I just called the Red Cross to check on my impending deployment to the Gulf. I was told that they’re not assigning departure dates to anybody, they don’t know when future relief teams will be leaving, and when they wanted me, they’d call.
Argh.
Their relief coordinator is deployed right now. He’s the one who I’ve been working with. He gets back on Monday, so I’ll track him down then and try and work something out.
I can imagine they’re dealing with serious logistical challenges, but your frustration is understandable. Another friend of mine got his call to deploy on Monday, he leaves on Saturday for two and a half weeks.
Waldo, did you see that diary on DKos about folks going down there to help? Basically, it said not to wait for an invitation: load up the largest car you can find with diapers, food, cleaning supplies and the like, pick a town and head for it. When you get there, go door to door, talking to folks, listening to their stories, and asking if they would like some things from your car. When you run out, go to the nearest distribution center, stock up and start over again.
It seems to me that for whatever reason, the ARC is overwhelmed, and it also seems that politics are hindering their efforts. You have already waited for them so long – perhaps it is time to take matters into your own hands?
Hey Waldo: There are lots of other organizations besides the ARC. How about this one or this one or this one or this one or….well, you get the idea.
Ditto Malena. Many people, especially through churches, aren’t waiting for the ARC or any other agency (government or private) to tell them how and when to help. They’re just helping. And it isn’t simply $$-dependent. Three friends of mine did something very similar to what Malena suggests — they filled up one guy’s Suburban with donated stuff, drove down to Mississippi, and hooked up with several different churches, sight unseen. After a week of delivering, chauffering (LOTS of that), and other helping out, they came home. We’re planning a slightly larger trip in a couple weeks — his Suburban and my pickup truck, loaded with things donated from the Richmond area. If we’d wrung our hands, waiting for the ARC to tell us how we could help, nothing would have ever gotten done.
Instead of waiting to “be deployed” we deployed ourselves. Self-help is the best kind.
I don’t have the financial means to transport myself there and back. But even if I did, when I got there I’d have neither the money to eat nor to stay anywhere. Between being without food and shelter, I believe that’d make me something along the lines of a refugee. :)
Given my lack of resources, I’m only useful in affiliation with an existing organization. If I headed down there on my own, I’d worse than useless.