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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Friday, September 09, 2005 - 8:17 pm
Maris, I love the "We've Got Your Back" initiative. My 8 year old son and I have been talking about how we want to help with the relief effort and I think we've found our way. Thank you for the information. I'm printing it up and will pass it on to other mom's I know. We are also planning on going through my son's clothes and donating them to the Red Cross.
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Jmm
Moderator
08-16-2002
| Friday, September 09, 2005 - 8:40 pm
Lkunkel, Thank you so much for sharing that site. I hope that someone with contacts in the media see it and tries to find this man. He has an eye and a heart for the story and would make a wonderful photographer for them.
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Zeno39
Member
11-09-2002
| Friday, September 09, 2005 - 9:27 pm
Also, here where a lot of displaced families have come, our schools have helped the students who had to register here to get back in school. They have given them everything from back packs to all the supplies they need. Our Catholic church (of which I am a member) has donated all the supplied the kids need to get started in school here. So everyone is helping and buying supplies for them. It is great! It finally put a smile on some of their sad faces. Also, people are going through their closets at home to give clothes that they don't need or use, to give them to the evacuees. People are willing to do anything they can to help, because they really need it, and it may happen to us one day, as it has in the past. We have all been through it here, but just not as bad as Louisiana and Mississippi. I can't understand why the media hasn't said so much about Mississippi. They are in such a sad state too. What is going on here? All of these people need all the help they can get!
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Moondance
Member
07-30-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 7:49 am
Please sign this if you haven't already. And to all who are actually there working, thank you thank you thank you. September 7, 2005 : 8:25 PM ET As mayor orders forced evacuations, an estimated 10,000 people are still refusing to leave flooded New Orleans, many because of their pets We have all seen the heartbreaking stories of people forced to leave their pets behind as they evacuated the ravaged city of New Orleans. In some places, this is changing. Best Friends has reported that local officials had rescinded the order that pets be left behind as evacuees board buses. CNN reports that more and more pets are being allowed onto evacuation boats and helicopters, and has even showed footage of soldiers going out of their way to rescue pets. But nothing is consistent in New Orleans at the moment, and sometimes, passage for pets is still being refused. And many are refusing to leave the city without their beloved companions. A story today in The Advocate, a Baton Rouge newspaper, theorized that pets are the No. 1 reason that the 10,000 people remaining in New Orleans are refusing to leave. (Read full article at http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090705/new_evac001.shtml). As Advocate reporters cruised with rescue workers, several people refused to leave unless their pets could go, too. The Advocate article quoted one volunteer who said the national government was refusing to allow them to rescue pets: FEMA has told us we cannot take the pets. They told that we could not take one cat or dog in our boats," said Steve Miller of Dutchtown. "It's a stupid rule. More people are going to die because of that." CNNs Andersen Cooper focused on the issue Wednesday evening, reporting on an elderly woman who was legally blind, but refused to evacuate without her service dog. My dog goes where I go, or I dont go, the woman said defiantly. Eventually, police relented from their original position and allowed the woman to take her dog with her. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an animal-rights oriented doctors group, has issued a statement condemning the policy that requires pets to be left behind, and emphasizing that such a policy has a devastating effect on already traumatized hurricane victims. One woman has decided to do something about the practice, and has begun an Internet-based petition to the mayor of New Orleans, demanding that pets be evacuated with their people. Margaret Barry, a registered dietician from Massachusetts, started the petition Tuesday night. By 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday, it had collected more than 12,000 signatures. It has blown me away, Barry said. When I posted it last night I was worried it wouldnt even get 1,000 signatures. . .Now it really has taken on a life of its own. Barry was inspired to post the petition after discussing the tragedy of the pets left behind in a chatroom on www.nola.com. Although she is a lifetime pet owner and animal lover, she has never done anything like this before. I just thought it was something that needed attention, she says. Pets are such an important part of our life. They do so much for us. Barry says she has already emailed the petition to the president, the mayor of New Orleans, and the two senators from Louisiana. She has also sent it to numerous media sources and animal welfare groups. The following letter precedes the petition: "The attached petition lists the names of people around the world that are concerned not only about the pets that were abandoned when the voluntary evacuations were initiated but, more importantly, the pets that may be left behind during the forced evacuations ordered by Mayor Nagin. It is my understanding that your office has some influence over the decision to proceed with forced evacuation. We hope that one of the considerations will be the safety and welfare of the pets that mean so much to the citizens of the affected areas. Please make sure that they are protected. Anything you can do to help will be much appreciated." You can find the petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/840979272.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 8:17 am
Done! 
