Hurricane Relief - What Would You Bring?

andyring asks: "In a few weeks, I will be going with a group from my church down to some of the hardest-hit areas in Louisiana and Mississippi to volunteer in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. We will be there six days, and have 10 people going so far. At this point, I don't know much more than we'll be in either Slidell, La. on the northeast shore of Lake Ponchartrain, or Pass Christian, Miss., right on the Gulf Coast near Gulfport/Biloxi. Not knowing what we'll be faced with, and having somewhat limited room for supplies, tools and equipment (probably a U-haul trailer), what would you bring on a journey such as this? Any Slashdot readers between Lincoln, Neb. and the New Orleans area interested in contributing to our effort, such as donations of equipment/supplies/tools/etc?"

Comments

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

what would you bring?

[wingman358]

I'd check out the Red Cross website or something. Or perhaps you could check this out, some good ideas there.

What would *I* bring?

[blackmonday]

Well, since you asked what *I* would bring, I would bring some Lucinda Williams records along with whatever supplies I took. Hew songs extensively canvas the Louisiana spirit, and It would remind me of what a great part of America that really is. Start with "Crescent City" off her self titled album.

Some supplies

[TEMM]

Lets see... Hammers, Nails, Chainsaw, good old handsaw, axes some saw horses stuff you dont need electricity for.

Essentials

[crimoid]

Personally I'd bring...

Food
Water
Shelter (canvas tents, large)
Tools (Tarps, gloves, hand saws, hammers, crowbars)
Large Commercial-grade trash bags
Cheap duffle bags / backpacks
Bicycle(s)

Re:Essentials

[trewornan]

Survival guides tend to prioritze the basic necessities as:

1. Warmth / Shelter
2. Clean water
3. Signalling
4. Food

Food last because you can survive for a long time without it. But the area is now past the point where basic survival is the problem, rebuilding infrastructure is another matter. What would you put first in a prioritised list of infrastructure? Personally I'd say sewerage then electrical power.

Re:Essentials

[longwalker]

I have lived on the Gulf Coast for most of my life.
I would add:

Co-ordinate with a local group/Church or other organization. You do not want to trespass while trying to help.
You are there to help them, offer to do what they need done, not what you want to do. Remeber that you are a guest, literally in their home.
Bring a little Gaorade, but mostly water. Lots of water. Consider 'allocating' water to each person so it is easy to see if someone is not drinking enough.
Pack all supplies in good plastic tubs. Keeps things dry in unexpected afternoon showers and makes them easier to pack.
Sun screen (SPF30 or more). Use often. Repeat.
Insect repellant (Deep Woods, waterproof is good). Use often. Repeat.
A good 1st aid kit. Extra gauze for pressure bandages. Treat even minor injuries promptly!
Imodium (or equivolent).
Rope. Cheap rope for bundling or securing things in the wind and some good stuff to hold trees/structures as they are cut or torn down. Also handy for passing tools up and down ladders.
Canteen on belt or camel back. It is very nice not to need to remember where your cup of water is, or which cup is yours. Drinking water must be convenient.
Some head cover. Large with large brim is good.
Personal LED Flashlights. One large 6v lantern battery type flashlight for group/rally point or emergency. They can be seen for miles.
1 or 2 pints of alcohol. Disinfects and can help if someone gets too much heat.
Personal rolls of toilet paper (don't weigh much, if they are needed there is no substitute).
Waterless soap (with and without anti-bacteria). Wash before eating anything.
Alcohol towlettes, easy to carry, dozens of uses. Cold, but for wiping your face.
Pain killer of your choice, best to have some in fanny pack. Clean hands before use.
Camp stove(s) and fuel. I prefer the propane fuel. (Hot coffee can make a world of difference that 2nd morning).
Hand can opener.
Some small personal treat (special food or snack). Great after a hard day on the ride back to hotel/washup location.
Leave all but 1 set of ID and 1 credit card home (no purse, wallet or keys). You won't need them. Cell coverage is spotty and should be reserved for local/emergency use.
Fanny pack or small back pack for personal hygene/comfort items.
If you will be in standing water, consider wearing only clothes you will throw away (all of them). No safe way to disinfect them (remember your children).
Lawn Chairs (put these in some shade or first thing build some shade).
Gloves. I am fond of the 'fingerless' gloves. Good combination of feeling and protection.
Generic hand tools, pliers, wire cutter, screwdriver, etc. May be needed to repair/maintain other tools.
If you will be there several days yo may need saw sharpening tools/knowlege.

Someone needs to keep any eye on each and every person to prevent problems from the heat/humidity. People who have lived here in Texas all of their lives are dying with no AC. Right in their own homes. Summer here is deadly. Period.
Don't feel bad about getting an early start, arrive on site just at sun up, knocking off around 1 or 2 pm for a late lunch/water/strategy session, and starting again after 4. Don't let anyone make fun of anyone who takes a break because they do not feel well.

Watch out for Fire Ants. Aptly named. You can get hundreds of bites in seconds. They like to live in the ground and in mounds (of dirt or dirt/rubble) several feet above the surface. During the flood they may have moved into hollow trees or structures many feet above ground. I have had good luck with immediately rubbing the bites down with Alcohol, but they still hurt.

If you will have electrical power, nothing I know of beats a reciprocating saw for cutting just about anything. It will cut wood, trees, nails, steel, plastic, aluminum with just a change of blade. Just ot be safe, us the blades for wood with nails, cuts slower but will not break if you hit a nail. Chainsaws are powerful, but if you have no experience, they are dang

Why, what else?!?!

[MightyMait]

All your favorite Linux distros so you can "secure" all the Windows machines you find.

TWO WORDS.

[eosp]

Duct tape.

take a brick wall, baseball bat

[puzzled]

    You'll need a brick wall to bang your head and a baseball bat might help with federal officials. I volunteered, I rounded up some donated equipment for wireless ISPs who flocked to the area, and they totally got the run around from FEMA. A group of twenty five traveled to Kelly AFB on their own dime to lay in a phone system for evacuees and SBC had done the deed two days before they got there. FEMA coordination indeed!

    If you're doing bricks & mortar stuff you'll probably get a lot further, but the technology relief stuff is just a joke - its going to be total pork barrel for the Haliburton sized companies of the world.

    Good luck!

Re:take a brick wall, baseball bat

[geekoid]

FEMA is being seriously hampered by homeland security.
It seems adding another layer of management didn't help anything, who would have thunk ?

Re:take a brick wall, baseball bat

[Comatose51]

Amen! I volunteered at the Dallas Convention Center a week after the storm. I can't say enough times how I HATE FEMA. They couldn't get their network connections works for a few days so we ended up doing their job by registering people on the FEMA site on our donated computers. One day, they just commandeered our PCs.

One of them told us, "People don't need Internet and email. They need money!" Yes, they need money but they also need to find their family too! You have no idea how helpful the Internet was to those people in locating each other, even though most were computer illiterate and had us operate the computers. Many thanks to Yahoo and MSNBC. The MSNBC site was extremely helpful the first night they got to Dallas because the Red Cross site wasn't very easy to use. It was a general disaster victim registration site that was slow and required your mother and father's names. Then by other organization's good intentions, we ended up with multiple sites that we need to search to find people. Finally Yahoo stepped in and created a web search that would search all the major ones.

Anyways, to the original poster, if you have no experience don't go! Donate material and help collect them but you won't be much help.

Everything you will need for 12 days, plus

[tlambert]

Everything you will need for 12 days, plus everything you will be bringing on top of that to help out. This includes food, water, shelter, fuel, a spare tire for the U-Haul, etc..

The very worst thing you could do would be to arrive there and become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

It might also help if you got an invitation from officialdom, with some idea of where they think they need to put resources first, so that you maximize your value, and have written official sanction to even be in the area you can show to the guards at the blockades.

-- Terry

Re:Everything you will need for 12 days, plus

[Anonymous Coward]

I just came from Mississippi(Wiggins) 2 days ago, and I'm now sitting in a FEMA relief camp in Beaumont, TX in an office/mapping trailer. Right now, the love bugs are getting bad, so take some insect repellent. Also, whatever tools/clothes you need, including long pants because of the chiggers. Flashlights are also a must. Bring along a few cases of water, the humidity will really start getting to you. If you have anything you can bring to cool you off, i reccomend you do so. It's not too bad there other then those things, just be prepared to go camping, as it's likely you'll be in tents. Also, bring a camera, as i was hauling a generator from MS to TX, i got some amazing shots in Slidell. Be aware that the 10 is closed about 7 miles south of HWY 12 also. Bring a week and a half's worth of clothes, including changes, the climate and bugs tend to ruin things. Snacks are also a good thing to have, as the sack lunches provided are lacking. If you're in a camp, it's very likely there will be showers, caterers and even satellite internet. Be prepared to get up early and to bed late. Above all, bring lots of patience, no one really knows what is going on... I just spent about an hour looking for caution tape in a camp of 4000. the love bugs will also drive you insane, they're everywhere and get into everything. Other then that, good luck!

