Vital information for those going in to the affected area.

[crispini]

I found this post on another message board. Please spread this around! This is for the WASHINGTON PARISH area but many things are applicable to other areas around NOLA!

Facts:

1.) Roads to Bogalusa that use Hwy 16 Amite are passable. Other ways are also doable although they don't apply to me so I'm not completely sure what they are....but they're listed in detail on this forum.

2.) Deficits in power, electricity, ICE, WATER, FOOD, GAS, GENERATORS

3.) Hospital needs aid ASAP

4.) No aid agencies rushing to Bogalusa bc other cities need it alot more. Tired, hot, and thirsty locals are the only people in the Bogalusa recovery effort...National Guard and city FD/PD is there but they're busy with a # of tasks....the more bodies the better.

5.) They need help NOW more than ever, because agencies like red cross may not even arrive until late next week, or in sufficient numbers to help all the people. Its now that people need help..giving them a little boost now will help them get by for a week or so until federal aid can come in

6.) So don't wait unnecessarily if you know that the route is shown to be passable....this forum should provide you detailed info on that....read it carefully...even if you are not completely aware of your relative/friend's status (I am not aware of mine, for instance), the people of Bogalusa, many of which you probably know, are in need...THAT matters enough for you to get down there ASAP and provide key items that could make a HUGE difference in a 100 degree heat index town..... bring these items for starters:

Assorted Canned Goods...something you can eat right away like Del Monte fruits/veggies, soups not so good without heat but its doable....

Generator (if possible...)

Empty Gas Canisters (2-3 3-4 gallon containers ideally)

Hand pump that can siphon gas from your car's tank to above canisters (do NOT siphon by mouth!)

IgLoo AC/DC cooler Koolmate 56QT (holds 72 12 oz cans!!!!) FILLED with Dasani 12 oz cans of water (buy enough to first stock the cooler, then plug it in your DC outlet on the way down there...BUT THEN, MAKE SURE TO BUY EVEN MORE CANS so that you can refill the car cooler when you're done!!!) This is 120.00 spent that can save a number of lives.


3-4 IgLoo MAXCOLD (5 DAY GUARANTEE) ICE CHESTS FULL OF ICE (FILL THIS from where you are! Other stations may be out of ice down the road! Don't worry, these coolers can hold ice for days!) ICE IS KEY FOR A NUMBER OF THINGS! BRING A HELL OF A LOT OF THIS AND YOU CANT GO WRONG

Full tank of gas! Last stop Amite if youre coming from there.

Chlorine tablets to disinfect water.

Flashlights/ batteries

Soap, toothpaste, toiletries for hygeine.

CAN OPENER!!!!!

WET WIPES!!!! Lots of them!!!!!

CASH….LOTS OF CASH, but don’t keep it all in your wallet, I don't know if looting would happen in our town but its possible!!!!

BUG REPELLENT

PAPER PLATES AND CUPS AND FLATWARE (could be nice in a place with no clean utensils, etc.)

Purell hand sanitizer

Vitamins…

Instant packet meals that dissolve in water and provide some calories(Carnation??)

If you are able, and the route is clear, then get down there, be it Bogalusa, or any Washington Parish town...the conditions down there that I've read indicate that there is alot of discomfort by Bogalusa citizens in a high stress situation. I am leaving now, you should too. I have seen in this forum how we are all out to help each other....getting down there will reinforce that Bogalusians are some of the most caring people around; this will define us, seriously.

Make sure to arrive in daylight so its easier to navigate in town and you'll get let in (given you have LA right parish license)...once you distribute supplies to loved ones, give some to others who may not have anyone coming for them...share...then aid in tree clearing or whatever they ask you to do...after all, they've been through alot...

[pointblank]

1. I posted yesterday about possibly going down to help...

I am a licensed Paramedic, with some search and rescue training...Are people really just saying screw it and just going to help? I know they were saying not to come down there, but this is getting ridiculous...they obviously dont have the people or the resources they need....some action needs to be taken.


Who is with me? lets organize, I can get a few days off. I have friends that live there, and many ties to NOLA and Gulfport, and I feel so helpless here!


