Folks:

It is unreal how many Americans are without power, have had their homes destroyed, and their lives turned upside down by these hurricanes.

Add to it our current economic challenges, and a very grim picture develops for our fellow Americans in need.

I encourage us all to reach out in whatever way you can. If you cannot pick up and travel and donate time because of your own personal and family challenges, we can donate funds to help those who are able to directly participate in the relief effort.

I know times are hard for donating, but the point here is that a small donation by each, multiplied collectively across many of us, can grow significantly.

$10 EVEN JUST $5, from many of us, will help our brother and sister Americans in bad need of it. Many do not have the warm comfortable home to return to, or their business location is destroyed...I can go on and on.

Here is the American Red Cross website. If not here, there are likely many relief charity efforts going on that you can donate a small but badly needed funding. $10, even $5 is a portion of one day's lunch in most parts of the nation.

http://american.redcross.org/site/PageSe...CFR0RnQodEUdrXw


And spread the word around!

You are so very right....Thanks Chris! Great Job!

We're in rural PA and have had no power since Sunday because of Ike. There are approxiamtley 18,000 without power in our county alone. The estimated time for restoration of the power is now Thursday or Friday. The biggest problem is that our power company sent most of their crews to Texas.

Yet I am very grateful that I still have a home, even if there is no power. And I am very grateful that this isn't the middle of summer or winter or we could be very uncomfortable. We do have a generator so the biggest inconvenience is the noise and no hot water. There are so many in Texas that have no home to go back to.

bump. Just want to remind folks, including anyone who did not see this. The need is big and has not gone away in a few days.

Many giving a little adds up quickly.

Thanks- I didn't see this before.

We truly live in the greatest country on earth. Even with our problems and infighting...we still band together when we're hurting. Thank you to all who have helped us during our time of need. Like Chris said, it's not over...please help if you can.

God bless!

Thanks TMOS. Here's another article with a couple of other sites for you animal lovers who might be able to help humans and their companions.

animals in Ike's aftermath

Good DH. It is easy to forget about our furry friends, especially if they are not wild and don't have the instincts anylonger to take care of themselves.

bump again. I just saw newsreels of Galveston, TX and it looks like the scene of a recent battle complete with air strikes etc.

For those who have not seen this thread, the situation is pretty desperate, so if you can make a small donation it will go to a very benevolent use in helping our fellow Americans in bad need now.

bump

I know exactly how the people in TX feel. After Katrina it was as though we were in a war zone. If you have never personally seen what a major hurricane can do you really can't visualize it. The pictures and news just can't capture how devastating this is. It amazed and awed me how many volunteers came to our rescue, and all the donations from everywhere in the US! If it wasn't for all of the help we received we wouldn't be recovering as quickly as we are. We still have volunteers coming to the coast to help us. The MS Gulf coast is sending what we can to TX and trying to "pay if forward" for all the help we got. TMOS is right, these people have lost so much, so ANY help will be appreciated. This is not something that will be "fixed" in a short time, so if you just can't help now, maybe in a few months if you have some extra money (bonus, tax refund..) Their recovery will take years so keep the people of TX (and all the other victims of Ike) in your minds and prayers.

I cried when I saw new pictures today. I can't even fathom the devastation when the pictures they show are just a fraction of the problem. Prayers to everyone effected. Has anyone heard from RLCarey or know which side he was on?

Randy evacuated and is pretty much OK and his home was spared. He is home now and has water, but that is about it. Computer access is very limited.

Thanks SMQ. My thoughts haven't been far away from him lately. I'm so glad to hear his house was spared, prayers and good thoughts to those who weren't as lucky.

Homes directly behind the sea wall fared so much better than the west end of Galveston or the small communities on Bolivar Penninsula. There is now one operational gas station on the Island.

Still upwards of 2 million people without power, but they are coping.