Mondays are usually blogs to motivate writers. Today I’m deviating a bit.
I live on the Texas gulf coast. I’ve seen lots and lots of storms. Big hurricanes, little hurricanes, and tropical storms that did more damage than any hurricane.
I’ve also been stranded in a volunteer fire department in Deep Creek, Maryland during a Nor’easter blizzard for days with three small children, a miniature schnauzer and a husband anxious to get home to check on our house. We shared the small fire department’s building with about two hundred other motorists traveling home after the Thanksgiving holiday.
BEFORE the era of cell phones I might add. No one knew what had happened to us for days.
I’m sure most of you have seen the pictures of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation. If you haven’t, check out this site with before and after shots. Slide your mouse over the before snapshot and view the aftermath of Sandy. You’ll be shocked.
Before/After Hurricane Sandy Photos Show How Storm Devastated East Coast (INTERACTIVE PICTURES)
A week later a Nor’easter visited the east coast. Too much for an already crushed area.
There is no doubt the damaging effects of Hurricane Sandy will be with us for a long time. Today I want to encourage everyone to help out and suggest donations to:
From my personal experience with the Red Cross in a weather crisis, I know they are “Johnny on the Spot.” Red Cross volunteers offered some terrific sandwiches, warm blankets, and delivered messages for us during our blizzard experience. Just click on the logo above to donate.
Based on my research, I believe the following organizations are also trustworthy and positioned to help those in need receive immediate help and care. In order to make it easier for you to donate to these organizations, here are the direct links:
For our military families in the path of both storms, these organizations offer assistance:
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
I’m sure you may know of other organizations where you can help out in person or send a donation. HELP.
I found Write Now Relief on Facebook that I know isn’t a scam and offers the opportunity to win a like a 50-page critique of your novel by a published novelist in exchange for the winning donation bid.
You bid at Write Now Relief between Nov 9 and Nov 16. Highest bidder’s amount with be sent to relief efforts for the victims of Superstorm Sandy.
Okay, back to the writing…
Judythe, this is excellent. Thanks for putting all of this together! The Red Cross has been wonderful here, as has FEMA and all the survivors of Katrina who came up north to help us through. (And yup, we were without cell phones, too. No power to the towers.)
So glad things are going better. Nephew who lives in Battery Park is okay now too. Scary times.
Thanks for the links. Those pictures are wild and devastating.
The media does a great job during and sometimes drops the followup. From those pictures, it’s really, really gonna be a long time till stuff is back to normal. We can still see Ike’s effect in Galveston.
Thanks for sharing those links, Judythe. A good reminder to continue to send help even though the storms have come and gone.
You’re welcome. Sometimes when the story’s not flooding (pun intended) the media we tend to forget what a mess these people face.