AMERICA: Let's get creative and help our fellow citizens in need!!!!

UPDATE: TOLL FREE FRIENDS AND FAMILY LOCATOR -
1 877 206 7500
Call this number to leave a voicemail for a family member, friend, or relative. It's free and was just shown on CNN Headline News - 9/2/2005 12:47 PDT

Earlier today, I heard a clip on NPR radio that menioned how many Americans were flocking to Internet sites like craigslist.org to post Lost and Found information along with offers to assist those afftected by Hurricane Katrina and the aftermatch that is currently wreaking havoc on New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast states.

I got to thinking that the Internet continues to be an important communications medium. I visited http://neworleans.craigslist.org earlier today and submitted a post with an offer to help anyone affected by the unfolding catastrophe by exchanging email and phone calls with family members, relatives, and friends that have been out of contact. I offered to call anyone, anywhere, at anytime in the US.

Here's a link to the post on craigslist: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/laf/94892905.html

I checked back after about an hour and sure enough I had an email with a request to forward some email to an estranged family member. I've included an exerpt of that email conversation in the is post. I've removed the email addresses to protect the privacy of the folks I assisted.

I suggest that the American public mobilize and think of creative ways to help our fellow struggling Americans. It's the least we can do.

Of course, if you want to donate to http://www.redcross.org ,they can use as much monetary support as possible. I made a donation on the eve of the hurricane making landfall knowing that the fallout could be catatstrophic.


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Here is a copy of an email thread from earlier tonight that I received after I submitted this post to http://neworleans.craigslist.org


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bdeseattle mobile
Date: Sep 2, 2005 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: (no subject)
To: tracy*********@*******.com



Brian,
Yes this is my sister. Thank you so much for your help. We have been looking for her and trying to get a hold of her for days with no avail. She just moved down there 2 weeks ago from Jersey. Thank you SO much for getting me this message. She is my twin sister, 24 years old with twin boys, age 8 months so my mother and i have been worried sick. Hopeflly she will get to the Astro Dome and be able to get to a phone so we can get her a ticket to come back home to Jersey. Thank you again, Tracy


In a message dated 9/2/2005 1:55:57 AM Eastern Standard Time, bdeseattle.mobile@gmail.com writes:

Tracy -

I posted to an online lost and found site (http://neworleans.craigslist.org) and offered to help forward messages to friends and family across the nation. Please find the following message which I received tonight. Please reply if you recognize this as a family member's email address below. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I can arrange for a toll free conference call bridge if you can coordinate a time with one other. Good luck, stay strong, and maintain hope. The entire nation is rallying to help with the rescue and recovery effort. godspeed.

Sincerely,

Brian


On 9/1/05, Laura******@******.com wrote:

Can you please help me and send an email to my sister, Tracy, in New Jersey and let her know that me and my children are safe, however, we have lost our cousin in the storm, chris. the phone's are down and by pure luck i found a computer. can you also let her know, with any luck we are headed to houston tomorrow. her email is TracyNYJetsRock at aol.com

thank you for your help and god bless you, laura [last name witheld]