Meh...

[computerdude33]

I already live here, so please, feel free to bring along a *AHEM50inTVAHEM* so I can watch TV like a king.

(*Disclaimer: I do live in Mississippi [Ocean Springs])

Boots not shoes.

[nlinecomputers]

Comfy shoes implies to me your typical sneaker/running shoe. Bad idea. You may be stepping in alot of debris. Things that can be sharp like glass, nails, and so forth. You'll want a sturdy set of work boots. Perhaps even steel toed shoes. Bring a hard hat as well for the same reason. You'll do them no good if you get injured trying to help them out.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[jafiwam]

If you have them;

Combat Boots. Sure you look like a goth poser, but I have personally spent several days in my jungle boots including showers, walks and drinking with no ill effects.
(dry your socks, but otherwise the boots never let me down)

Re:Boots not shoes.

[twilightzero]

From the perspective of someone who currently works for Habitat for Humanity and has a lot of experience on this sort of thing, I would highly reccommend steel toed boots. The hard hat I tend to be a bit less picky on, as they'll only really help you in places you don't have to bend over much and will be ducking under things. I'd say throw a few in just in case but usually I just go with a regular cotton bucket hat.

As far as tools and things, here's the (non-definitive) list that I would reccommend:
-Shovels (1 per person, round point)
-Crow bars/wrecking bars
-Breaker bar (looks like a giant steel pole with a point or chisel on the end)
-Hammers (lots)
-Nails (several boxes each of 8 penny, 16 penny, 16 penny duplex)
-Good cordless tools with plenty of backup batteries (I'd reccommend at least 18 volt if you can get them, get enough batteries that you can charge at night)
-Generator if someone owns one already (very handy)
-Wheelbarrow or two
-Sawzall or equivalent tool of destruction (2 if you can get them)
-LOTS of good leather gloves (go for full leather, do not get fabric-backed or cotton jersey. They just won't stand up. You can get decent leather gloves here at $22/dozen)
-LARGE water cooler - I'd reccommend a good Rubbermaid or Igloo jobsite cooler with associated plastic/foam glasses

That's a good start for a list. If you want more advice drop me an email with SLASHDOT in the title at the email addy on my account. I've done quite a lot of this sort of work before. Wish I could come with you but I'm stuck here :\

Re:Boots not shoes.

[Furmy]

You'll want a sturdy set of work boots. Perhaps even steel toed shoes.

Absolutely - if you don't have any, check with local EMS/Police services to find out what they wear. You're looking for something safe, lightweight, good ankle support, and waterproof.

Bring one of these for yourself, and recommend that each group member brings their own.
Bring one of these.
These are great too, you'll want dry feet.

Some sort of protective glove. Leather/Kevlar etc are all good. Bring a box of nitrile gloves too.

A headlamp is a great thing (this one has a dual-bulb system).

All this stuff is for you.
If you're looking for stuff to bring for other people down there... bring money. Go there, find out what's needed, drive away, buy the stuff they need, and bring it back to them.

Also for you, bring some beer.

Good luck.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[shawb]

What you'd really want is a pair of Redwing 2245's. Kinda expensive, but the best piece of footwear I've ever seen. Extremely durable. Waterproof ABOVE the boot for short periods of time in my experience camping in the Minnesota boundary waters (IE accidentally stepping in water and quickly pulling your foot out, or even briefly fording shallow water, socks will stay completely dry below the bootline.) Extremely light, not very clunky. VERY comfortable... Once the boots are broken in your feet won't hurt even after a day of walking on concrete carrying heavy construction materials. Grips great on just about any surface...

Biggest problem you'd probably run into is enough time to break them in. It takes about a day or two of walking before they're really comfortable (Although non-broken in Red Wing shoes/boots seem to be at least as comfortable as a cheap pair of boots.)

Although I suppose the most important thing to have down there is a contact... someone who knows were help is needed, where to get supplies, knows somewhere you can stay, etc. Without knowing someone, you won't be able to actually get anything productive done, possible even just getting in the way. Red Cross, local churches, or government organizations may be the best place to look for contacts if you don't have any yet at this point.

Besides that, lots of fresh drinking water (for you and for people you are helping), non-perishable food, basic hand tool kit. Make sure to pack enough toiletries for yourself. A good reserve of hard cash for gas on the way, plus buying those things you forgot is also a must.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[swv3752]

For the south, I would recommend a wide brimmed hat. Also sunglasses, and sunscreen.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[twilightzero]

Your comments are both intelligent and applicable, unfortunately they're also totally impractical. Habitat for Humanity has a very limited budget that's I believe almost entirely made up of donations. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the money to put together 4x4 or 4x6 framed homes, but that costs TONS of money. Pine is the basically the only wood used for construction any more because all of the hardwoods have been priced WAY WAY out of reason. For instance, a 2x4 8 ft pine board runs around $3.50 or so. The same board of oak, no splits, would run at least $80 or so. I'm not talking a 5% increase, I'm talking a 20x increase or more. Even pine beams are exhorbitantly expensive these days.

There has been some talk of switching to either steel stud/joist construction or ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) for most Habitat affiliates, but both take a lot of planning and some specialized tools. Also both cost more than wood frame and therefore are rather sticky points for budgeting. The Habitat affiliate I work for has recently done two houses partially in ICF and it works very very well, however we had to raise the final cost of the house by $5,000 and I believe we're eating another $3,000 or so of cost just for using those forms. I sincerely hope they come down in price very soon because they're VERY stable and relatively easy to work with. But I'm babbling...

In short, we'd love to build something heavier, but unless someone ponies up the money for it and also sends the expertise to work with the stronger materials, we're stuck doing pine stick-built houses...

Re:Boots not shoes.

[Daniel Wood]

Only the vietnam era jungle boots, not the ones you buy from Altama. You're better off with a commercial solution if you want safety soles.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[Gilmoure]

You can build a decent house out of 2x4 pine in the south, if it's appropriately tied together. Sheath it with OSB and then vinyl siding. What really caps it off is to run a solid (welded) one piece steel bond beam around the top of the walls. The roof, with only angled surfaces (flat sides on a roof can lead to wind loading and then a collapse of the rafters, one against another), is then tied down to the bond beam. Makes for a very stiff, very strong structure, that winds tend to go around. A good example of this would be a Key West style bungalow.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[twilightzero]

Good points in the previous post to this. Another reason we don't do domes at all is that part of Habitat's goal is to make the homes fit in with the neighborhood. We don't want the homes to stick out like a sore thumb so you can easily see wherever a Habitat house is. We try as best we can (within reason and budget) to make the homes fit in more or less with the neighborhood they're in.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[Culture]

As a structural engineer, let me assue you that a 2x4 house that will withstand 150 mph winds is easily possible. All that is required is 1) tie the walls to the concrete slab with hold-downs 2) tie the walls together with continuous plywood or osb sheathing and 3)tie the roof to the walls using hurricane straps. Doing this properly requires perhaps a 5%-7% increase in the cost of construction. If this ever done right? Unfortuntely, rarely. Why? Many different reasons.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[lweinmunson]

Please go back and check on how HFH's homes have done in these kinds of situations before you give them a black eye for construction methods. When you look at the pictures from the lower 9th Ward where the levee broke twice, you'll see some big white painted houses. The've been flooded twice now by water pouring through the breaches, but they're still standing. Those are the HFH homes. The ones that didn't suffer anything but water damage and will probably be completely repairable. In previous hurricanes, whole neighboorhoods have been reduced to rubble except for the homes built by HFH. Why? Because the people care about what they're doing and put them together right. They use enough nails on the hurricane straps, and enough everywhere else so that the whole house doesn't fall down from a little gust of wind. 2x4 wood is fine. As long as you connect it right.

Re:Boots not shoes.

[BreadMan]

Don't forget the DEET. Lots of DEET.

don't go

[geekoid]

clearly you do not undertstand what a disaster is like, and have little or no training. Stay away, or send people who know what they are doing.

Your intentins are good, but if you don't have training you will be a hinderance and a liability.

Re:don't go

[Azarael]

I disagree, look at who some of the so called experts are anyway. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to clear smaller debris and help people sort out their belongings. Just use common sense, make sure you deal with the people that own any property you're working on and stay far away from any situations you don't feel comfortable with.

Re:don't go

[Tiger4]

Wrong.

The disaster is basically over. This is the rebuilding time. They need grunt labor and they need brains. There is food for the workers, if you don't mind "one size fits all" menus. Finding shelter might be a problem if they don't bring their own or make good arrangements.

