Disaster Relief

Emily and Cooper have set up a clearinghouse at Been There, for those wanting to offer or receive supplies or temporary housing.

To volunteer or donate money, check out the Katrina Donations page at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A few quotes from this morning's news give a mere glimpse of how dire the situation has become:

"At the Superdome, groups of refugees broke through a line of heavily armed National Guardsmen in a scramble to get on to the buses.

Nearby, about 15,000 to 20,000 people who had taken shelter at New Orleans Convention Center grew ever more hostile after waiting for buses for days amid the filth and the dead.

Police Chief Eddie Compass said there was such a crush around a squad of 88 officers that they retreated when they went in to check out reports of assaults.

'We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,' Compass said. 'Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon.'"