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 10:18 am
Signed my name and saw that 60,000 people have also done the same. Wonder if signatures from outside of New Orleans will count, though?
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 12:39 pm
These are available on my website for $5 each. All profits will be donated to the Salvation Army's hurricane relief fund. I don't make a cent on them. Drive for Joy

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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 3:04 pm
I signed!
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Biloxibelle
Member
12-21-2001
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 5:25 pm
We are back on line. Good thing I married Inspector Gadget he has us hooked up. We are tired, sunburned,in shock, there is no clock time or days in our life right now, but we are alive and well. I haven't had a chance to catch up with this thread my thoughts are jumbled and I'm slightly idle brained so forgive me for rambling. Our house flooded but we are luckier then some our house is standing. We removed all the carpet, the wood flooring is shot, the tile held up great, all wood furniture is history. When we left we left in a hurry so I have my $1.98 Walmart flip flops that I wore to my name to wear on my feet all the other shoes floated around the house. I do have dress shoes, high heels and boots in boxes on the shelf in my closet so if you see a woman on the news wearing shorts and knee-hi boots that's not a hooker it's me. I hope we are catching the mold in time and don't have to tear out all our walls. We did have our insurance adjuster out here yesterday (again one of the lucky ones). I think we will come out ok. Now the problem is getting things done in a timely manner. I can't bring Stephanie home until the house is in order and the floor is back down. That is the worse part she was only out of the hospital 10 or so before this hit and she needs to be with me. The smell here is horrible I have never smelled anyhthing like it in my life and hope to never again. After other hurricanes all you could smell is pine from the trees but this time there is no pine smell. All you can smell is stink. Lines everywhere. Every thing you do everywhere you go is a line. If you go to the bank they only let 2 people in at a time, stores escort you to what want or need. Lines for water, lines for ice, lines for food, lines for gas, lines lines lines. My son works for Coke, if it wasn't for coke the first week I'm not sure what would have happened to us. My husband (Inspector Gadget) hooked up their generator and they gave him 7 cases of drinks. They gave my son 5 more cases of water, gas, ice, food and cash. My husband and DIL both found out they will lose their jobs. They work for the MGM Grand. Instead of laying them off after the 90 day work interuption insurance runs out they will be terminated. They can reapply jobs when the Beau Rivage opens but they will lose all seniority, pay scales and benefits they have earned. Kind of makes you want to say screw em open back up by yourself. For those of you that know I almost stayed due to my step-sisters mom I'm sad to say she passed away the day after the hurricane. And I'm angry to say the hospital lost her body. My sis in law finally located her in the next town so it took over a week for us to be able to bury her. Even though she was clearly tagged for hold they let the temp morgue pick her up. Now for the bright spot in all this we found out early last week I am going to be a Grandma again. Out of the rubble a new life springs. TVCH has been so kind to all of us. And WhoAmI trusting me with her phone number so I could get in touch means more then you will ever know. Even though my resources are limited at this time if I can help anyone or provide information please let me know.
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Heyltslori
Moderator
09-15-2001
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 5:31 pm
(((Biloxi))) I am so glad that you are safe and well. It sounds like even though you have some work ahead of you, your spirits remain high and that is good. Thanks for checking in and letting us know you're ok. P.S. The line about the "hooker" cracked me up!! 
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 5:43 pm
So good to hear from you, Biloxi! I know that stink...and flood clean up really bites. Have to giggle at your footwear! Be strong...this too, will pass. Please know that I am thinking of you.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 5:51 pm
Biloxi, I'm so glad to hear you are doing okay. It sounds terrible and I cannot begin to imagine what all of you are going through. And even though you've fared better tha many, it's still bad. It's also good to see you still have a bit of humor in all of this and I love your perspective on "life springing from rubble". Congrats on the new grandchild-to-be! As for the MGM terminating folks' employment -- that just sucks. I can understand that they may need to only pay for so long, but to flat out terminate and then say "if" they hire your DH back, he would lose all seniority and accumulated benefits -- that sucks big time. They could at least grandfather people back in at their same levels. Since it will take a while for them to get rebuilt, I would think they'd be happy to have experienced, loyal employees return. <sigh>
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 6:00 pm
It is wonderful to hear from you, Biloxibelle. Pat your dh on the back for bringing you back online. I've been thinking about you even before this all happened, and I'm sending more prayers that all will improve quickly. Maybe your dh and others should strike, keeping the company from opening with qualified employees. I despise companies using bad situations to their betterment. Love the image you produced with the asskicking boots and shorts! ETA: Congratulations on the grandbaby!