Other than that, from what I've heard from people that have been there and back, the big clue is to tie in with community groups and steer clear of FEMA and the state government. They are trying to do Big Picture rebuilding. The community groups are trying to help reassmemble people's lives.

Re:don't go

[CommandNotFound]

Sorry, but that is simply wrong. It takes little training to clear debris, cut trees and limbs, rip out sheetrock, etc. Yes, you could get hurt, probably just minor cuts and bruises, but it's not much different then cleaning your yard, just on a larger scale. Just don't crawl under downed trees or get near power lines.

I'm not pointing you out with this statement, but the notion that it takes an "expert" to help people is a bad one, IMO. The American way (at least down South, still, and probably in the Mid-West) is to roll up one's sleeves and get to work without waiting for the "authorities" or Uncle Government to arrive.

The original poster will do fine; he will help several families, learn about an area of the country he may never have seen before, learn new skills, and gain a lot of intangibles from the experience. But be a hindrance or liability? Nah...

Re:don't go

[pNutz]

Neither do you, certainly not one of this size, or you would know people need all the help they can get.

Can you use a hammer? Great, then you can frame a house.
Can you use a shovel? Great, then you can help clean the two feet of mud out of some peoples' houses.
Can you talk to people on a phone? Great, then you can help relay calls to relatives in different shelters or shore up the help lines at utilities' or relief orgs' call centers. You see, most people who really need to can't go to www.fema.gov or the like.
Can you spare some plastic containers/chest-like things? Building materials? Cleaning supplies? Shovels, axes, chainsaws, drills... no clothes please, by the way. We've got quite enough.
Do you know how to build/fix any part of a house? If you do, could you show me and others?
Could we have some jobs? You don't have to be Halliburton to bring business down here.

We need long term help, especially. Medical care, jobs, schools, houses, neighborhoods. The Military just get people off their roofs and make sure they don't starve or kill each other. The Red Cross if for emergency relief, and who knows if they'll share their overly large (70%) share of the donations. FEMA is for, apparently, acting as a political lightening rod and blaming Ray Nagin for everything.

Anything will do. People that "know what they are doing" are doing a shit job of it. People who have seen whats happening and just come down to do whatever they can have done the best job. By far.

Re:don't go

[DisplacedJoshua]

Absolutely go. The only trained professional attitude everyone is describing a need for is gone. The time for people with helping hands to remove over 12 billion dollars in destroyed pieces of homes, buisnesses, and lives is now. Helping people recover by helping them remove debris they may be too old to clen up or sift through will be EXTREMELY helpful. I hope your church has gotten hooked up with another church so you can get an idea of the elderly that really need this help as most of their disposable income probably got blown away with their mattresses.
        I myself am from BOTH areas. Having a weekend home in Pass Christian (waveland, MS) , which is around Bay St. Louis, and most of my extended family being from the Northshore area Covington/Mandeville/Slidell, I can tell you from a WELL informed standpoint (screw CNN) that things are NOWHERE near as grim as they used to be. And the best way to help:
bring gloves, a shovel, a dump truck and lots of water. There's shit to be picked up EVERYWHERE.
        Telling people to not help used to be a decent response. NOT ANYMORE. You have a chance to make a difference and play a part. You can do it now. I'm posting from Chicago because i had to abandon my law school in New Orleans. I WILL be back in January, and it's going to take help of others across the country to make my home a habitable place again. Thank you and your church for their offer of aid. I've been a volunteer for 9 years now, the hardest part is asking for help when you're used to giving it. We need it there.

A short list from personal experience

[Anonymous Coward]

You will want a few useful things. This is my experience based on working with the feds:

You'll want shelter, either provided to you or taken with you.

You'll want food and something to cook on. A propane camp stove would be perfect. Coleman makes a nice 2 burner stove. Food should be as nonperishable as possible.

Clean clothes and comfy shoes are a must.

If you want power for cell phones, GPS, 2 way radios, etc, I would suggest getting one of those emergency car starters. These are sealed lead acid batteries and usually have about 20Ah in them as well as a 12V plug. Some even have a 110V inverter built in.

Make sure you have some place to sit. Milk crates, camp chairs, whatever. It will make a difference. Trust me.

Purell or other water-less hand sanitizers. These are a life saver.

Bring your own water, as water there is likely to be contaiminated.

Minimal set of cook ware for cooking. Think stuff you NEED (pots, pans) and think light!

Don't forget extra batteries. This has screwed me over so many times.

Aside from all that, anything that is needed for you to actually do your job!

Re:Am I the only one?

[XMyth]

Yes, you probably are the only one. The areas affected in Mississippi (and may of the areas in Louisiana, like Slidell) aren't below sea level. Do you really expect New Orleans (the area below sea level) to not rebuild? That's ridiculous. It's not just hundreds of thousands of people's homes, it's also their work, friends, family, businesses.....you expect EVERYONE to just pack up and leave?

But, to answer your question again, I'm sure you're not the only one actually. There are lots of ignorant people in the world. Especially on Slashdot.

Adams said it best

[Valarauk]

A towel is about the most massively useful thing your going to be able to bring.

:)

Re:The only thing you need...

[johnMG]

Don't bring your bibles. These people need real actual help, they don't need folks coming down there with ulterior motives trying to convert them.

It's very typical of christians to seek out folks who're really suffering, and offer them help in a veiled attempt to bring them "into the flock". Not saying that's you, just making a general observation.

Consider bringing stuff you think the youngest children will need. Kids suffering is the worst.

Bring what you need to sustain yourself...

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

because your labour is going to be your most valuable contribution. It's easy to give money and materiel, but they need "boots on the ground" to physically help with clearing out the damage and to rebuild. I wish you luck and God speed on a noble effort. Regards,

Re:Hmmm

[maotx]

Don't forget a radio. From what I hear the Freeplay lifeline radios are great.
They do not require any batteries, picks up AM, FM, and Shortwave, designed to withstand "harsh conditions", and is powered by solar and/or wind-up. That and if you purchase one they automatically donate another to the Freeplay Foundation to help orphaned children in Africa.

Next step up would be to have a ham license so you could talk back. Although...in an emergency I'm not sure how strict the FCC would be if you didn't have one.

Re:Am I the only one?

[Ex-MislTech]

Where I live there is a 200 yr Flood Plain, and you cannot get a building permit to build
in it , and that is that .

In california they are required to build to earthquake standards .

The same should go for all hazardous zones .

Japan is often hit by Typhoons, big ones, and they long ago mandated buidling codes .

Peace,
Ex-MislTech

Off the top of my head

[deadline]

Of the top of my head if I were going a damp place to work where the infrastructure was unknown:

1. Get a tetanus shot
2. Bring a good water filtration kit (the kind you take camping)
3. toilet paper
4. A good first aid kit with plenty of antibiotic cream
5. sunscreen
6. itch/rash cream
7. mole skin for blisters
8. bug repellent
9. Pepto-Bismol (in case you eat or drink the wrong thing)
10. duct tape, plastic tarps, and rope
11. coffee (if you drink it)
12. obvious things like cloths, tools, tents, food

Start by figuring out what your are going for

[originalhack]

Amazingly enough, the purpose of your visit impacts what you need to bring quite a bit. I doubt they need random people turning up. There are certainly plenty of people whose regular jobs have disappeared for a while. Figure out why you are going, then confirm that it really needed, then pack accordingly fro a combination of your mission's needs and FULL self-sufficiency.

Re:Another good website

[maotx]

Please consider Donating Here

Very clever using a katrina domain name. Good reminder to all of us to be cautious of donation sites. Just because the site says it is for Katrina does not mean it will be honored.

For those wondering what the troll is about, the link redirects to lemonparty.org. And for those who are lucky enough to not know what that is but curious, it is a site that contains a picture of three older guys performing homosexual acts on each other. NSFW and quite disgusting.

Re:The only thing you need...

[anthony_dipierro]

Don't bring your bibles. These people need real actual help, they don't need folks coming down there with ulterior motives trying to convert them.

Don't you think maybe there are some folks over there who already are Christians and would like a copy of the bible to replace one that was destroyed?

Safety Supplies

[dschl]

Steel toe / steel shank, and the boot should go above the ankle. There will be plenty of trip hazards, and you'll be out of action with an ankle injury in low-cut footwear. Safety glasses / goggles are mandatory, as are leather gloves. First aid kits and someone trained in first aid is also a good idea for any jobsite.

Worksites are dangerous. I can only imagine the carnage if you set loose a bunch of weekend warrior office workers with power tools and hurricane-damaged buildings. Make sure you have someone experienced in the type of work to provide a full daily orientation, along with tool and worksite safety training, and supervision to ensure that you don't injure yourselves. You don't want to add to the problem by becoming a burden on local medical resources, rather than helping out as you had planned.

