CYCLING COMMUNITY UNITES TO HELP IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA

Boulder, CO - Pro cyclists around the world join VeloNews and 3 Cats Photo to raise funds for the American Red Cross and Hurricane Katrina.
In light of the tremendous tragedy in New Orleans, Mississippi and other Gulf States, cyclists from Ivan Basso to Tim Johnson signed and donated team jerseys for an on-line auction on Veloswap.com. Additionally, USA Cycling has donated an official USA National Champion jersey that is currently traversing the USA garnering signatures from Davis Phinney, George Hincapie, Freddie Rodriguez, Colby Pearce, Ian MacGregor and many others!
Paketa Bikes has also stepped up and donated a brand new frame! The frame is made of the company's own revolutionary proprietary extruded- and TIG-welded magnesium tubing. Magnesium is incredibly lightweight, good looking and will change your mind about what bikes should be made of!
Now it is your turn to help!!  Please visit Veloswap.com and bid on your favorite item today!
Additional items will be added as they are received. Check back regularly to see new auction items.  The auction will run through September  16. To supply an item for auction, please contact beth@3catsphoto.com.
Let's show the world how much heart we have! The full list of items includes: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paketa Magnesium Road Frame 56cm Metallic Red Starting Bid $1,000 MSRP $1,999 Paketa's magnesium road racing frames are light, stiff, and fast! Aerospace engineering enters into the double-butted, bi-ovalized, and aero-shaped downtubes. Thousands of road kilometers determined Paketa's exclusive geometry, and years of experience have gone into perfecting the proprietary manufacturing processes. Paketa bikes are now completely built in the USA: extruded, welded, and painted in Boulder County!
All this adds up to one thing: A frame light enough for the high mountains, aero enough for solo breakaways, and stiff enough for bunch sprints. Throw in the "X"-Factor (magnesium's unique ability to tame road shock and vibration), and now you've got the freshest legs in the peloton! Hope there's some room on the Trophy Shelf, you're going to need it!
This frame is a custom color, the only Paketa in the world like it.  It is a  red base color with a silver overcoat, giving it a unique appearance that is sure to attract attention! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USA CYCLING National Champions Jersey Autographed by George Hincapie, Davis Phinney, Fred Rodriguez, Colby Pearce, Chad Hartley, Ian MacGregor and many others! Starting bid $100. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Levi Leipheimer Signed Gerolsteiner Jersey Starting bid $50.00 You can not specify size when bidding. This jersey is a collectors item, not intended to be worn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow Valley Team Signed Jersey Starting bid $50.00 You can not specify size when bidding. This jersey is a collectors item, not intended to be worn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jittery Joes Team Signed Jersey Starting bid $50.00 You can not specify size when bidding. This jersey is a collectors item, not intended to be worn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jelly Belly Team Signed Jersey Starting bid $50.00 You can not specify size when bidding. This jersey is a collectors item, not intended to be worn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team TIAA-CREF Tour of Normandy Poster Starting bid $50.00 Framed and Signed by Team -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11X14 Photo of George Hincapie at San Francisco Grand Prix Starting bid $50.00 Framed size 16X20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11X14 Photo of Floyd Landis at Dodge Tour de Georgia Starting bid $50.00 Framed size 16X20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Autographed 11X14  Photo of Espoir National Champion, Ian MacGregor Starting bid $50.00 Framed size 16X20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11X14 Photo of US PRO National Champion, Chris Wherry Starting bid $50.00 Framed size 16X20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Autographed11X14 Photo of Madison National Champions, Chad Hartley and Colby Pearce Starting bid $50.00 Framed size 16X20
From: http://www.velonews.com/pr/prn/articles/8874.0.html

