In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I visited the Gulf Coast where at least 1,833 people had died. My intention was to cover the aftermath of the tragedy for Salon, but once there, I got involved with relief efforts by the grassroots groups that had gathered to help survivors.
Handing out food and blankets to people, I got into conversations with newly homeless residents of East Biloxi and Gulfport. These were people who were poor before the big storm struck and destroyed all of their possessions.
One of the few things many of them had left was their faith. So I found myself often standing in a circle and holding hands, praying with people.
As part of my reporting, I noted that the large, well-known relief organizations, such as the Red Cross and United Way, were no longer on the scene. This was four to five months after the storm and they had exited once their initial relief efforts had stopped getting media coverage.
In their place, small organizations with limited resources took on the work of helping local people rebuild and gain access to the insurance and government benefits they were entitled to. Most residents had no access to the Internet, which was the only way they could apply for aid from FEMA. Since many could not read or write well, they needed basic help with their applications.
Church groups, often from distant congregations, came to their rescue. It was one of the most impressive and selfless examples of people helping people I had ever witnessed.
One day, as I was talking with a man who’d lost everything but his truck, where he now lived, he thanked me and said he knew we would switch roles someday in the future.
“You live out there in California, where they have those big earthquakes. When that big one hits, I’ll be coming there and I’ll look you up and make sure you’re okay.”
When I got back home to the Bay Area I filed my story, which I titled “Everything’s Broken,” after a Bob Dylan song. A few old friends contacted me about the situation down south and asked what they could do for the people I’d met there. One Stanford colleague, Perla Ni, decided she was going to form an organization that would provide guidance to anyone who wished to support the types of non-profits I’d witnessed at work on the Gulf Coast.
The organization she created, GreatNonprofits is alive today, providing information on thousands of non-profits that is difficult to get elsewhere. One feature allows volunteers, donors, beneficiaries, employees and board members to rate each organization.
The next time you are looking for small to medium non-profits to support, check it out.
TODAY’S LYRICS: “Everything’s Broken”
Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain’t no use jiving
Ain’t no use joking
Everything is broken
Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken
-- Bob Dylan
HEADLINES:
Everything’s broken (Salon)
‘Ash fell from the sky’: Tourists describe fleeing ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires in France (Guardian)
Japan earthquake searches continue into night, with people missing in collapsed mall and factory (BBC)
Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions at Covid hearing, calls Sen. Rand Paul ‘unhinged’ (NBC)
It’s Hard to Believe This Is the Situation We Face (Bulwark)
Iran attacks US bases in Middle East as Trump meets Netanyahu (Al Jazeera)
Iran hosts Hormuz calls with Saudi Arabia, Oman as Trump hails ‘good talks’ (CNBC)
Trump and Netanyahu meet for the first time since launching the Iran war (ABC)
Trump Backs New Iran Talks but It’s Unclear What He Hopes to Achieve This Time (NYT)
Just one in three Americans support the war on Iran, the lowest reading in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since the five-month-old conflict’s early days, with most respondents saying that Trump has failed to explain his goals. (Reuters)
US diplomats walk out as France addresses UN Security Council (Al Jazeera)
Gorsuch: US ‘never supposed to be … about one race or one religion’ (The Hill)
ICE Arrests Surge at Airports, Opening New Front in Deportation Drive (NYT)
Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay (WP)
Speak or resign: Beshear ups demand for McConnell health status (Axios)
Senate Confirms Jay Clayton to Lead U.S. Intelligence Community (NYT)
Why Trump reportedly told RFK Jr. he had the ‘yips’ (Independent)
Could Cable TV, That Vestige Of Bygone Media Glory, Undo The Paramount-WBD Merger? (Deadline)
Washington says goodbye to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a ‘true American original’ (NBC)
Fauci’s diary reveals his thoughts on a ‘rambling’ Trump and his own fame (WP)
Tech Stocks Tumble on Worries Over A.I. Spending and China’s Chips (NYT)
Aide Who Had Affair With Newsom 20 Years Ago Details Her Experience (NYT)
Anthropic’s Claude Code Reigns Despite Rising Interest in Codex, Open-Source Models (The Information)
Chinese A.I. Start-Up Shows the World What It Has Built (NYT)
Pharmaceutical Ad Urges Viewers To Fight Doctors Who Say Drug Not Right For Them (Onion)
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