Katrina Cash Crisis Continues
The need to continue giving aid to the victims of Hurricane
Katrina must remain a priority ...
It's now months after the American Gulf Coast was devastated.
Billions have been spent in relief, but billions more are
needed. Such is the scope of a storm that ranks among the most
severe in modern North American history.
To this day, residents' lives are still wrecked. Vital services
are still wanting. Homes and businesses remain unrepaired. The
effort to do so is not lacking; far from it. The hard fact is
that the resources available are still spread too thin.
Recently, the Washington Post conducted a survey to determine an
accounting of the charitable aid that has been provided to date.
The results are impressive, showing this to be the largest
donation drive in American history. Almost $3billion has been
raised and approximately $2billion of that amount has already
been disbursed.
It's a mind-jolt to grasp the concept that, even with a record
level of heartfelt giving, only a dent has been made in
improving lives there and that the remaining $1billion will be
impossibly stretched in order to have any overall impact. Very
little has apparently slipped into administrative hubris.
Virtually all monies, says the Post, have gone toward cash, food
and temporary shelter, medical care, tarps for damaged homes and
school supplies for displaced children.
Here are other facts which were determined by the Post's survey:
The Red Cross , which was criticized for slow distribution of
donations after the Sept.11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has given
out 84 percent of its Katrina and Rita donations.
Fifty cents of each donated dollar went out in cash to victims.
Six percent of contributions came in the form of supplies --
building materials, food, water, clothing, heavy equipment --
contributed mostly by corporations.
Fifty-six percent of remaining donations are controlled by
faith-based organizations. They include such well-known
institutions as Catholic Charities USA and the Salvation Army
but also lower-profile groups like the United Methodist
Committee on Relief and United Jewish Communities.
It's estimated that the American government will need to spend a
minimum of $200billion, simply to rebuild infrastructure and
re-establish basic services in the region. There will be budgets
for housing grants, low-income food support and medical care,
but longstanding parameters on those programs will still leave
many hurricane victims out in the cold. Literally.
Some of the Gulf states, such as Mississippi and Louisiana, were
far from the richest in the USA before the disaster struck. Now,
with much of their tax base blown away, their resources are
hardly sufficient to cope with anything more than the most
urgent requirements.
Americans should take great pride in going to amazing lengths to
look after their own. That those being assisted are doing all
they can to become self-sustaining again makes the act of
donation feel even more rewarding.
It is still time to experience that feeling. There are many
causes in life, but this one is about providing fundamental
needs to people who are aching to provide for themselves. If
you're visiting the Longer Life site, don't make those Red Cross
boxes on each page fade into your background. Once a month, or
more if you can, use them. When you're out on the town, instead
of ordering an extra round of beer, wine or spirits, re-direct
that amount to the Katrina relief fund. When you're in the
store, instead of purchasing an extra snack item, re-direct that
amount to the Katrina relief fund.
Those proceeds will be used for so much more by people who are
grateful to receive because they have no other choice.
It's still difficult to comprehend that a few dollars can do so
much good when billions are needed, but we can never 'massify'
the human condition in the Gulf states or anywhere else. The few
dollars you give will help one person, or one family, who will
then be allowed a welcome moment of respite for at least another
day.
To them, your donation would seem like a million dollars. Maybe
even a billion.