You need some idea of what you'll be doing before you can properly plan. Will you be clearing damage, and demolition? Then you'll want chainsaws, chop saws, wrecking bars, etc. Will you have electricity (generator or powerlines), or will you want to bring as many gasoline powered tools as possible. But most importantly, you need some people who know what they're doing. Plan your work. Prethink each task before starting it. Stop and think (Exxon safety slogan) during each task.

Re:Hmmm

[Tiger4]

Several changes of clothes. It is hot and humid, but that will change soon, so bring a mix of warm and cool weather things. Bring things you don't mind getting dirty in, but that wash up easily. You don't know where your nearest laudry will be.

Mosquito repellant and sunscreen. Lotion. A hat/cap/visor. Sun glasses, if you are so inclined.

Gloves and boots. Goggles might be handy, depends on what sort of labor you plan on doing.

A journal and pen. Not a PDA and stylus, a real book and a pen. You may want to make notes for your memoirs and you don't know when you can get to batteries or ac power. A camera would be good too. take the cell phone camera just in case though.

Some trashy novels. You may have some boring down time.

Canteen/thermos. Depends on how used you are to heavy labor, if that is what you'll be doing.

Multi-Vitamins. Mega doses, just in case.

Satellite uplink phone with modem/ethernet attachment for the laptop so you can stay in touch with Slashdot. And the porn sites.

Single dollars for the stripper bars that are reopening in 'Nawlins. They were some of the first businesses to reopen. Life is getting back to normal ;-)

Our church list may help...

[CommandNotFound]

I just received an email from our church who is sending another crew down this weekend. Here are some items they requested. This may help:

rice, soy sauce, ramen noodles/soup packs, pre-sweetened drink mix (Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Gatorade, etc.), shovels, rakes, and hoes.

I was down there helping my brother and family, and here's some things I would suggest:

• Many handkerchiefs. Use them to cover your face when you're shoveling foul water/mud/spoiled food, although bad food is probably largely gone by now. Also good as do-rags and sweat rags.
• Plain water will get boring quickly, so bring some gatorade mix and mix it half-strength.
• A small (2-3ft) crowbar
• A utility knife and blades
• A hammer, philips, and flathead screwdriver
• Pliers
• Get a cheap leather tool belt from Harbor Freight, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. so you're not always looking for the above tools
• Several pairs of gloves, including at least one pair of heavy latex/rubber gloves.
• Of course, remind your planners to bring plenty of fuel, food, and water. And chainsaws. :)

Those are the things I used the most often when I was down there. Most of all, don't approach the coast with a feeling of dread. Unlike what the media has portrayed and focused upon in a few areas in New Orleans, the attitudes of the people there are upbeat and industrious, if a little haggard. The physical destruction is as bad or worse than portrayed on TV, but the "people" situation is much more positive. Mississippi Coast'ians (I'm one of them) are survivors.

BTW, thanks for the help on behalf of those directly affected (I live several hundred miles inland and so wasn't affected). FEMA is doing a fantastic job, but the job is so large that churches and other volunteer groups are needed to fill in the gaps. For instance, my grandmother had an Indiana church group clean out several pecan trees that were down in her front yard last week. We couldn't find an available crew to hire for it, and they just showed up out of the blue and did it for her! It really makes a difference.

BTW, parts of Slidell should have power now, and I know Picayune has full power (15 mins. from Slidell on the MS border). If you need accomodations, check with First Baptist of Picayune, and they may be helpful. I noticed from their website that Beatrice in Nebraska is the adopted "sister city" of Picayune for the disaster, so you may can use resources from both those cities if you need it. Beatrice Link

You're not only doing God's work, but that of a fine American. Thanks.

Tips from an old soldier

[Gumpmaster]

I used to be a soldier at Ft. Polk, Louisianna. The following is, from my recollection, a typical packing list (in mostly civillian terms) that I'd use for a week long trip to the swamps:

-A stout bag that you can carry on your back

-2 1quart canteens and 1 2quart canteen plus water purification tablets

-One set of outer clothes (Definately long pants and a light long sleeve shirt). Army style clothing is really the most usefull. It has been perfected over the years.

Army style jungle boots. They have holes to let the water drain out. I wouldn't use goretex boots. They keep your feet to hot and keep the water in.

-One set of underclothes for each day. Lots of wool socks. Cotton is worthless when wet.

-A mosquito net and lots of 100% deet insect repellant. The mosquitoes are really bad. Also bring some hydrocortizone cream.

-one full days worth of food

-Ear plugs for sleeping next to generators.

-Notebook and several pens/pencils

I'm sure there's other stuff I left off, but this is a meager start at least. Louisianna this time of year is still pretty hot. Sleeping outside sucks. The mosquitoes are bad. It stinks because everything is so warm and moist. It would be a horrible place to live if it weren't for the people. They are very genuine and kind and really rather pleasant to be around.

My List

[Ratbert42]

I went out with a church group a week after Hurricane Charley last year.

We spent most of our time cutting up fallen trees. We pretty much destroyed every "homeowner" chainsaw in a few hours. Don't even bother bringing those. The only ones that made it were commercial Stihl ones. The same with any handsaws, axes, etc. It's just too hot to do that sort of physical work. There was a huge amount of work and we could have used almost one chainsaw per person.

On the other hand, if you're going to have people inexperienced with chainsaws, bring some trauma dessings. Dead serious. I saw a lot of very close calls and chainsaws are a huge cause of post-storm injuries. Spend some time up-front and really go over chainsaw safety and technique. A lot of the close calls came because of someone getting a saw stuck and doing crazy things to try to free it.

What we learned was to focus on just cutting trees that could make a difference. Don't burn out clearing all the debris out of a few yards. There'll be time for that later. Just clear their driveway, electrical feed, any trees right next to the house, anything on a car or building, etc. I was amazed that one and two weeks later there were still people with their car trapped under or behind a fallen tree.

We also used plastic sheeting and roofing nails to do temporary roofing repairs. Ladders, hammers, etc. If you can get plywood, tar paper, etc., you could do more permanent work, but you'll run into problems as unlicense contractors.

We brought a lot of water to hand out, but there were very few takers. Everywhere we went had plenty of water. Everyone could have used more ice and coolers (even the cheap styrofoam disposables). Anything you can bring to occupy children will be welcome. The church we base-camped at had sort of a hurricane relief festival going on all weekend. Food vendors (free), donated clothing and supplies, children games, chainsaw sharpening and repair (free), etc. It was very well received.

Sleeping in a hurricane zone is rough. No way around it. A generator and an oscillating fan help a lot. Any sort of shower system would help.

A thing that was in short supply was reliable information. Find out where the local resources are and spread the word.

You need to make sure that your volunteers are insured. Any real volunteer organization will carry workman's comp for their volunteers. If you're going with Southern Baptist, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Salvation Army, etc. make sure you're covered.

Ignore the parent poster

[BurntHombre]

And bring your Bibles. Be prepared to share the hope that is in you with these people. Feed them, clothe them, give them shelter, and heaven forbid you neglect their spiritual needs.

God bless!

Hurricane Supplies

[TheEngineer]

As a utility engineer for the local Power Company in the Mississippi gulf coast area, I can say that all houses/businesses/etc... that CAN take power have power. So, electricity is somewhat available.

The areas that can not take power are so destroyed that all that really needs to be done is to have the debris cleaned up from the lot. you might even have to help tear the entire house down.

If you do come here to help, bring enough materials, raw goods, supplies to sustain YOURSELF, As if you don't then you'll be a strain on the little (if any) resources available locally.

Bring heavy steel-toed shoes, work gloves, latex/rubber gloves, dust masks (it is stinky and mold spores are abundant), basic first aid supplies, gel hand-sanitizer, baby wipes (few hotels are available, so bathing will have to be done with baby wipes - it's gross, but you get used to it), water for drinking (it is still very hot, in the 90's with high humidity), gatorade, soft drinks (our safety & health advisors recommend 1 soda, 1 gatorade/sports-drink, and 4 waters in the time between meals), non-perishable food items (canned cheese!!!, granola bars, protein drinks (that don't require refrigeration), crackers, cookies - remember, you're trying to keep enough calories in you to keep going - no "heavy" meals every day, whatever you can bring to eat that will not spoil, and enough gas to get you "out of the zone" and back on your way home.

You might also want to consider a tent, sleeping bag, etc... Whatever you'd normally take camping.

Don't forget sunblock & bugspray (with DEET). The gulf coast area is very sunny and hot during the day and very buggy at night.

Tools you'll need to bring - electric saws (circular and reciprocating), chain saws, shop vac's, TRASH BAGS, shovels, an axe, whatever else you want.

Trust me, if you come ready to work (which is what most people still need is just somebody to HELP THEM) somebody, somewhere, will tell you what to do.

If you really can't find work, let me know as 4 out of 7 of my family members have houses that are severely destroyed. I'll find something for you to do.

