[Update: Local United Ways have established a disaster fund, the Greater Acadiana United Way Disaster Fund, to consolidate resources in an 11-parish area. To donate, log on here.]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making federal aid available to the state of Louisiana to supplement the disaster response as Isaac moves north and President Obama declared Louisiana and Mississippi major disaster areas. Local organizations are mobilizing as well.
Community Foundation of Acadiana has established the Hurricane Isaac Response Fund, which will connect donors in the area to storm victims. The Lafayette-based philanthropic agency has a fundraising widget on its website which can also be embedded on other websites. The widget is embedded beneath this story.
On Friday the Acadiana Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, VOAD, will hold a meeting at the Immaculata Center in Lafayette to coordinate additional relief efforts in the region. A spokeswoman says the meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday, but VOAD officials want to give the American Red Cross and other agencies time to conduct a thorough assessment of disaster-response needs in Acadiana.
Donations to United Way’s fund can be made here, or by visiting the following locations:
St. Landry/Evangeline United Way, 311 W Vine St., Opelousas (337) 942-7815
United Way of Acadiana, 215 E. Pinhook Road, Lafayette (337) 706-1229,
United Way of Iberia, 449 East St. Peter St., New Iberia (337) 364-0424
United Way for South Louisiana, 7910 Main St., Suite 460, Houma (985) 879-2461
In the meantime here in Lafayette, the public transit system is back up and running and Lafayette Consolidated Government offices are open. In other words, business as usual.
If you're reading this story on a device other than a desktop, or if for any reason the widget below isn't visible, log on to CFA's website to donate.
JUNE 19 Here's another Washington Post blog post about a Louisiana politician, and it's just plain scathing. Ezra Klein says Jindal's Politico post was "insulting" to the intelligence of voters, and adds that Jindal is personifying the "stupid" he's railed against, by being an "elite" who convinces GOP activists of "things that aren't true." Me-ow.
JUNE 19 Here's Gov. Jindal's post in Politico, in which he asks the GOP to get over losing to Obama (again) and stop "the bedwetting." (Uh, what?) He gives his Republican buddies what is probably a nerd's idea of a coach's motivational talk, which starts with a list of accomplishments that they can't seem to exploit and ending with an absurd description of liberals that sounds like a character treatment for a Fox "News" movie scripted by Gordon Liddy. Sure, he's preaching to the choir, but even the choir's not this gullible.
JUNE 19 Lamar Parmentel read Gov. Jindal's post on Politico, but thinks it was so dumb it probably was published in the wrong paper. This post by Lamar on the Daily Kingfish opines that possibly Jindal's post was destined for the Onion -- because the governor couldn't possibly be serious here. If you listen closely, you can hear the staff of the Kingfish giggling.
JUNE 19 Blogger Ian McGibboney takes a look at the Gleason incident in this post. He makes a good argument about the difference between having free speech and being free from consequences for your speech (which none of us is). He also admits that many of us were upset before we listened to the skit -- but lets us know that the reality is far worse than we can imagine. It was the incredibly bad judgment, even more than the actual speech, that probably got those guys fired, he opines.
JUNE 19 Former Saint Steve Gleason, who is paralyzed by ALS, released a statement Tuesday in response to the Atlanta radio station's skit making fun of him and the disease, this Picayune post reports. What did he say? He said he'd accepted the apology of the DJs who did it, notes that at least the incident has got people talking about ALS, and asks anyone who is burning to take action about it to do so -- by helping him fight ALS.
JUNE 19 Blogger Robert Mann posts from Turkey, a country he has visited several times in the past few years. Mann gives an interesting overview of the current political and societal climate of the country, which -- if you're living under a rock and don't know -- is experiencing protests and turmoil these days. Mann promises to post as much as he can during his trip, which should be fascinating reading.
JUNE 19 Blogger CB Forgotston says the legislature is keeping the vicious cycle going with its funding of new buildings for the community college/technical college system. Universities across the state need maintenance and improvement on existing buildings, and the solution is to build new buildings at other schools? By the time the bonds are paid off, those buildings will be falling down, too, CB says.
JUNE 19 Washington Post blogger Aaron Blake writes about Sen. Guillory's switch to the GOP in this post. He writes what most political watchers in Louisiana know: Guillory was a Republican before he decided to run for the senate seat in a mostly-D St. Landry district, and has switched back now that he plans to run for Lt. Gov. in a mostly-R state. But how come Blake missed Guillory's appearance on a TLC pageant show? Now that is a video we'd like to see.
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