Anyone have any info. I would like to volunteer.

[crispini]

3. Well, I am just going, because I have family down there.

I think I will try to take off tomorrow to get there before the Labor Day rush. Hopefully though a lot of people will have good sense and stay home on Labor Day.

Here is my plan, I am going to try to get into the area where my relatives are because it is less affected. I don't think they are getting much help from officials anyway because they are all alive and have houses. Also the situation is far far worse in New Orleans and my family there can sort of take care of themselves.

If you have friends down there I would try to figure out where you can go that is on the edge of the affected area and help.

But you MUST plan on being self sufficient, take plenty of GAS and FOOD for yourself, they have NOTHING down there, that is what I am hearing. We absolutely HAVE to be prepared to care for ourselves.

Edited to add: check wwltv forums, they are the best!

http://www.wwltv.com/forums/index.php

[TornadoTN]

5. Same here

I think it was you and I that were talking about this yesterday. I'm Urban S&R trained with First Aid/Medic credentials. I have been calling around, but everyone keeps saying that we aren't needed, they have it under control. My response to them is usually, "Have you not seen the news?".

At any rate, a group of guys posted on another message board that they got turned away and threated with arrest by the state police when they tryed to take a truck and a boat into town to help.

[pointblank]

6. Thats fucked...

All I keep hearing about is how much of a lack of help there is down there and there seems to be no end in sight...Why can we as citizens not organize and help? if there is an organization that I can join, fine, I'll join it...there are Urban S & R teams in my area, but as far as I know, they are not going...and they are VERY hard to get on with, You have to be a VERY qualified professional..Which I am not, nor am I claiming to be...I do have a lot to offer however.

You and I know, time is of the essence here. I heard the navy ships will be there Monday...By the time they get into action, probably Tuesday....Too late.

[phusion]

Can you convince your SAR group to go?

Maybe organize a trip as a group?

Rent a van/bus and take supplies and hit the road...

You stand a better chance being allowed in as an entire group.

Just a thought...

[pointblank]

20. I dont really have any contact with my local

SAR...I have four years of 911 ambulance experience as a paramedic, I do it part-time now...and I am a trained firefighter with volunteer experience.

I have worked full-time in an unrelated field for a about a year(the money wasnt there, sadly), but I am still licensed and can offer what I know.

I am not a a search and rescue expert or anything, but I do have some training and experience. I figure they could probably use a good medic at some of these field hospitals as well!!

[crispini]

7. What part of the States are you in?

I figure we may not be able to get into NOLA proper but we can damn well get as far as Baton Rouge and help people there.

[TornadoTN]

8. NE Tennessee here

[crispini]

11. So you're pretty close.

I can't believe that they were turning away people who want to help.

[pointblank]

9. St Louis MO

9.5 hours from Gulfport in optimal conditions by car. 10 - 10.5 or so to NOLA.

I've done the drive a dozen times, and I'll do it again.

[crispini]

10. Hey, that's about as far as I am.

About 10 hours from Dallas.

[pointblank]

16. Yea if we cant get to Baton Rouge or even Jackson MS

Maybe we can link up with a larger group there.

I would love to talk to someone who is there, or is going, so that I can get a good idea on what steps to take, and how to take them.

I have the supply list thanks to you! No we need to get the word out.

I am in the process of contacting my friends in the EMS and fire field as we speak.

[crispini]

23. We will be going to Jackson.

I just talked to a cousin. She says that they still have gas in Jackson and that the road from Jackson to McComb is clear.

However they may not have gas in Jackson in two days so I think it would be better to stop BEFORE Jackson.

The post says that we can get through to Bogalusa as well. Those are towns that could use help. If you would like to link up maybe tomorrow night or Saturday we can exchange information.

I see no reason why we can't help the people on the fringes who could use our help. I would like to get on the road tomorrow as early as possible. We should not arrive there at night. Honestly they may very well be turning people away but I figure I can always talk my way through it since if there are cops I am probably related to them. If I just start naming off relatives down there I'm sure I will be related to someone they know!