Ask the Red Cross and anything.

[twitter]

Your intentins are good, but if you don't have training you will be a hinderance and a liability.

Bullshit. It sounds good at first but it breaks down when you think about it. As long as they bring food and shelter for themselves everything they do is appreciated and useful. Training is better, co-ordinated trained people are best but no one is useless. Turning people away for lack of paper work "certs" is one of the worst things that happened. All help is appreciated by decent people and there are plenty of them in New Orleans, Slidel and on the Gulf Coast.

Contact The Red Cross.

The Red Cross know what it's doing, unlike FEMA or that horrible woman who did not know she was in command of the National Guard and delayed aid for days without reason. Contact Them and join an organized response. They might even tell you what to fill your truck with.

Now, let's see what people in New Orleans are saying. "Please open a Wal Mart"! Family members report that the one grocery store open smells like the fridges they taped shut and put on the curb. I think they can use almost ANYTHING but beer is in short supply.

Your backs will also be useful. There's plenty of cleaning up you can offer people who are unable to do such things on their own. They will be happy to see you.

Of course, there are some real jerks there too. I've heard plenty of stories about people who not only expected heroism on their behalf, they expressed anger to those helping them. I have it first hand that, as in other urban dissasters, police and firemen were shot at while putting out fires. Some people have such a strong sense of entitlement they are angry they were not rescued earlier and have been asking questions like, "Where's my appartment?" for weeks. Don't let them deter you.

Good luck, you are going to need it.

Parent poster makes a good point

[Spy der Mann]

if you seem to help people "to convert them" you're only bringing a bad testimony, like Jehova's Witnesses who seem kind in the beginning, but at the first sight of rejection they run away.

Some christian hints:

For people who believe in God / Jesus, and are in doubt (repeat: IN DOUBT), you can tell them that it was God / Jesus who brought you there. God acts thru kind acts of people. But I'd say it's wiser to let them draw their own conclusions.

It wasn't God who brought the destruction to the people - but the ineptitude of people in the government and those who decided to build a city below sea level. Global warning is the result of greedy men (i.e. sinners) polluting the air, so this makes a good defense against the idea that "God destroyed their houses in his wrath etc etc".
But then again, I'd recommend you to keep silent about this, unless you want to be seen as another one of the bible thumpers out there.

Tolerance (specially towards those who reject christianity) is the sign of a true christian, because Jesus helped the heathens, and was merciful with all.

St. Francis of Assisi, said: "Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary". The greatest way to preach the gospel is to do what Jesus would do: Love and help those in need. Remember St. Paul's words: If I have the gift of prophecies, but no love in me, I'm useless.

If possible, don't mention christianity at all. Just mention the name of the community if you're asked. Remember what Jesus said: Do not do good deeds and proclaim them over the skies. Don't let your left hand know what your right hand does.

GET A TETANUS SHOT

[redtest]

Make sure to get at least a tetanus shot. You may also want to begin your hepatitis A and B vaccination sequences soon enough before you go to make sure that they provide some resistance. also, bring some sturdy gloves (leather), bottled water, and food. Just make sure to get those shots.

Not jungle boots

[sn00ker]

Being involved with the Fire Service here in NZ, I can say that the last thing you want are boots that intentionally leak. If you're stepping in small, polluted puddles, it's better to keep the water out entirely.
Also, jungle boots won't provide much protection from debris. You need the steel shank and toe cap mentioned in other posts. Dropping stuff on your feet is a MUCH bigger risk than wet feet. You're not going to be stuck wearing these boots for days on end, so forget about trench foot. You'll be able to take them off at night, dry your feet - take talcum/baby powder along, for precisely this purpose - and pack wet boots with newspaper overnight. Helps them retain shape, and absorbs a shitload of moisture.

As well as good boots, and you'll want to ensure that they're well broken-in, strong gloves. The advice given about full leather gloves is good. If you can find out what your local fire department use for cutting people out of car wrecks, you won't go far wrong.

Ensure that every person always has on them a pair of latex or nitrile (nitrile are tougher) gloves, a few plasters, and a medium-size sterile dressing. This will provide your immediate-care supplies in the event of an injury. A big first aid kit should always be handy, but if you're 10 minutes away on the return trip you want to be able to apply pressure to a big wound. Plasters are good for covering blisters, too, until you can deal with them properly.

Also, take a "personal line". That's about three-to-five metres of light rope, which you can use for tying things up, or off, or for lashing boards together to make it easier to drag a bundle of them. A carabiner is nice to have, too.

Lastly, take cargo pants, or better yet army surplus combat pants. They're designed to take punishment (usually they have double layers on the knees, for example), and they have big pockets. Pockets are good. Hard-shell kneepads could also be highly beneficial. If you're kneeling on rubble, you only want to be doing it for a couple of minutes on any given day. After that you'll be crying out for knee pads. The soft ones worn by tilers tear easily, so something like skaters wear is better.

Power inverters

[Stephen Samuel]

Generator if someone owns one already (very handy)

If you don't have a generator (and even if you do), power inverters can be real useful... These things can take 12Volt powr and provide 110 for things ranging from laptops to power tools. This means that they can run off of your car's battery and generator. Xantrex (formerly statpower) is who I know, but there are now many other similar suppliers of these things... They start at about $40, and can be found at places like Radio Shack. They're invaluable when you're mobile/remote/stranded or just plain out of mains power (to steal the british saying).

They range from a tiny 75watt unit that can plug into your accessory outlet, and should handle most chargers and laptops to units over a kilowatt that will probably need to be wired direct to your electrical system (presuming that it's even robust enough to drive the monster at full load).

Once you've got that, I'd also suggest a couple of jell cells, for running things that want mains power when you're in places like a hotel room with no power (you can charge them off of the vehicle power during the day). I wire mine with a 12-volt accessory plug (make sure to put a fuse on it). You can often get them out of small dead UPSs.

You can use them when you're mobile, and after you've placed your larger generators where they're most needed. I first came up with the idea in my tree-hugging days when I needed to charge a video camera battery at a logging protest and the only power I had access to was an RCMP vehicle.

If you haven't already thought of it: communications equipment, including hand-radios. I wouldn't presume that cell phone service id reinstated wherever you're going.

Re:Power inverters

[magarity]

I needed to charge a video camera battery at a logging protest
 
I'm sure the tress you were protecting were grateful for the sacrifice of the trees and other natural resources used to produce the video camera, battery, and their respective manuals.

Donating can by trying too...

[prisoner]

I do a lot of work for a charter aviation company. 4 days after the first storm, I got them to donate a G-IV, fully fueled and staffed to fly to wherever on the Gulf coast someone might need to go. I tried the Red Cross and a couple of other places but couldn't get anyone to take me up on the offer. Don't know what the story was, maybe there wasn't a working airport in the area that could take the Gulfstream but it seemed like a good offer.

point of contention

[everphilski]

Global warning is the result of greedy men (i.e. sinners) polluting the air

That isn't fact. Keep science and religion seperate. Many believe global warming come in cycles (IE: leaving an ice age). You're bound to offend more people than you comfort.

-everphilski-

What to bring ...

[pvera]

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, so I went thru a handful of nasty hurricanes, including two Cat 5s. Here's what I would do if I had to spend any time in a disaster area like that:

1. You want it, you carry it. Assume there is nothing available. That means stock up on asthma medicine, painkillers, contact lenses, whatever it is that YOU need. This is before you worry about what to bring to others.

2. Footgear: Ideally you should be wearing sturdy waterproof footgear, boots if possible. Sneakers are a no-no. You can easily twist an ankle stepping over debris, and a nail will pierce thru your sneaker soles as if it is not even there. Plus you don't want to get your feet wet in that kind of environment. Carry extra socks and foot powder too.

3. You can't carry too many batteries or too many ziploc bags.

4. Carry some wet wipes, these are very handy and can be used for many things. Get a couple packs with something like aloe vera and a couple with clorox, lysol, etc.

5. Flood areas, especially in the south, have terrible mosquito control issues. Repellent sucks but still beats the alternative.

6. Unless you have solid housing arrangements, that is, unless you know you are sleeping at an air conditioned room, find a mosquito net. Sure, it will be hot as hell, but I would rather be hot and without bug bites.

7. Fluids! Unless specifically arranged for, you have to assume there is no drinking water available. When Hurricane Hugo struck Puerto Rico in 1989 I had to drink warm coke for about 5 days. We had plenty of stuff to drink, but we were told to not trust water, period.

In my case the worst was the lack of electricity and potable water. Our house was hurricane-proof, so if it flooded all we had to do was hose down the walls (cement) and floors (marble), repaint and replace furniture and appliances. That means that once the flooding receded we could go back to clean the house and make it habitable again instead of having to stay at a shelter and risk getting sick.

