Remembering Katrina -- and help keep the Mothership recommended on DailyKos

Live Television from New Orleans Channel Six

Gustav now a Category 3. THREE years, has it been THREE YEARS? I remember the anxiety I felt watching Katrina unfold... Here's a link to the Millwx's latest updates on Gustav's progress Hurricane Gustav's Progress and another link to DarkSyde's What Will They Do?diary.

The helplessness I felt and the increasing frustration of those of us who didn't know what to do.

Millions sent money to the Red Cross in good faith, much of that money is still unaccounted for. Many sent money to an individual who said they were going to help...like me...I tried, I really, really tried to make a difference down in Louisana...for those that assisted me personally and BELIEVED IN ME, I have tried to PAY IT FORWARD over the past three years as well. [PLEASE FOLLOW ME AFTER THE FOLD] How many of you remember seeing this picture of Tirawa? He is an incredible spirit and was at my side throughout my time in Louisiana. This picture was taken at the RC shelter in Bogalusa. He put smiles on hundreds of faces and helped children to once again smile, who lost all want to live. He will be 11 this October and I cherish each day he brightens my life.

Now we are watching Gustav unfold. I feel the same sinking feeling in my gut, the want and need to do something and feeling frozen this time. Since Katrina, I have lost my sister and my life has changed in many ways to where I'm not quite certain what I'm CAPABLE of doing because my emotions are still so raw from losses. But this is NOT about me, this is about all of us coming together as caring Americans to help others who will once again be LEFT behind by our elected officials. Yes, it would be easy for me to go off on my feelings politically, but I REFUSE to put politics at the forefront of this coming natural disaster on reaching for our shores again. My memories of Katrina come as nightmares...seeing the destruction, the lost hope in faces, the stench of rotting flesh, hearing a child ask me where their parent is, a woman saying they cannot find their daughter and I am their last hope...here we are again and we will all see it once again and tens of thousands will go through a second total loss of everything... We are going to put up a "MOTHER SHIP" diary as was done during the California Wildfires last year. I am pleading with everyone who reads DailyKos to keep it on the RECOMMEND LIST until we have HELPED ALL THOSE WE CAN. Here is what Donna explained regarding the above:

Live Blog would post a Diary titled Liveblog Mothership: Hurricane Gustav.
The Mothership would contain links to all subsequent child diaries. The Mothership gets recommended, the children do not. This keeps one central clearinghouse diary on the Rec List.

We are going to use the MOTHERSHIP to add RESOURCES ONLY. NO PHOTOS please as many will be on dial up or have very spotty internet. Should the diaries NOT stay/make RECOMMEND, please check my little blog here: http://tirawahowling.blogspot.com/ and check ePluribus for stories and updates and resources here: http://discuss.epluribusmedia.net/ Those that followed my diaries during Katrina as well as during the WildFires in California last October, know my passion, this is NO different.

• Mr. Bush...PLEASE DO NOT COME TO CALIFORNIA
• URGENT FROM BOGALUSA...PEOPLE ARE F**KING DYING

I hope that we can all come together as not only individuals, but as a community to put RESOURCES up. The POWER OF ONE will grow in to the POWER OF THE PEOPLE. Resources such as this: http://www.noahswish.info/... NoahsWish is an amazing organization who stepped up and were one of the firsts after Katrina hit to set up and assist in animal rescue. They HAVE MOBILIZED TO THE GULF COURSE... There will be others, we need everyone to get links, contact names and numbers. We will need volunteers to open their homes and assist with getting people/supplies where they need to be. We need people to find disaster organizations (small ones often do alot of heavy 'lifting' so to speak with little funding and no notice by the media...let's search them out and HELP THEM)that are mobilizing now or will be shortly. I can only BEG of you to RECOMMEND this diary and let's build the momentum to help HELP NOW. WHEN THE MOTHERSHIP DIARY COMES UP PLEASE RECOMMEND IT...let's build a RESOURCE community that is INCREDIBLE. NAMASTE, Barbara, Tirawa and Winston crossposted from DailyKos