[sandnsea]

15. People just showed up after 9/11

I don't understand why they aren't accepting this kind of help now. There's got to be many little towns that aren't being helped. I don't understand. I'd think anybody with expertise would be more than welcomed.

[pointblank]

22. You know there are...

lots of little towns out there right now that could use our help.

The more I think abou thtis the more I want to put it into action...

but we will need to bring LOTS of supplies...first-aid equipment...things that will need to be bought or donated.

We really need connections to those who can sponsor us...It would be ideal if we could join an already existing group, to cut out the organization time factor alone.

[roguevalley]

35. GET SHOTS! Do it. Tetanus at least.

[pointblank]

2. KICK

[pointblank]

4. KICK again

We need to take things into our own hands here....This is surreal.

We must form a group to go help. I cant sit here and watch anymore...especially since there is not near enoguh being done.

[seemslikeadream]

12. My son just got back from there

He got 200 miles from the coast of Mississippi. He's going back as soon as he can


His friends just set this up because of what he did. This is him *RCT*Carnage


http://www.lococlan.com/

[crispini]

13. Good job!

How was the trip?

[pointblank]

17. WOW

I will get on teamspeak when i get home later and see whats up...I would love to link up with someone...

What were they doing there...what are their credentials?..If I may ask?

[seemslikeadream]

19. I don't know anything about them right now

my son is sleeping will ask later, I guess it's a game site he belongs to. They heard what he did and put that up for him. He was interviewed on TV down there.

I'm just posting because anyone can do something, anything that you personally can do do it it will have a ripple effect that you may never know about.

[pointblank]

21. yes, that is a Medal of Honor game site..

I am a Battlefield 2 junkie myself, but I wont hold it gainst him. ;)


will you have him email me later if he has any info on how to go about this?

[e-mail] (please, no spam freepers)


Thanks

[crispini]

24. Please PM me as well with information.

We are starting to buy stuff now.

[pointblank]

25. If I get any I'll let you know.

When are you leaving?

[crispini]

26. My brother is talking to a cousin now to get details about what

they need. As soon as we can buy all this stuff and get out of here. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, and drive through the night? Not sure yet.

[TornadoTN]

14. So true

I have contacted all of my close friends in the area that are divers and other trained personnel that could deal with these conditions. Several have expressed interest, but the problem still remains that all roads in are being sealed and the authorities claim that they don't need our help.

I get the feeling that those guys in NO would beg to differ.

[pointblank]

18. Funny, I get the same feeling as well...

Its not as if we are going down to gawk or add to the problem...We will need to be self suffcient, and everyone should bring something to the table if they go....(expertise, supllies, funds, transportation, all of the above! etc...)

[faithnotgreed]

27. kick and nominated

[crispini]

28. UPDATE: To go or not to go, that is the question?

I just got off the phone with a cousin who spoke to several people in Washington Parish. She said that they are all OK, and that many of them do have generators, so they are able to keep their freezers cold, etc. Also many of the houses are OK. She, personally, has decided to wait until they have specific needs that they tell her about. For example if Baton Rouge starts running out of supplies. She said that the Red Cross strongly urged them to stay out of the area in case they become part of the problem. However, there ARE people who are going, and many of them are getting through.

There was a Red Cross van in the area that was able to give them 1 bag of ice each.

I haven't made up my mind yet, honestly. I am waiting to hear back from another cousin who is in the area who will give us his take on the situation.

[wildflower]

29. Crispini, how about solar water distillers?

I just posted a thread on this. Companies sell them but there are also plans to relatively easily make one.

This was my thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4551798

[crispini]

32. Might not be a bad idea. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[Eloriel]

30. Kick

[crispini]

31. Kick

:kick:

[crispini]

33. kick

I don't want this thread falling into the archives.

[crispini]

34. kick

:kick: I don't want this to get archived.

[crispini]

36. kick

Don't want this to get archived.

[crispini]

37. UPDATE: Wait until we tell you what we need.

This is what I've heard from my cousin. They have food and water for now and will let us know if they need anything. Thank heaven, we found one person with phone service in the area.