Courtesy APA Brown Pelican is seen on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast after being drenched in oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Thursday, June 3, 2010. The Environmental Protection Agency has not yet fined BP for the Gulf oil spill - details of possible penalties will be worked out later.
Numerous organizations are mobilizing to lend a hand in the devastating aftermath of BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
For simple, safe ways to donate or volunteer to help affected areas contact one of the following well-established charities and beware of online scammers.
• Greater New Orleans Foundation: In response to the recent disaster, the foundation is opening the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund to make emergency grants to nonprofit organizations helping the victims of the oil spill and help address the long-term economic, environmental, cultural effects of the disaster, and strengthen coastal communities against future environmental catastrophes by investing in solutions
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is joining with partners at the local, state and federal level to begin registering volunteers to assist with spill recovery efforts and collect donations toward those efforts.
• National Park Foundation’s Disaster Recovery Fund: Give to the “National Parks Disaster Recovery Fund” online or by texting “PARKS” to 90999 on your mobile phone by July 1st. Your money will go directly to the parks impacted by the Gulf oil spill.
• Gulf of Mexico SeaGrant Programs is supplying the most current information about the disaster and for volunteer opportunities in the region.
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is a group of organizations with a history of on-the-ground work in Louisiana, and combining efforts and experience to implement an effective volunteer response and make a real difference in the BP Oil Spill recovery efforts.
• The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans is working with Matter of Trust to collect donations of nylons, hair and fur, which can be used in making booms for containing oil.
• Catholic Charities is providing food, rent and utilities aid and is currently in need of volunteers to help outreach to families who work in fishing-related industries affected by the oil spill.
• Second Harvest Food Bank: is working in concert with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Louisiana Department of Social Services and others to ensure that men, women, children and seniors are afforded the meals they need during these trying times.
• The BP Volunteer Hotline has set up numbers if you need to report injured wildlife or damage related to the spill. You can also request volunteer information at 866-448-5816.
• Oxfam America is working to help affected communities with financial assistance, as well as protect local wetlands and marshes. Oxfam also has an online form to "Ask your Senator to make BP clean up their mess"
• Louisiana Serve Commission is helping mobilize and train volunteers in response to the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service: All oil and oil-contaminated materials will only be handled by trained, paid workers and not by volunteers. To apply for these jobs, go to the MS Department of Employment Security website and click on Oil Spill Jobs. Registered volunteers will also be contacted as needed.
• Volunteer Florida encourages everyone to get connected with a local organization. Volunteers can support these organizations throughout the oil spill and beyond through appropriate activities such as Coast Watch, pre-oil landfall beach cleanups, fundraising, and meeting other needs of responding organizations.
• Alabama Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives provides information on volunteer and donation opportunities.
16 comments:
You can also boycott BP to punish the corporation and, if nothing else, to send a message.
Some say this won't work and it only hurts the local gas station owner, but if you can't send a message with your dollars then capitalism is dead and we should just roll over and let our government turn into a giant socialist machine.
Boycott the Government as well. The response and lack of leadership from Obama is comical. Oh but he is going to kick some A-- now, ooooh, look out. Go back to Chicago and take you thugs with you! Better yet, we are going to send you back ourselves. It is a crime what is NOT being done. They showed, 12 people on the beach in LA picking up tar balls, wow, what a huge cleanup effort. Where are all the thousands of people the government is claiming is helping, behind a desk pushing paper only! This is a big joke America. Not only can they NOT protect our borders, but they have no idea how to protect our coastline from the oil spill. Many have great ideas that could be implemented and at this point I think we should be throwing the kitchen sink at anything that will absorb the oil and make it easier to get out of the water and the marshes. But no, let's do nothing and blame Bush! Idiots!
The effort needs to be in focusing on the clean up and prevention of further damage to neighboring states, get to punishing and blaming later. A great leader focuses on the task at hand and gets it done, no matter what. Why on earth are we letting BP have control over the clean up, if Obama says he is in charge, and this is his effort, he gets a big fat "F" across the board. Lip service gets nothing done. 50 days and counting.
Where are all the "greenies"? Happy with your supreme leader and his control and cleanup efforts in the gulf, why aren't you all screaming your head off about this? Oh because a Democrat is President? Hypocrites! If you were true to your convictions, it wouldn't matter who is in the Oval office, you'd all be raising hell over this.