Re:Hmmm

[Fjornir]

This is in response to your comment but largely addressed to the submitter -- maotx, please don't take the "you" personally in all of this. :)

It's my feeling that every geek should get their ham license. It costs $14 and it's good for 10 years. The study guide for the technician license is published by the arrl and it's called "Now You're Talking". Given that most geeks already know ohms law and how to handle simple wavelengthfrequency conversions you've almost passed right there. Beyond that there's a lot of really obvious stuff ("Why should you wear a hardhat and safety glasses when helping someone work on a tower?" "Er. To protect my eyes and my head..." ). The exam is given in a multiple choice format -- any answer which includes the phrase "control operator" is correct.

Even if you know jack-shit about radio you'll come close to passing just by picking the "correct-looking" answer off the test. SAT style guesswork. Large portions of the exam can easily be gamed: they publish all of the questions, right answers, and wrong answers which will appear on your exam. The hardest part (unless you're really good at rote memorization) is probably memorizing the beginning and end frequencies of each of the bands. This is easy to game because of all of the answers which will appear on your exam only one of them will have the correct width for the band. AA9PW has practice exams on his website. Try it and you'll be amazed at how close you are to passing right now. A single night of study will bring you up to a passing mark.

Don't try and skip on the exam and operate without a license. If you're seriously putting together a convoy to go into the area you can easily get a licensed operator to come in with you and handle any radio contacts on your group's behalf. If you don't know a ham then look up a local club on the ARRL -- or call a local fire department or hospital and ask for the contact information for the local ARES/RACES group. Odds are one of them would love to go down with you -- and will be an extra set of hands. The HAM you get to go with you will probably have a lot better emergency equipment than your group will -- and will have already spent a lot of time drilling for emergencies.

73 DE KE7EWX

Additional Things you might need

[sasha328]

I agree with the parent post. I am a volunteer in our state's Emergency Service organisation, and I can think of a couple more things you might need.
You haven't clarified what exactly you'll be tasked to do (rebuilding/helping the refugees, cleanups etc.) Still, I'll chip in with a few more suggestion, keeping in mind all you have is a trailer.

- Blankets: handy for a lot of things.
- Plastic Tarulins (and a roll of the heavy duty plastic sheets)
- Some ropes (the synthetic tie down ropes get a couple of rolls, and some hauling ropes (sythetic or natural fibre ones)
- Lots of (gaffa? or duct tape) very handy.
- Brooms and rakes.
- Spare boots and socks (unless you can obtain them locally)
- A ladder, I would recommend a Folding ladder: can be made into a step ladder or a long one.
- Drinking water containers (and water if you can, minimum 4 litres per person per day since you'll be "working" in a hot/humid place)

If you restrict the trailer to only equipment, you'll have a decent amount of essential tools/supplies for tasks in disaster areas. I'm assuming for a group of 10, you'll be going in a convoy or at least a bus. Keep personal gear in your cars and spare the trailer for equipment and tools.

One piece of advice I'd give you though. Working in disaster areas is not easy, especially when you are dealing with people who have lost a lot. Although it is easy to "say it", try not to get overwhelmed by the scale of things. Concentrate on your immediate tasks, and forget everything else while doing it. Also, it may not come naturally, you should appoint a "team leader" if you don't already have one. Makes running jobs much more smooth.

Good luck,

Re:Additional Things you might need

[jdbear]

I just got back from a week working in the Swingster Distribution Center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. 16 of us went down and worked in the center helping them to receive, organize and distribute supplies to the victims of the Hurricanes.

I learned several things while I was there. It is hot, and the work is hard. You simply can't drink enough water. By the end of the day, we would be sucking down a quart of water every 15 minutes, and didn't stop until a couple of hours after the "work day" was over. Keep this in mind.

The Gulf Coast region, with the exception of New Orleans, is in pretty good shape as far as public services are concerned. We were a half mile from the ocean, and were working in a sound building with power and water. I actually didn't make it into the building very often, mostly working in the yard unloading trucks or moving supplies.

Just about everything that was actually on the coast was destroyed. Those houses that were not completely devistated were damaged severely and will need massive reconstruction efforts. The houses just a little distance away from the coast, a quarter to a half of a mile or more, were not destroyed, but still suffered some sort of damage. The wind did some damage to roofs, knocked down trees, fences, etc, but the biggest problem was still water damamge.

Several of my crew left the distribution center one day to help an elderly gentleman "muck out" his house. He was 80 years old, mostly blind (he had 15% vision) and was trying to clean up/repair his home by himself with no tools and no power. He'd sent his wife away because the house wasn't safe to be in.

The houses have water damage. This means that everything that was under 5 feet off the ground was soaked in water, and is now molding and rotting. It has to be torn out and carried to the street for the trash crews to pick up. Furnature, clothing, electronics, bedding, linens, pillows, appliences, TV's,... you name it, it's ruined.

The biggest job is just removing the trash. Once it's gone, the house has to be cleaned with bleach or some other mold inhibitor. Dishwashing gloves come in handy. Once cleaned, it can be rebuilt, and that is a fairly straightforward construction job. Any damaged framing must be replaced, drywall goes up, flooring goes down, trim and moulding goes in.

There is also "yard work" that needs to be done. Some homes have already fixed this problem. They look like nothing has happened. It has been several weeks, so if their house was not too badly damaged, they had time to fix the yard up. Others look like a war zone. There is debris of every imaginable kind there. I could show you some pictures. I found a microwave oven with a crab living in it, next to a torn street sign. 10 feet over, there was a Grand Piano laying upside down.

There are crews that move through the streets with large grapplers and trucks to haul away the debris. They take it to a central point where it's piled up. The piles are HUGE. While I was there, I ate meals along side crews that did nothing but cut up downed limbs with chainsaws. Other crews then moved the cut wood to the street. It's a massive effort.

That they need most is people willing to go and work, and not be picky about the job that needs to be done. I am not a manual labor kind of guy. I'm a computer geek and work in Infrastructure Problem Management, which means that I sit at a desk all day and talk on the phone for a living. Still, the job that they needed at the time involved moving large numbers of heavy boxes. That's what I did.

When you go to help, just do the job that needs doing. Don't worry too much about having everything that you need with you. There are TONS of supplies there. They may not be easy to find, but they are there. People have been shipping tools and supplies to the Gulf Coast area for weeks. What we need are PEOPLE getting involved.

David

My list

[Profane Motherfucker]

Tetanus shot.
Rifle
Pistol
Bullets for rifle.
Bullets for pistol.
Shopping cart to put loot in.
Lots of really big duffel bags.
Ski mask.
Super sharp shank.
Weather radio.
Poncho.
Crack cocaine in little bags for trading purposes.
Cigarettes for same purpose.
Beer. Lots of beer.
More bullets
Another pistol.
Everything else, I can steal.

from a rural perspective, this is called a BOB

[zogger]

No idea from a viewpoint like that, seems if your local heavy urban infrastructure is destroyed, all that stuff you mention won't be working, plus most likely you'll be on foot if the roads get jammed with wrecks and stalled cars and public transportation is hosed. Best then probably a nice mountain bike, you can always pick it up and walk around or climb over obstructions.

Anyway, from a suburban or rural perspective, in the survival/preparedness community we call this "move on a moments notice" a BOB, or "Bug out Bag", or the portable reality backpack to be descriptive.. It has to be made individual, a everyones needs are different, and your geography and local climate conditions (winter/summer, etc) vary.

I prioritize in this sequence, based on human need, as opposed to luxuries: water-food-shelter-security

water-you NEED water, both stored and a very good filtration system. I see one poster mentioned katadyn already, they are good, and there are others on the market, online or the better camping stores

food-the best quality that is portable is the higher end mountain climbing food, you get the most calories and nutrition for the weight, but it's expensive. Cheaper, as mentioned, granola bars, raisins, nuts, chocolates, beef jerky, etc, whatever floats your taste buds and is light, requires no preparations to eat, and will give you some energy and protein for working. MREs are "OK" as far as they go, I personally don't like them (ate up all mine already, no desire to replace them) but they are functional and store a long time. I'd rather eat a can of sardines and some granola.

shelter-your first area of shelter is your clothing, so you have to pack what is critical, good quality socks, gloves, heavy pants and shirts, coat or jacket, etc. After that, any of the huge variety of lightweight tents (a tent with a weather fly is the best), and a lightweight but comfy sleeping bag

security-big variable, but critical. In an emergency situation you will be 'on your own", so really think about that. You will need to be able to defend yourself, possibly hunt for food. You'll need tools for these purposes, and YMMV what you might be comfortable with in that regard. You WILL need some good knives, as in multiple. You just will. One multi blade with gadgets, one sturdy belt knife, and another backup lock blade folder should work.

