Thursday, September 01, 2005

Hurricane Katrina Flood Aid

It's time to start giving, folks. You've all seen the images

My recommendation is Mennonite Disaster Service, which, if my guess is right, probably will end up doing a lot of the quiet but necessary work in the impoverished regions of rural Mississippi.

Not that any devastated region deserves aid more than another, and not that I expect our giving will be insufficient to keep all the aid groups running smoothly.

But I do know the Mennonite effort up close and personal (this is the domestic arm of Mennonite Central Committee, which works in relief overseas), and many of you do not. And many people are wary of giving to a charity they don't at once recognize. So, take this as an endorsement of MDS' work.

If you want to look for more charities doing hurricane work, there's a good list of them here, and a whole lot of blogging people have recommended their choices for donations here.

You know, in the world of small things, I hate that this tragedy has to have the name Katrina. That was the name of a friend and former lover who spent much time in New Orleans and did a lot of good work in that city and for that city. If this must have a human name, why not call it something more approriate to the legacy of the city it has taken from us, at least till we build her back up again. Why not call it "Hurricane Ben Butler"?