I am devastated over this loss of life - human and animal. I too have followed this story since BP allowed this to happen. Yes, they allowed it. Although encouraged might be a better word.
It was a BP associate who forced the employees to use saltwater instead of drilling fluid in the lines.
I am furious with OSHA and the joke which we call our federal government. What happened to having a plan B and C should something like this happen? Or to prevent it?
Over 150 miles of coastline is immediately affected. I read Obama said we had 20,000 people cleaning this mess up. 20,000!
That is a small drop (of oil) in such a big bucket.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? 20,000 Where? And what about the gulf water itself? Do they really think 20,000will be able to clean this up? Oh God help them!
What about the animals that need rehabilitation facilities? What about the families who are losing or have now lost their businesses and seen the value in their homes go up in a cloud of oil!?
What about the workers and volunteers and the effects it WILL have on their health?
Where are the celebrity telethons?
We (the USA) made you rich. WE watch and pay ridiculous prices to go see your movies although some not even worth the gas to go see them. We buy your stupid mags and CDS etc. YET, this is how you repay the greatest country on earth? The country that MADE YOU RICH AND FAMOUS!?
I will not support BP, Celebrities, or the government. Now that the crap has come down we will watch, we will see who truly cared enough to step forward and help.
Thanks for letting me vent on your board.
The super nasty comments and attitude made public on this blog are disturbing. Disturbing because you could be my neighbors. All the other stuff the City has going on and this blog could be the most damaging. Just think, a little blog. There are many obstacles we can get over as a community but when you plant this seed of mistrust and hate and all things bad about OBAMA and socialism is here and we hate this and we hate that and Obama is Hitler in drag and Obama is an A-hole and Democrats are idiots and whatever else you spew.
There are people who don't talk anymore over a vote for a President of our Country. Our Free Country. Why is it so important to post one's political affiliation more than any other time in history, as much as I can tell. Why can't we stop blaming the other side, or someone else. Didn't we all learn that in grade school?
So now, the world needs to come together. Not just the right and the left and Obama is screwing up and its all his fault and let's ban BP and this and that and you're all on this blog for the last year saying nasty things about the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA when this is just a local little blog about sewer and "All Things Milton". Except one or two posts like this: "Gulf Oil Aftermath:How To Help!"
If your National Political persuasion is one way or another then go do whatever you think you should do. But I'm wondering who are those people picking up garbage and washing birds and doing whatever it takes to "Get The Job Done". Could they be those same "greenies" someone commented negatively about or maybe they're the ones who aren't working? Are they scumbags for not working and getting welfare or are they good hardworking people that lost out due to our economy? Do you think they are on the Right or the Left? What is their personal story? Why are they there? Doesn't really matter to me because they RAN when disaster struck.
I would bet you those same people ran when Katrina hit. They ran because we live so close and it was heartwrenching to see such horror just miles away. It was a reasonable distance to drive.
The people of Milton came together and filled a truckload and an RV load of supplies and raised over $13,000 all the way in Seattle that was added to the effort on behalf of Milton, and a group on behalf of MILTON came together and even travelling across the county to do so. That was pretty cool. Passionate folks coming together, a small group relatively speaking, it was organized, supplies gathered, backpacks filled, money raised and delivered in less than 8 days.
We were a mixed group politically, racially and religiously. Not one time did you hear an argument or debate over someone's personal beliefs.
It seemed to me that all the people running around in chaos trying to get aid to those in need and do the clean up, those in the shelters we visited, all those collecting goods and getting them to La and Miss were all regular citizens of this great Country coming together.
What we witnessed firsthand is this. All those big warehouses around were filled to the brim with goods and our government could not work out the logistics to distribute them and it was a MESS!!.... as we all already know.
So, I guess I would just ask that the ones who are going immediately to a place of negativity, as is natural in this Gulf Disaster, please please please, we should at least try to limit it because as a City we could come together - once again - literally and figuratively, and do something so great.
That's all I'm saying.
Now I take a deep breath because I just know you are going to blast me for THIS one....
Would you consider participating in a city-wide effort in some way to provide relief to The Gulf right now? Just think about it. And if you would, let's fill this space up with ways to make it happen.
:)
Even small companies are doing something. Take a look at www.peacefulpirate.com and the contribution they're making.
ok 11:10
Thankfully we still have the right to voice our opinion. I will not blast you for that.