After that it's really "salt to taste". I have small medkits, radios, flashlights, sewing supplies, etc in my bags. Socks. did I mention extra socks? Your feet are critical because that's your ride, take care of your feet. Put in some soap and other hygien action, and don't neglect that, blisters will form and you don't want infections, so stay clean as possible.

I live rural and am very rural oriented so I have things others might not, like snares and small traps, lightweight fishing tackle, lightweight cooking supplies, etc. This is a serious long time interest of mine since i wa a teen and we got wiped out by a blizzard and national guard helos dropped food down to our 'hood. made an impresion on me how fast it can go from civilization to "you're on your own, Sparky!" so it's evolved for me over the years. I have done several eXtreme duration backwoods treks and done the grizzly zogger routine for months at a time in all weathers. Kinda fun really once you get in the groove. Personally I have found one of the more useful tools is just a medium weight axe, just amazing what you can do with one. If you twisted my arm and said "one tool only" that's what I would grab. Second most useful is a bic lighter. Ya, you can do any number of boy sprout schemes to build fire, but you can't beat a one dollar bic. Does wonders for the old morale to have some hot rabbit or trout instead of cold bugs and raw minnows when the stress level is at the "OMG" level. Real nice to stretch out in front of a small cozy fire instead of shivering in the mist. And don't forget some salt and pepper packs! Get extra when you score fastfood and slip them into a ziplock. (B

Once again, the French are to blame

[Zeph]

It wasn't God who brought the destruction to the people - but the ineptitude of people in the government and those who decided to build a city below sea level.

I like it, it's a good spin: In their first military victory, planned nearly three hundred years ago, the French brought destruction to the people of New Orleans.

Altama mil spec jungle boots w/ steel shim.

[modecx]

No spike protection?
I wear a pair of these when I'm working around nails and debris and whatnot, stepping on nails or sharp pieced of wood is no fun. They've got a steel shim, and it seems to work well though they're relatively stiff. I've stepped on a few nails with them, with no event, thankfully. They also ventilate well enough, which is always nice.

Like you say, it would be a very good idea to look through some of the safety shoe places too. Good footwear might be expensive, but it's worth every penny. Also, in case you're not used to boots, break them in slowly before you've really got to hoof it. Walk around with them at least a few miles a couple days before you get serious, your feet will thank you.

Please don't oversimplify this

[kollivier]

Sorry, but that is simply wrong. It takes little training to clear debris, cut trees and limbs, rip out sheetrock, etc. Yes, you could get hurt, probably just minor cuts and bruises, but it's not much different then cleaning your yard, just on a larger scale. Just don't crawl under downed trees or get near power lines.

Sorry, but this is simply oversimplifying the situation to the extreme. ;-) First off, you have no idea what the situation is like there. Second, did you know, for example, the utter chaos that can occur when bunches of people all over a country (as big as the US no less) just spontaneously decide to "roll up their sleeves" and go help or bring supplies? When you have hundreds, or thousands, of people just walking around looking for things to do or all bringing truckloads of supplies, which happen not to be needed? Do you have any firsthand experience with this, that guides your advice here?

You'd be surprised at how many people, for example, would donate time or resources that aren't even wanted/needed at the scene of the disaster. Taking resources as one example, in some disasters, they've literally FILLED large warehouses with ultimately useless donations. That is why everyone says to give money, because there's usually no shortage of needs, it's just that what's needed, and how much of it, is in constant flux.

As for "time" donations, inexperienced people with good intentions can do as much harm as good. It is not uncommon that people who were trying to help suddenly are needing help, instead. People can end up exposed to toxic materials without realizing it, etc., etc. They only have emergency medical services from what I hear right now, and they really need to keep those places open for the official relief efforts and the first citizens returning to the city.

If people want to help, great, but don't just fill a truck with random stuff and show up at the disaster scene saying "hi, we're here to help!". Either have a plan first and get clearance with the authorities, or just donate. Or, help out displaced persons locally. There's lots of ways to help.

Don't come

[humankind]

No disrespect intended, but it's too little, too late now.

I'm in New Orleans. I've been here since the hurricane. I've been rescuing people and pets. What we do not need at this time are people coming into the city clogging things up. Many of the aid stations have shut down because, contrary to what the media may be reporting, the outskirts of the city are slowly coming back into operation. So there's not much you can really do except get in the way.

Yea, you can come down and offer to help people with manual labor, but the media has scared the crap out of everybody with all the overblown looter/sniper reporting, you're likely to find people more suspicious than thankful.

I wish it weren't so, but that's the way it is.

If you want to help, don't vote Republican any more. Honestly, this will do more to help people in the area than anything else you can do. The current administration is giving away most of the federal aid to a small number of politically-connected corporations friendly with the current administration. At least the democrats put more emphasis on middle class and education.

We're screwed. I don't even want to talk about it honestly. I'm totally burned out from what I've had to go through.

Re:Don't come

[VeriTea]

I think you meant to say "don't vote Democrat in Louisiana anymore". If you believe the media circus about FEMA failing as first-response agency you have been sadly mislead. First response has always been a state and local government function, no exceptions. Louisiana as a state and New Orleans as a city badly failed to plan for a hurricane, to develop a response plan, or to properly manage the aftermath. For example, the governor herself prevented the Red Cross from providing relief (out of fear that it would encourage people to stay in the city) until days after the hurricane was past.

Louisiana has been dominated by the Democratic party for generations and the disastrous incompetence was a direct result of that one-party rule. The best thing a voter could do for Louisiana would be to not vote for a single incumbent in the next state and local elections. FEMA's website (before this hurricane season) explicitly instructs people to not expect help from them for several days (7+) after a disaster. A 2000 person agency simply cannot provide first response services. FEMA was formed for long-term cleanup and this myth of first-response failure is entirely a case of party politics.

Re:Don't come

[VeriTea]

I did as you suggested and spent some time reading about the Hurricane Pam exercise. It appears to have been an exercised organized by FEMA for the benefit of helping the emergency preparedness officials in Louisiana plan and prepare their response. One article I found discussed the difficulty that the *state* anticipated in effectively evacuating the city. The remedy was to call in the national guard (commanded by the governor of the state, not the federal government) before the hurricane and use them to help in the evacuation process (as we all know, the governor made no such effort).

Once again massive failures at the state and local level caused most of the early 'slow-response' problems, despite FEMA's attempts to help them be prepared.

Perspective from a firefighter.

[macguys]

OK, a retired firefighter but I did 20 years with the local volunteer squad. This is my go kit:

All the normal stuff you travel with plus:

an LED headlamp, the battery charger, and a bunch of regular alkaline batteries to keep it powered.

An assortment of gloves and some ear plugs.

A waterproof bag http://www.ortliebusa.com/ for my gear.

All the usual travel stuff (small first aid kit, sewing kit, etc.)

A powerstrip so that I can be a good citizen when I need to plug in a charger

Here's what we really need...

[humankind]

I'm down here in the middle of this mess. I've been helping with rescue efforts. The rescue efforts are over. The relief efforts are, for the most part, over as well.

If you want to help us, the best thing you can do is make sure the media's prototypically-short attention span doesn't waiver from the fact that this area needs help... big help.. not some church group handing out towels.

What we need are people WATCHING THE MONEY that's being spent down here. That's where we need the most help. If we don't get it, New Orleans is going to end up like Iraq... with billions given to politically-connected special interest groups and no substantive infrastructure or improvement. That's the legacy the current administration is doing in the wake of an ADD populace who isn't paying attention.

What we need most are people who are paying close attention to what the feds are doing. The people of the Gulf Coast can deal with things. If you REALLY want to help, be active politically, and insist that taxpayer money goes directly to local communities instead of Halliburton. Right now, a shitload of federal money is going to Halliburton, just like it is in Iraq.

Don't come down here. Get on the phone and call your representatives and demand that the resources dedicated to this area are not squandered away in a plethora of no-bid contracts. That's what's happening now. Everything else is paltry compared to this.

If you really want to help, that's what you need to do. If you want to go on some goofy, fuzzy, feel-good, field trip that won't make any significant difference, go ahead with your other plans. But I sincerely urge you to seriously consider what I'm saying. I cannot stress how important it is. WATCH THE MONEY LIKE A HAWK!! We are going to get screwed if the American people don't pay attention!

What you can expect here...

[humankind]

Please accept my apology in advance but the more I think about this thread, the more it upsets me.

I don't see a group of people wanting to help others. I see a group wanting to make itself feel better by wandering into a disaster area and getting in the way.

98% of what others have posted here is not relevant.

It doesn't matter where you go in the affected areas. By the time you get down here, essentials will be available everywhere. Right now, even in the most outlying areas, essential supplies, including gas, are readily available. Food, water, repellant, tools, gas. It's all available within a convenient distance now. You're too late.

I've been in the area since the storm. I've lived in New Orleans for 20+ years. I've been all over the area. I've been on boats. I've been rescuing people, animals, handing out food, you-name-it, I've done it.

