There are still many Americans, unfortunately, who believe that enough has already been done for those who survived the worst storm ever to strike this country in modern times.
One such person wrote me today: "The US government has done more per capita for victims of Katrina than any other disaster in history. They do not need any more help. It's time to move on to other victims who need and are more deserving of our help. Our funds are not limitless and we cannot make every person whole who has suffered a loss. It is the responsibility of each individual to plan for disaster by buying insurance and setting aside funds for unforseen needs. By bailing out people who fail to provide for themselves you are only creating more future victums."
Here are the facts to counter such allegations:
* An incompetent Bush Administration threw away money through its mismanaged Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It has been well-documented by the GAO how little of this government waste alleviated the suffering of Katrina survivors.
* No other disaster has come even within an order of magnitude of Katrina. Even if the money had been spent wisely, the Bush Administration has not provided the political leadership necessary to educate Americans (like the one who wrote me) about the scale of this disaster.
* Many of the victims did have insurance, but as has been established in several court cases, the insurance industry has done everything it could to try and wriggle out of paying up on its policies. This is a complex matter but the gist of it is that insurers argue Katrina was a flood, and therefore not their responsibility.
*There is a special government-funded flood insurance program, which few people can afford, and which provides very limited coverage to homeowners. The insurance industry has tried to fob Katrina off on that woefully underfunded government program.
*Finally, I have to point out that this person blames the victims -- which is the easy way out. He needs to go down and see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears. He should look the storm survivors in the eye and tell him his opinion. They can set him straight, faster than a Mississippi rattler strikes!
Please remember the following five grassroots groups this holiday period. They desperately need help, especially because the attitude of the person quoted above represents an all-too-prevalent attitude here in America in December 2006. This is a country where too many of us find an excuse to turn our back on people who are only a few degress of separation from us. These are in fact our sisters and brothers.
So please, don't turn your back, don't close your eyes and ears, and especially, never close your heart.
1. Back Bay Mission is an interfaith effort working on recovery, homelessness, and affordable housing advocacy. This group, which has a long history (since 1922) of social justice work in and around Biloxi, helps the most vulnerable people that few others can seem to reach. There is a convenient online form for donations, or you can contact the organization at:
Back Bay Mission
1012 Division Street
Biloxi, MS 39530
Tel: (228) 432-0301
Fax: (228)374-2922
Email: backbay@datasync.com
2. North Gulfport Community Land Trust
Rose Johnson
4803 Indiana Ave.
Gulfport, MS 39501
Tel: 228-863-3677
You can read more about this remarkable group and how it is trying to rebuild a once vibrant African American community in the wake of Hurrricane Katrina:
http://www.greenrelief.net/article.php?id=346
3. Mississippi Center for Justice
Katrina Recovery Office
974 Division Street
Biloxi, MS 39530-2960
Tel: (228) 435-7284
Fax: (228) 435-7285
The Center maintains a Katrina Victims Legal Relief Fund, that attends to both immediate and long term legal needs, including:
* A grandmother now caring for her grandchildren and needing legal guardianship
* Children who have special needs getting access to essential services in their new schools
* Insurance being denied because companies deem damages caused by flood not hurricane
* Families losing their homes because they can't access their bank accounts
* Veterans not getting their medical and other benefits
* Elderly homeowners being scammed by predatory lenders
* Families needing to file for bankruptcy protection
* Newly disabled individuals who need help getting SSI benefits
* Immigrant workers displaced from jobs at poultry plants and casino hotels
4. Moore Community House (childcare and family services)
P.O. Box 204
Biloxi, MS 39533-0204
Tel: (228) 669-4827
Email: INFO@MCHBILOXI.ORG
This local institution, which was damaged in Katrina, provides childcare and family services to people in Biloxi. Its website mentions that one donation of $2 arrived with a note, "I just wanted to help." The group answered: "We're so grateful for every gift -- together we'll rebuild East Biloxi."
5. Coastal Women for Change
336 Rodenburg Ave
Biloxi, MS 39531
Tel: (228)-297-4849
I've posted about this group several times, and their eloquent pleas for help for the poor in Biloxi. Please see: New Appeal From A Forgotten Coast and Plea From Biloxi for more details. The group makes it easy to donate online via PayPal.
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