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.
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Katrina Cash Crisis Continues
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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

Federal Emergency Management Agency: Earthquake & Building Science Program Support Implementation
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recently proposed to enter into a cooperative agreement entitled Earthquake and Building Science Program Implementation with the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc.(FLASH).

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences
NASA has recently established the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) program for the year 2011, which encourages interested institutions to submit proposals that involve ground-based research and technology investigations that seek to comprehend naturally occurring phenomena, both in the Earth and in space.

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Department of Housing and Urban Development: Sustainable Construction in Indian Country Small Grant Program
The Sustainable Construction in Indian Country Small Grant Program is designed to solicit program proposals that contain one of more sets of "Lessons Learned" that will help inform the Native American communities, such as Indian Tribes, regarding the issues and concerns that need to be taken into consideration upon tackling sustainable construction projects in their community.

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Coastal Impact Assistance Program
The Fish and Wildlife Service has recently established the Coastal Impact Assistance Program wherein the agency will provide a ceiling budget amounting to $250 million to be utilized in conservation, protection, and preservation projects of coastal areas, including wetlands.

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