Hi all,
There is a website that has been established by the DOE to let folks know which schools need help, and more importantly, exactly what they need. If your parent group is looking to help in the relief efforts, this is a pretty good way for your group to "adopt" a school or send supplies. Site's mentioned on our blog, too.
www.ed.gov/news/hurricane/schools/index-state.html

Patty Catalano
Staff Writer
PTO Today

My husband and I are from New Orleans and now live in Jackson, MS. All of his family came here to stay with us and have rented apartments to stay for awhile. My family is scattered. The situation in NO is horrible but no less horrible than the Gulf Coast. Jackson has been flooded with people from New Orleans AND the coast. Our collisum is full and we have shelters all over MS. Our school district alone is enrolling enough children to equal one class per grade. My family got back into NO today and the full extent of what the situation is hit them like bricks. They won't be going back for a couple/few months. But.... they will get to go back to their homes, the people on the coast have no homes left to go back too. I simply can't imagine. So not only are the obvious items needed but our district will need books/supplies/desk, etc.. We are in Hinds County Public School district. My church also has a shelter set up right down the road and has approximately 100 people in there. (Crossroads of Life)

Any help no matter how small would be appreciated.

posted 09-05-2005 08:56 PM

---

Is their a national list of school or places to send school supplies and other items.

I am not sure there is actually a national list of places to send school supplies but perhaps I may offer some suggestions since I'm in Louisiana. The parish(county to the rest of you!) of East Baton Rouge has taken in a VERY large number of these children and I am sure they are overwhelmed. Perhaps a call to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board could direct you to a low-income school where the current students/families might not have the resources to help.

I am in Caddo Parish (County) and we, too, have a large number of evacuees. The town of Lafayette, Louisiana, which is close to New Orleans has large numbers. I would suggest calling the school boards of these parishes, telling them your school would like to help and ask them to give you the names of some schools that are taking in large numbers of evacuees. Then you could call the school directly, tell them your PTO would like to offer support and ask them specifically what they need. I don't know if this would work, but it sounds like the best way to go directly to the problem.

I have a very low-income elementary school not too far from where I live and I was thinking about calling them tomorrow because they are close to one of the two large shelters in town. I am betting they might be getting a number of these students. If I find out anything, I'll report.

Thanks
SHC in Louisiana

Is their a national list of school or places to send school supplies and other items.

I've just seen "these school systems are taking in refugees" (Etymology: French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Latin refugium) and someone posted a list of phones but a lot of the schools we called didnt know or werent taking any, yet.

Thanks

TAra... I have recieved many requests from our school families to do either a school supply drive or toiletry drive for those of you who will be taking in some of the folks from New Orleans. Tara, could you please email me with an address where we might send items to help you as you help the refugees. My email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our school is anxious to help and is very good at responding to others in need.

I think half of New Orleans is in Baton Rouge! It is supposed to be unbelievable. Friends tell me you can't even get any groceries in Baton Rouge there are so many people.

Just to give you an idea of what it's like in Baton Rouge on the LSU campus, I received this e-mail from a friend--it is written by a person
(William Martin) who works on the LSU campus. (The PMAC is the Pete Maravich Assembly Center)

From: "William Martin"
To: "Bill Martin"
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 02:51:35 -0600
Subject: The PMAC will never host an important event like it did tonight

Little did I know what I would be doing following Hurricane Katrina's
aftermath but as I type right now, there won't be a more gratifying or
more surreal experience I went through tonight. We went up to the office
today and held a press conference regarding the postponement of the game
and it was the right decision. As the PMAC and Field House are being
used as shelters we decided as an office to do everything we could to
help the situation.

At first, we were just supposed to make copies of this disaster relief
form for all of the people. The copiers will never print a document more
important than that. It's weird. Nearly 12 hours ago we were running off
copies of game notes for a football game that is now meaningless. We
printed the copies and carried them over to the Field House at 6:30 p.m.
I wouldn't leave the area for another 8 hours.

On the way back to the PMAC in a cart, it looked like the scene in the
movie Outbreak. FEMA officials, U.S. Marshalls, National Guard, and of
course the survivors. Black Hawks were carrying in victims who were
stranded on roofs. Buses rolled in from N.O. with other survivors. As
Michael and I rode back to the PMAC, a lady fell out of her wheelchair
and we scrambled to help her up.

We met Coach Miles and Coach Moffiit in the PMAC to see all the
survivors and it was the view of a hospital. Stretchers rolled in
constantly and for the first time in my life I saw someone die right in
front of me. A man rolled in from New Orleans and was badly injured on
his head. 5 minutes later he was dead. And that was the scene all night.
What did we do, we started hauling in supplies. And thousands of boxes
of supplies. The CDC from Atlanta arrived directing us what to do.

One of the U.S. Marshalls was on hand so the supplies could not become
loot. I asked him what his primary job was. He serves on the committee
of counter terrorism, but once he saw of the disaster, he donated his
forces to come help. He said the death toll could be nearing 10,000. It
was sickening to hear that.

After unloading supplies, I started putting together baby cribs and then
IV poles. Several of our fball players and Big Baby and Tasmin Mitchell
helped us. At the same time, families and people strolled in. Mothers
were giving berth in the locker rooms. The auxiliary gym "Dungeon" was
being used as a morgue. I couldn't take myself down there to see it.

I worked from 8 pm until 2:45 am. Before I left three more buses rolled
in and they were almost out of room. People were standing outside, the
lowest of the low from NO. The smells, the sights were hard to take.

A man lying down on a cot asked me to come see him. He said,"I just need
someone to talk to, to tell my story because I have nobody and nothing
left. He turned out to be a retired military veteran. His story was what
everybody was saying. He thought he survived the worst, woke up this
morning and the levees broke. Within minutes water rushed into his
house. He climbed to the attic, smashed his way through the roof and sat
there for hours. He was completely sunburned and exhausted. Nearly 12
hours later a chopper rescued him and here he was.

We finished the night hauling boxes of body bags and more were on the
way. As we left, a man was strolled in on a stretcher and scarily enough
he suffered gunshots. The paramedic said he was shot several times
because a looter or a convict needed his boat and he wouldn't give it to
him. Another man with him said it was "an uncivilized society no better
than Iraq down there right now." A few minutes later he was unconcious
and later pronounced dead. I then left as they were strolling a 3 year
old kid in on a stretcher. I couldn't take it anymore.

That was the scene at the PMAC and it gives me a new perspective on
things. For those of you who I haven't been able to get in touch with
because of phone service, I pray you are safe. Send me an email to let
me know. God bless.

Bill Martin
LSU Sports Information