Medical Supplies Pour In For Hurricane Victims But More Needed

The area code "860" should be added to the phone numbers in this article. ~Eli
 
Voluntown, CT — Local fire departments and medical providers have responded generously to a call to provide direct help to the town of Picayune, Miss., a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
On Sunday the local paramedic who is volunteering in Picayune called home with an update on the types of medical supplies a ministry down there needs. Clint Tupper, a paramedic with the Mohegan Tribal Nation, told local emergency management officials that those specific medical supply needs include gauze pads, roller gauze, triangle bandages and basic first-aid equipment.
Charles Jaskiewicz, a part-time paramedic in Voluntown, said the department is asking fire and ambulance departments to donate extra medical gear. Jaskiewicz said that the general public can help by donating Depend Undergarments and Ensure, the supplement shakes.
Jaskiewicz said anyone interested in donating supplies can call the Voluntown Firehouse and make arrangements to have the items picked up. The firehouse phone number is 376-0475.
Jaskiewicz said he is asking local doctor's offices to contact him if they can donate samples of antibiotics. Jaskiewicz said he can make arrangements to have the antibiotics picked up. Jaskiewicz' cell phone number is 608-9594.
The Voluntown Fire Department donated the proceeds of its annual chicken barbeque, held Saturday, toward buying medical supplies. Voluntown Fire Chief Jody Grenier said the department would be buying intravenous supplies today. Grenier said the barbeque raised several thousand dollars for the effort, about double what the department normally raises.
A local truck driver is donating his time and tractor-trailer truck to drive the supplies down, leaving either Tuesday or Wednesday. Len Birdsell, the driver, is a member of the Living Word Fellowship in Voluntown, according to Pastor Les Young.
The Voluntown church is raising money to pay for the fuel, which Young estimated would cost about $1,400. The supplies will go to the Resurrection Life Worship Center in Picayune, whose outreach includes a free clinic and food pantry, Young said.
Jaskiewicz credited local departments with donating a large amount of equipment so far. He said the Waterford ambulance department has been "huge, absolutely massive" in filling a van with backboards, scoop stretchers, gloves, disinfectant, bandages and splints.
Additional fire and ambulance departments who would like to donate should call 889-8803.
k.crompton@theday.com (image placeholder)
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=75b5e426-0078-4ab7-84ad-2232fc1ffd44
 
Published on 9/12/2005

NYTimes Article On Latest NOLA Recovery Efforts

From today's NYTimes:

[FEMA] sending 600 public works laborers to the city, is instead focused on draining the floodwaters, repairing the water system and getting the sewage system operating. Entergy is trying to restore electricity to the drier areas … the Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the city will be drained in another month … officials hoped to get the water system running citywide in 90 days … assuming that thousands of houses will have to be bulldozed … houses can be raised according to the level of risk … Louisiana’s highways need $1.3 billion in repairs (maybe) … future floods could best be deterred through landscape restoration and engineering … "The French Quarter, Algiers and the St. Charles Avenue corridor - all those big houses, all the things the tourists want to see - they’re all still in place."

Yahoo Katrina metasearch

Yahoo - Katrina search for people - Search Katrina lists from across the Web

over here

Behind the scenes at the KatrinaHelp wiki

An email from Larry Ranley (l.ranly AT wlapc DOT com), one of the people who has not only been helping with the wiki, but who has also made a financial contribution to help cover hosting costs.

Anna,

I would be proud to have my name listed as a part of this amazing effort. I don't have a company to list or a home page or web site to link.


I would like to take the opportunity to let the leaders of this project know what lead me to make a monetary donation to it.


Last Saturday I was looking for someway to volunteer help even though I was remote from the disaster or the people needing help.


I sensed the power of mobilizing a giant workforce of volunteers if someone knew how to set it up and could figure out how to break down the tasks so they could be done over the internet. In my imagination it would involve using the internet to match missing people to people searching and would be similar to the genealogical research that I have been doing (matching parents to children). So I started doing google searches in order to find a web site that could use my talent for spending hours doing tedious searches through the internet for matching names as I do with the genealogy searches.


Two things quickly became clear to me. The first was that I was probably not going to find a website in which I could use the internet as a tool for helping out. The second was that the organization of "people matching" and the organization of offers and requests for assistance (volunteering help, housing etc.) had a bad need for organization in order for the offers and requests to be effectively matched. This was especially true when it seemed as though 999 out of 1000 returns from my google searches including the word "volunteer" was about monetary donations.


