Katrina Cash Crisis Continues

 by: J Square Humboldt

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.
  (continued...)

Katrina Cash Crisis Continues
  Page 2

About The Author J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at Longer Life's website, which provides information designed to improve the quality of living. He's at http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html.

Additional Resources

category - Grants for Nonprofits

Medical Tropical Research Laboratory Program Infectious Disease Research Award
AFRIMS has recently announced the WRAIR Medical Tropical Research Laboratory Program(MTRLP) Infectious Disease Research Award(IDRA), a funding opportunity which solicits proposals that aim to tackle basic, preclinical and clinical research of emerging infectious diseases in Thailand and a certain region in Southeast Asia.

---

Origin-Destination Database of Border Traffic Flows for Transportation Planning
The Federal Highway Administration has recently announced a cooperative agreement entitled, Origin-Destination Database of Border Traffic Flows for Transportation Planning, to support Ontario's Ministry of Transportation in conducting training workshops focused on data collection, and the process of understanding and maximizing the use of the data collected.

---

Cancer Research Network: a Research Resource within Health Care Delivery System
In cooperation with the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Health has recently announced a funding opportunity to support the Cancer Research Network(CRN) in its quest in reshaping the its organization to become a more broader resource for cancer researchers.

---

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Centers for Oceans and Human Health
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has recently established a funding opportunity entitled Centers for Oceans and Human Health which provide linkages between members of ocean sciences and biomedical communities in the hopes of supporting interdisciplinary studies in areas where thorough understanding of marine processes and ecosystems harbor the potential to reduce public health risks.

---