Wish I had the link for an article I read. It made a lot of sense. Discussed why now is not the time to rush to New Orleans to lead your skills and why we should donate money instead of water or food or equipment. Basically, if you take goods to the American Red Cross then they have to pay to ship them to the disaster area. The ARC has buying leverage that we don't. They can get the water wholesale closer to the scene thereby saving money by not shipping and also getting more bang for the buck.
So you have skills? Unless you have been trained by the ARC then your skills may not yet be valuable and your presence could actually be hinderance. If you have the skills then the Red Cross has probably already contacted you. You can also contact your local ARC to see if they need you now.
Help prepare for future disasters by becoming trained by the American Red Cross today! Encourage cash donations.