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 6:11 pm
biloxi, so glad to hear from you. thank god you are safe. sorry to hear the bad, at least there is some good. please let us know how/if we can be of help. kathleen
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 8:22 pm
Breathing a sigh of relief, Biloxi. You have all been through so much and I am thrilled to hear that you are okay. My congrats on a new grandbaby...such good news in spite of all of this. Glad that your sense of humor is intact, too.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 8:39 pm
Been worrying about you, Biloxibelle. Thank heavens you are okay.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 8:42 pm
For anyone who might have missed this in the previous archive, Lkunkel posted this link yesterday. It is a first person account of a Nicaraguan hotel worker who stayed in the French Quarter through the hurricane and eventually made his way out of the city. It is 197 photos, and each one is thoughtfully captioned, so it could take an hour to view them. It will be an hour well spent. http://tinyurl.com/dutl9
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Coco
Member
07-13-2000
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 9:57 pm
Biloxibelle, it is indeed wonderful to hear from you at long last! I truly can't imagine what you're going through, but from your post, I see that you are a woman filled with strong positive thoughts! I'll keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers as you plow forward in the weeks ahead. Congratulations on the baby news! Oh!, I cracked up at your "hooker" line too!
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 10:28 pm
BB, thank heavens you are safe. I am very sorry to hear about all the damage to your home, and I am so very glad to notice that you are not paralyzed by the trauma. You were an angel to check in with us. We're all sending you positive vibes and prayers that you can transform that house into your home again as quickly as possible. 
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 6:11 am
BB, I am so glad you are safe. I am so sorry about the jobs. I never liked the Grand, more a fan of the Beau Rivage, now I have even more reason to dislike them!
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 6:57 am
Soo good to hear from you Biloxi! Yours is the kind of strength that will help rebuild the lives needed in the hard hit areas, and probably the kind of strength that will go largely unnoticed, since the media would rather sensationalize and dramatize things. I was so worried I'd come off sounding stupid or standoffish when you called. I'd just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang, and was fully expecting one of my sister's voices telling me they were on their way or running late (we were all meeting at our house to go out and "do" SIL's birthday). So, it took me several moments for my brain to first register it wasn't my sister's voice at all. I'm so sorry to hear about your step-sister's mom. Such a stressful time for your family to go through in its own right. Thank you so much for staying in touch, with all you need to focus on. And for blessing us with the wry humor (your "hooker" line), and insightful "out of the rubble a new life springs." My prayers are with you.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 11:03 am
With a name like 'Biloxibelle' I just knew you'd rise above it all with dignity and attitude. You go girl!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 3:46 pm
I continued to be so amazed and proud of people's generosity! Here's just a bit of my church's daily update....... ******* Pizza Roma helped us feed about 275 people today. There were many take-out boxes packed and folks are still shopping at Ann-Mart and seeking housing and employment. Many of you have asked whether we have found the 8 year-old boy's dog. As we speak our volunteers are visiting shelters and hope to find Max soon. As I said yesterday many of our families are beginning to move into permanent-temporary housing and are beginning to set-up homes in the area. I learned today of five families who are renting a house together hoping to make money stretch and help support one another. Those who have been fortunate enough to gain access to FEMA funds have chosen to pay for the housing in advance. There is beginning to be a little order in the midst of chaos. It is a thrill to see smiles on the faces of those that just a week ago were streaming with tears. Thanks to you and your great generosity people have gotten a glimpse of hope in what otherwise might be a hopeless situation. As you know we will continue serving lunch and providing services through Monday, September 19. We are able to do so in part because of the partnership we have established with other Memorial area churches but also because of the great generosity of the restaurants in our community. We hope you will visit Carrabba's, James Coney Island, Pizza Roma, Skeeter's and Ninfa's and say thank you in person to these fine eating establishments. We have received many calls, donations and emails from people all over the country thanks to your willingness to share your story. Yesterday a truck filled with hygiene kits and underwear appeared on our doorstep from a church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We were able to refill our supply and share with others in the city. A shipment of diapers of all sizes arrived on Friday from a church in Virginia. These and many more of your family members and friends have made a connection with us that has impacted the lives of literally over 4,200 people as of this day. I do not know how we will be able to thank everyone personally. Please pass on our word of thanks. **** As for me, I have gotten to know the kids and the families. They thank me, but don't realize that my life has been blessed 10x more from know them.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 3:58 pm
Texannie, what an angel you are. Thanks for posting. 
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Sunday, September 11, 2005 - 6:52 pm
LOL, Kar, not an angel at all, but just so proud of my town and so terribly touched by the people I have met!
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