Before you blast your neighbors for "super nasty quote and attitude"
Take a look at what the president you defended said.
President Obama stated in reference to placing blame in the oil spill "so I know whose ass to kick."
Wow! There you have it. Nasty quote and attitude. Talk of inflicting bodily harm? Truly we know he meant it in other terms but yet it was a nasty quote and attitude.
My point is that your comment was hypocritical.
As far as I can tell everyone is venting on this blog including yourself.
If a city wide effort to help the gulf comes to fruition then in reality this blog has been the most helpful. Glass half full than empty.
We all share in the grief and we are frustrated with the situation at many levels.
Now moving forward. Yes, I would participate in a city- wide effort to help the gulf.
Any suggestions anyone?????
Tim - will you post an article for a city wide donation and volunteers to aid the people and wildlife in the gulf?
hey this is about a disaster that obama OR bush cant take care of because exactly your point so go to the gulf because it is now your responsibility.
our responsibility.
I just hope this spill doesn't take away from our rental income for our property in Seaside. What will Christmas be like without that!
Katrina sat in the gulf for a week going back and forth between a cat4 and a cat 5, before it came charging towards New Orleans which was under sea level. What is amazing is that the inland communities and cities were actually hit harder then New Orleans, yet only New Orleaas gets the attentionn!! In Florida anything over a cat 3 the people there hit the road running. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know when to get the heck out of dodge. The local governements did not issue stern enough or absolute mandatory evacuations, people ignored the warnings and decided to stay and ride it out! Why??? That is not George W. Bush's fault, that is the fault of those that decided to stay. I am sick and tired of people not taking responsibility for their own decisions or actions. Did you hear this kind of crap when Hurrican Andrew completely devastated and wiped out half of the state of Florida, a cat 5 that cut across the state?? NO. People did NOT blame the government. It's a fact of life, hurricanes, no President causes them or prevents people from getting out of it's path. Bush took criticism for not responding faster then 4 days. Now we have a President, Obama, 51 days into the oil spill and we have no manpower, none on the ground preventing and cleaning up LA marshes and gulf beaches. A handful of people in white uniforms with plastic gloves on a patch of beach is all I have seen on TV, all stations. Where is the manpower?? Where is the leadership?? Wait when this spill creeps up the other side of the east coast from the currents. The people that are so sensitive about criticism of Obama are the same people who ripped Bush a new one over Katrina. Don't like it do you when a President you like is failing, it's hard to digest. Like a child who does something wrong, parents go into denial. Well I feel it's time the Obama followers stop pretending. It's okay really, to admit he is letting you down as a President and leader, the majority of the country is already there. Half of the nation was already there from the beginning. A jr. senator with zero experience at leading, other then a community organizer. Well where is his experience as a community organizer, he should have 100's of thousands of people working in the water and on the beaches and marshes! And there is None to speak of.
I like a President who says, "a--" and a Vice president who says, "f--k" don't you. Kind of classes up the Oval office.
I have never seen such a degradation of the office of the Presidency in my entire life. The other's I am sure have said it, behind closed doors, not in public, intentionally infront of reporters for the WORLD to see. Oh he's a tough guy now. Reminds me of a school boy in the playground using a 4 letter word for the first time, trying to impress the other boys, acting like he's a tough guy.
Absurd and shameful remarks by both. I guess when you don't possess class, it's very difficult to pretend that you do. That's not bashing, that is called observing and commenting. Here's a tissue.
The private companies, charities, and volunteers, and private sector, will be the ones in this country that will rise to the occasion and clean this mess up. Not the government or BP.
When the crap hits the fan, it's the people of this country who take care of things. Just like we are going to clean this spill up, then clean up the muck in Washington in November.
IMHO being stewards of the environment is a full time job for everyone. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a catastrophe like the BP oil spill to get the attention of the public.
Every year more than 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde is buried in U. S. cemeteries and enough metal to build the Golden Gate Bridge.
I’d like to think miltonfieldsgeorgia.com is doing its small part to preserve our environment. And invite you to help.
All:
Accessmilton.com is more than happy to be used as a vehicle to raise funds for Gulf Relief.
However, we will not be the party handling the donations, etc.
Feel free to call me and let us know what you would like to do.
Thank you,
Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552
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