would be great if you would post an update at www.fraternalrelief.org under the Sigma Alpha page.

If anyone has pitched in to help in anyway, let us know about your efforts on the web-site as well.

In Sisterhood,
Jamie