After a day of searching, The PeopleFinder Project was the only site I found that provided internet volunteering opportunities, but unfortunately it was at the point when the data entering computer was in melt down. As instructed, I checked back Labor Day and joined in the name entering effort. In the course of the evening while entering names I was amazed at how the design of the site was evolving as it anticipated and stayed one step ahead of the data entry effort. The simple "how to" instructions for entering names was further clarified with a diagram, and again further clarified with a video instruction. The graphics of the first basic data entry form was updated several times making its organization appear more clear. (Evidently the required data entry categorys required to meet future needs were anticipated and identified at the beginning.) Over the course of the evening, new tabs appeared on the website to include other relief resources and organize the categories of other volunteer efforts/opportunities etc.


I also noticed the skill, focus and ingenuity in which this huge effort enlisting a first time volunteer workforce was being directed. An organization that was not even conceived of a week and a half ago was created, organized and structured to fill a need that was not anticipated a week and a half ago, that enlisted the help of thousands of volunteers that processed and entered 98,000 names into a database within a matter of days. This is truly a heroic case of realizing a need and rising to the occasion in order to meet it.


Before being involved with this People finder Project, I did not know what a Wiki was and am beginning to realize its role in making this effort possible.


So that's what lead me make the monetary donation to this effort. I believe in the goals of this project, I believe in its ability to further anticipate how to help people displaced by Hurricane Katrina and its ability to organize and mobilize a volunteer effort to meet it. And I believe in it as a model for creating and mobilizing future volunteer efforts.


Thanks,

Larry Ranly

Thank you, Larry.

MissingKatrina.com & SafeKatrina.com moblogs

From http://krose.typepad.com/kevinrose/2005/09/missingkatrinac.html

I just got off the phone with Chris of TextAmerica.com - they have setup two new moblogs everyone should know about:

MissingKatrina.com - http://www.missingkatrina.com - If you're missing a friend or family member upload their picture to this site. TextAmerica is working with local shelters to hopefully connect you with your loved ones.

SafeKatrina.com - http://www.safekatrina.com - Pictures of Katrina survivors that have yet to connect with their family members. According to Chris over 400 images coming soon (without working cell phone service pictures have to be transported to areas with Internet connectivity).

Please take a few minutes and blog/link to these sites.

Thanks,

--Kevin

[via Andy Carvin's http://katrina05.blogspot.com/2005/09/missingkatrinacom-safekatrinacom.html]

CDC Interim Immunization Recommendations for Individuals Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

The purpose of these recommendations is two-fold:

1. To ensure that children, adolescents, and adults are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases in accordance with current recommendations. Immunization records are unlikely to be available for a large number of adult and child evacuees. It is important that immunizations are kept current if possible.


2. To reduce the likelihood of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in large crowded group settings . Although the possibility of an outbreak is low in a vaccinated U.S. population, it is possible that outbreaks of varicella, rubella, mumps, or measles could occur. Although measles and rubella are no longer endemic to the United States, introductions do occur, and crowded conditions would facilitate their spread. Hepatitis A incidence is low in the affected areas, but post-exposure prophylaxis in these settings would be logistically difficult and so vaccination is recommended. In addition, the influenza season will begin soon and influenza can spread easily under crowded conditions.

I. Recommended Immunizations
If immunization records are available:
Children and adults should be vaccinated according to the recommended child, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules.
See:

1. Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule .


2. Adult Immunization Schedule

If immunization records are not available:
Children aged 10 years and younger should be treated as if they were up-to-date with recommended immunizations and given any doses that are recommended for their current age. This includes the following vaccines:

1. Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP)


2. Inactivated Poliovirus vaccine (IPV)


3. Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib)


4. Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB)


5. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)


6. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR)


7. Varicella vacci ne unless reliable history of chickenpox


8. Influenza vaccine if in Tier 1.* This includes all children from 6-23 month and children up to age 10 with a high risk condition (MMWR 2005;54:749-750). See: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a4.htm


9. Hepatitis A is not routinely recommended in all states; state immunization practice should be followed.

Children and adolescents (aged 11-18 years) should receive the following recommended immunizations:

1. Adult formulation tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap)


2. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV (ages 11-12 and 15 years only)


3. Influenza vaccine if in Tier 1* (MMWR 2005;54:749-750) See: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a4.htm

Adults (aged >18 years) should receive the following recommended immunizations:

1. Adult formulation tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td) if = 10 years since receipt of any tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine


2. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) for adults > 65 years or with a high risk condition (MMWR 1997;46(No. RR-8):12-13), http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047135.htm


