Thoughts
on the adequacy of the Katrina response, from around the world. I
wish I were there with a relief group… from the USA Freedom Corps
site (needless to say, a federal program):
As recovery and relief efforts begin to assist victims, well-meaning
volunteers are being urged not to report directly to the
affected areas unless directed by a volunteer agency. Please
be patient and allow the professional first-responders and aid
workers to do their job. In the coming weeks, months and years,
please visit the
USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network to find opportunities to
engage in ongoing relief efforts and prepare for future disasters.
I’m all for professionalism and training. Untrained volunteers
can make an awful mess. But this is no way to build on current
sentiment. Start training willing volunteers now; note that we’re
likely to have another killer storm like this within the next decade;
give people remote tasks like PR outreach, name collection, even
federal support for some of the grassroots communications efforts that
already exist. Get a new server for the katrinahelp wiki, for
crying out loud.
Without actually
listing “volunteer agenc[ies]” who might direct these energies towards alleviating the disaster, this
is an awful warning to hand out. Rather like encouraging people to
support the responses to 9/11 and the last Gulf invasion by ‘going
about [their] normal business’ and shopping. .