You guys are leaving in a few weeks? What for? It's all over now.

Let me be blunt. Don't use us as an excuse to make yourselves feel better about yourselves.

What you can expect to find is a string of communities working hard to rebuild and your U-Haul won't make a difference. Maybe if you had been down here three weeks ago it might have, but honestly, at this late point, it's more a superficial, shallow token than any real needed help. You come down here you're going to be IN THE WAY. Yea, if you're giving stuff away, you'll find people who will appreciate it, but the gesture is largely ceremonial and you might want to re-examine whether or not you're doing this for yourselves as opposed to those who have been victimized.

With all due respect, I am resentful of the little media circus you've staged on Slashdot.

If you want to help, you'll offer a place to stay up where you are for refugees and offer them conveniences there. Coming down here is SELFISH.

If you come down here you're going to run into one of two scenarios:

a) A city that is in the process of getting back up to speed and you're in the way. You can do what other people have done, which is just set up somewhere and give out shit and people will line up, but most of the people will be the type that just take anything that's free and you'll just be enabling a bunch of freeloaders. We don't need that.

b) A "no-mans-zone" where everything has been destroyed and people are coming in and getting their shit and leaving. Again, you'll be in the way, unless you're brave enough to enter some of these flooded residences and help residents get a few precious items. But trust me, you'll spend about 10 minutes in one of these cesspools and decide you'd rather be back watching FOX on cable, so do us a favor and don't bother. The people who are in the hardest hit areas are getting their stuff and leaving... and if you want to help them, get them a goddam place to live.. don't come down and hover over the entrails that was their home handing out water bottles.

Please do not exploit us for your own selfish psychological needs. Many have come down here long before you people decided way too late that maybe you could launch some "humanitarian mission" and have been turned away.

If you want to help those affected by Katrina, go to one of the shelters housing evacuees. Those people are the ones that need the most help. The people that are in the city now are self-sufficient, or they have places to go. God is watching. Think about it. Don't use us. We've been abused already. Go to Houston or Dallas or Arkansas and help people in the shelters. DON'T COME to the affected area. Those that are down here have what they need. If you come down here and you ignore the people that are displaced in shelters, that's the biggest sin of all, at the expense of your selfish need to feel useful according to your own terms, in blatant disregard for the real needs of those affected by this tragedy.

Re:What you can expect here...

[Rekrapt]

All over now? Really? Well, tell that to Waveland, MS, which is practically gone. Tell that to the owners of the 65,000+ homes that were completely destroyed on the MS Gulf Coast. Tell that to the people down here who still wait for hours to get food at what few stores that are open. Tell that to all the elderly people who still have fallen trees in their yards with no one to help remove them unless they pay some inflated price. Tell that to the people who had damage to their power meters or power masts who have to pay close to 2,000 bucks to have something repaired that would normally cost $500. Tell that to the thousands who lost the vehicles and can't get to what few stores are open to get diapers and formula.

Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Waveland, Long Beach, Gulfport (where I live) and Biloxi still have plenty of people in need. They aren't freeloaders... they've been traumatized and certianly aren't getting much help in a timely manner from the Red Cross or FEMA. They sure as hell aren't what I would consider "free-loaders"; though there certainly are some lurking about. Those are easy to spot... since they are the ones acting like somebody owes them something.

My family has recovered. We're better off than a lot of people. We are helping as we can. But, if this guy and his crew want to come down here and help... Welcome! If it makes them feel good about themselves in the process... excellent. I sure wouldn't want them to come down here to help if it made them feel bad about themselves.

Since New Orleans didn't get the brunt of Katrina, I can see why you feel that way. Your damage came from the levees, and your state and local governments, failing. Mississippi got the full force of Katrina. All New Orleans got was an attitude problem.

For those interested, here are some pics from some of those areas me, my wife and a friend took:

http://tparker.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=30

For You or For the People You Are Going To Help?

[donald325]

I live near the Katrina zone. I've been hit by Ivan, Dennis, several tropical storms this year, then Katrina and brushed by Rita. I still have a house, a bad back from boarding up my house four times this past year, and anxiety about the last third of this hurricane season.

For you, high-top leather boots to keep the snakes from getting to you. Don't walk in water unless you have high-top waders. Farmland chemical run-offs will burn your skin, the snakes and alligators will bite. So stay out of the water. Maybe an inflatable raft if you are adventurous. Since you won't be down here long, don't worry about comforts of home, like your MP3 player or hair products. Live a couple of weeks like the locals. Hope you have an epiphany.

For the people you are coming to help, bring lots of tooth brushes, tooth paste, deodorant and soap. Clean clothes would be nice, or something to wash their current clothes with (Era, Wisk).

Since you are with a church group, I would guess alcohol would be out of your delivery agenda. If not, a small bit of fine brandy, rum would not go unnoticed.

Before Katrina, I had large bags of childrens clothes, shoes, adult clothes ready for my local mission to donate. After the storm, I just went through my closet and dumped a lot of my currently wearable clothes into bags to add to that. We donated about $4,000 worth of clothes. That's my donation this year, without the US tax receipt. So the Govt gets the money I would have gotten for the tax deduction and the people still get the clothes. The bags of clothes were donated to my local church who went there right after the storm.

My recommendation: Bring things you are willing to give away off of your back. This is devastation down here. Don't bring your comforts of home crap, unless you are willing to leave them to someone in need.

Re:The only thing you need...

[deesine]

Don't bring your bibles. These people need real actual help, they don't need folks coming down there with ulterior motives trying to convert them.

Was there something he said that made you think that his main focus wasn't helping people's immediate and actual needs? There's a thousand different ways you could have respectfully inquired as to this volunteer's motives. Instead, you automatically assume his motives to be dark and sinister. Ya, we all read your lame attempt to claim otherwise.

And the whole ending, with a plea for the children; great cover for that crass demonstration of your inability to act civily in light of an obviously negative past experience.

Insightful, indeed, but at what cost?

Basic survival gear list

[garote]

Considering that you may be moving into a region that has NO ability to provide amenities, you may want to treat the whole experience like a wilderness backpacking trip. However, if you're going to stay in one place where you can keep supplies, you should prepare a disaster stockpile. A these items are what you should have on hand at home - and presumably take with you at large. ( List compiled by my pal Breakpoint, shortly after his fifth Burning Man trip )

Hugo lessons

[AngryNick]

After hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina in '89, my college buddies and I spent most of our time inland, chopping up fallen trees and piling debris. If I had to go through another Hugo experience, I'd bring:

1. Chainsaws (for obvious reasons)
2. Gloves, ear plugs, safety glasses,
3. Stump pulling chain
4. Tire patch kits, nail puller, pump (there were roofing nails everywhere and numerous flats)
5. Tylenol
6. Simple toys for young kids (like Barbie dolls and little plastic farm animals)
7. Books and CDs/CD players for older kids

Fortunately, we didn't have to deal with the flooding, homelessness and despair that you will surely face...so my experience may not be that helpful. Good luck. My prayers are with you.

One Small Note

[virg_mattes]

Take duct tape, not gaffer's tape. Gaffe tape frankly sticks too well for most jury-rigging jobs, and it's much more expensive than duct tape, which will do the job just as well in almost all cases you'll encounter. Throw in ten rolls of electrical tape in cases where waterproof seals are a requirement, and you'll be golden for half the cost.

Virg

Just got my license

[Migraineman]

I took my exam on 10 September, and was in the FCC database by 12 September. The ARRL welcome package showed up about a week later, then another week and my official paper package from the FCC arrived. The entire process was painless. And yes, the recent disaster scenarios played into motivating me to actually go take the test.

I'm licensed Technician, but I passed all the written exams up through Amateur Extra. I studied pretty hard for the Technician exam, and I must admit that the practice exams over at eHam.net were a great help. I went to the exam session intending only to take the Technican test. I got 100% on the test, so the VEs (Volunteer Examiners) convinced me to take the General test. There's no cost, and they said "it's more of the same kind of question. You'll need to guess a bit on certain ones, but given your score on the Technician exam, you'll probably pass." So what do I have to lose? I took the test, and missed three questions. Repeat the same scenario for the Amateur Extra test. On that, I missed 13 questions, which is barely passing. But in the spirit of pass/fail college couses, D-minus is passing, so I'll take it. (Incidentally, taking the Amateur Extra exam motivated me to go back and review the question pool to see what questions I answered incorrectly and why, so it actually got me to go study some more after the fact.) My credit for the written exams lasts for 365 days, so somewhere in that period I need to learn Morse to get upgraded to full privileges.

So I agree with the Parent's statement that you should go out and get your Technician license. It's not complicated, and you should draw confidence from the fact that your survival skills are enhanced a bit. No matter how badly the power or telepone infrastructure is damaged, radio propagation still works.