3. Influenza vaccine if in Tier 1 * (MMWR 2005;54:749-750). See: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a4.htm

School requirements
States affected by Hurricane Katrina had immunization requirements for school and daycare and it is likely that children enrolled prior to the disaster would be vaccinated appropriately. It is not necessary to repeat vaccinations for children displaced by the disaster, unless the provider has reason to believe the child was not in compliance with applicable state requirements.
II. Crowded Group Settings
In addition to the vaccines given routinely as part of the child and adolescent schedules, the following vaccines should be given to evacuees living in crowded group settings, unless the person has written documentation of having already receive them:

1. Influenza. Everyone > 6 months of age should receive influenza vaccine. Children 8 years old or younger should receive 2 doses, at least one month apart . , unless they have a documented record of a previous dose of influenza vaccine, in which case they should receive 1dose of influenza vaccine


2. Varicella. Everyone > 12 months of age should receive one dose of this vaccine unless they have a reliable history of chickenpox or a documented record of immunization.


3. MMR. Everyone > 12 months of age and born during or after 1957 should receive one dose of this vaccine unless they have a documented record of 2 doses of MMR


4. Hepatitis A. Everyone > 2 years of age should receive one dose of hepatitis A vaccine unless they have a clear history of hepatitis A or a documented record of immunization.

Immunocompromised individuals, such as HIV-infected persons, pregnant women, and those on systemic steroids, should not receive the live viral vaccines, varicella and MMR. Screening should be performed by self-report.
Documentation
It is critical that all vaccines administered be properly documented. Immunization records should be provided in accordance with the practice of the state in which the vaccine is administered. Immunization cards should be provided to individuals at the time of vaccination.
Standard immunization practices should be followed for delivery of all vaccines, including provision of Vaccine Information Statements ( http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/default.htm).
Diarrheal diseases
Vaccination against typhoid and cholera are not recommended. Both diseases are extremely rare in the Gulf States, and there is no vaccine against cholera licensed for use in the United States .
Rabies
Rabies vaccine should only be used for post-exposure prophylaxis (e.g., after an animal bite or bat exposure) according to CDC guidelines.
*Influenza Tier 1 (MMWR 2005;54:749-750). See: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a4.htm
Tier 1 recommendations include the following priority groups:

1. Persons ages > 65 years with comorbid conditions


2. Residents of long-term care facilities


3. Persons aged 2-64 years with comorbid conditions


4. Persons > 65 years without comorbid conditions


5. Children aged 6-23 months


6. Pregnant women


7. Healthcare personnel who provide direct patient care


8. Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children aged <6 months

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/katrina/vaccrecdisplaced.asp

Download PDF version formatted for print (184 KB/3 pages)

UPDATE - DO NOT SELF DEPLOY (FREELANCE) TO LOUISIANA

From LA State Government

We are experiencing an increasing number of fire, rescue and police units self-deploying themselves to assist here in Louisiana, creating additional logistical problems.

We ask that you send out a directive via your established communications links to fire, rescue and police units that they follow the prescribed FEMA and EMAC procedure when offering aid. If they wish to help, they should make that known to their state EOC so that we can more effectively utilize their generous offers of assistance.

The enormity of the logistics equals the destruction that you have seen in the news. The task before us is great, and there will be ample opportunity to assist brother and sister first responders in Louisiana during their time of need.

But that assistance should and must be coordinated through each state’s Emergency Operations Center.

Katrina Aftermath Site

Andy Carvin & over a 100 Citizen Journalists have a site up called

Katrina Aftermath : A Public Gallery of Thoughts, Images and Sounds in Response to Hurricane Katrina

Another information, views, and pictures site on the aftermath.

HHS coordinating volunteer Physicians, RN's, EMS, etc.

To coordinate the medical assistance offered by physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services is now managing this national medical relief effort.

Physicians and other medical professionals with any state license who can commit to short-term, long-term or rotating coverage are urgently needed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas.

HHS has contracted with JCNationwide for this effort. Please call 800-272-2707 or 1-866-KAT-MEDI if you can be of assistance.

Visit the AMA Web site at http://www.ama-assn.org/ for updates on how you can get involved.

That office is only handling physicians, NP's and PA's.EMS are asked to call their satellite Seattle office at 206-652-1573