Maybe it was the uniformed security officer. Or the older, badge-wearing university officials who seemed to lurk about. Or perhaps the complete lack of any alcohol. Whatever it was, last Friday's Katrina Benefit concert at American University co-sponsored by DCist had the uncanny feel of a high school dance, short of the cheesy disco ball and mandatory tear-shedding song towards the end.

However, unlike our hazy memories of high school functions, Friday's event featured a number of excellent local acts who put on a great show. With almost 300 people - including a number of DCist readers - in attendance, the concert raised $2,784 for Habitat for Humanity's Hurricane Relief fund.

Remain Fabulous has posted some photos to Flickr taken at the show. Pictured above is Cartel, whom you may remember from our Unbuckled show.

While we continue to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the disaster that just over a week ago brought untold death and destruction to New Orleans and other cities and town along the Gulf Coast, we are similarly overwhelmed by the generosity of Americans and the international community alike. Individuals, groups, and organizations have led the charge in the Washington metropolitan area with a variety of fundraisers, more of which we feature here:

-- Head on over to Cafe Milano (Prospect Street and Wisconsin Avenue, NW) tomorrow afternoon for a stylish and not-so-inexpensive ($100 minimum donation) fundraiser for Katrina relief efforts. The event, sure to attract some of the city's trendiest, runs from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

-- Also tomorrow, the Alabama State Society, the Louisiana State Society, the Mississippi State Society, and the Florida State Society are sponsoring a fundraiser at the Jones Day Building (311 First Street, NW, 7th floor) running from 6-9 p.m. Food, cocktails, a raffle and silent auction, and live music accompany the friendly Southern crowd, all for a requested $20 donation.

-- Thursday night make an appearance at Vida (1120 20th Street, NW), for a happy hour/fundraiser. Starting at 6 p.m., a $20 donation will get you in and 15 percent of drink sales will go to benefit -- as is often the case -- the American Red Cross. Happy hour drink specials are in effect from 6-7, including $2 domestic beers and $3 imports, so get there early.

-- Next Monday, September 12, Museum of the American Cocktail, Southern Comfort's Tales of the Cocktail and DC STYLE are asking area bar and restaurant owners to pour New Orleans' classic cocktails from 5-7 p.m., with proceeds going to benefit the Big Easy's food and beverage workers.

And of course, remember to check on the events we advertised last week, many of which are taking place this week, including, of course, the Katrina Benefit Concert at American University.

We recognize that our list isn't comprehensive, so keep sending us announcements or leave them as comments!

When the scope of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina became evident last week, many D.C. residents did what they could to help the situation. We here at DCist created a category to keep track of our proliferating posts about local fundraisers and volunteer opportunities, and now even the news that the city may host a thousand or more evacuees from New Orleans.

Local singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn responded as well - getting on the phone to pull together a benefit concert to raise money for the relief effort. We've agreed to co-sponsor the show which features many artists you've read about on DCist.

What: A Katrina Benefit
When: Friday, Sept. 9, 8 - 11:45 p.m.
Where: American University's Mary Graydon Center
Who: Gist, Cartel, Paul Michel, RPM, Laura Burhenn, Army of Me.

There will be a suggested minimum donation of $5 for entry, all proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity via American University's Katrina Aid and Relief Effort (KARE) fund. The show will take place in the tavern of American's Mary Graydon Center on their main campus. To get there take Metro to the American University - Tenleytown Station on the Red Line and take the free AU shuttle to the main campus.

As we reported on Friday, the Moms on the Hill (or MoTHs, whose activities we are documenting at Ionarts) and their friends continue their efforts to get the money and donated items they have collected thus far to the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. News reports on WTOP last night speculated that perhaps no evacuees were coming to Washington, but today we have learned (as reported in the Post) that 400 evacuees will arrive today by airplane from Arkansas, where the government, already overwhelmed, asked the District government for help. The buses that were sent down are still planning to fill up with anyone who wants to evacuate Louisiana and come to Washington, which means that the District may eventually be hosting more than 1,000 evacuees. Churches and private citizens have offered long-term help for those arriving, spare the initial relief they will be granted in the D.C. Armory.

Driving by the Armory last night, we saw crews of D.C. government workers cleaning up the site, and the Post article has a picture of cots set up in the main space. The scene was more surrealistic this afternoon, when we took this photograph. Ambulances were arriving in groups of four and five, amidst shouts of Nationals fans amassed inside RFK Stadium in the distance. Police officers directing traffic were alternately helping fans with red Nats caps cross the street and sending people in cars with donations for evacuees to the local fire and police stations.

The D.C. government Web site says that those interested in helping should call the Mayor's Call Center (202-727-1000). Through that number, Serve DC will preregister those interested in volunteering their time and labor, and they are officially asking that concerned citizens stop bringing small amounts of items or any clothes to fire or police stations. Right now, they prefer to accept only donations of money or goods in bulk. You can also send your name, phone number, and e-mail address to the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, or contact Jeffrey Daniels, the Manager of Emergency Services at danielsj at redcrossnca dot org or by phone at 202-303-4521.

According to the latest plan, we will be at the Armory today as volunteers on the front line to help with the arrival and processing of the evacuees from Arkansas. The MoTHs are definitely ready to help diaper babies and give crates of toys to little kids, but until the evacuees arrive in Washington, the city and the Red Cross will not know exactly what supplies are needed, which is why cash donations, which can be used to purchase whatever is required, are so essential.

One thing we all know for certain is that you should not mess with your mom. So when moms unite, look out. Local group Moms on the Hill (MOTH) has had enough with watching people suffer in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and they have found a way that they can help directly. On Monday some refugees from Katrina will arrive in Washington where they will take shelter in the D.C. Armory, in the eastern part of Capitol Hill. The MOTHs are holding a Candlelight Prayer Vigil tomorrow evening, Saturday, Sept. 3, beginning at 5 p.m. The vigil will be held at Lincoln Park, located at E. Capitol St. between 11th and 13th St.

The moms are asking all residents of Capitol Hill (and anyone else who wants to come) to show solidarity, bring a candle, and join them in helping the families who will be coming to our city. They will be collecting personal items for families and children (clothes, diapers, baby formula, toothbrushes, personal hygiene items, and so on), as well as money with which to buy those things, which they will be handing out to refugees starting on Monday when they get here. Anything that does not get used here in Washington will go on a truck on September 10, destined for aid organizations in Louisiana. This DCist is planning to be there.

While local and federal official scramble to adequately respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, individual donations are fast approaching $100 million, reports the Post, while communities and organizations have started campaigns to offer cheap or free housing to the thousands left homeless in the hurricane's wake. Below are more local events to benefit the victims and information on how you can help:

-- The K Street Lounge (1301 K Street, NW) is hosting a hurricane relief party on Saturday, September 3, with all proceeds from the cover charge going to the American Red Cross.

-- The Grog and Tankard (2408 Wisconsin Avenue, NW) will host the "Singin' the Blues for The Delta-Katrina Relief Show" on Thursday, September 8, starting at 8 p.m. A $20 donation, all of which will benefit the American Red Cross, will get you in. Delaware-based Lower Case Blues is set to play.

-- Moveon.org has organized a hurricane housing drive for evacuees, while Craigslist has mobilized to provide housing, volunteer opportunities, and the site's considerable reach to locate loved ones.

-- We've received word that local Red Cross chapters are sending volunteers down to the disaster area. All you need is to watch a few training videos and a three weeks to dedicate to relief efforts. Please call your local Red Cross office for more information.

Update: One more event, this one taking place on Wednesday, September 7 at the Hawk n' Dove (329 Pennsylvania Ave., SE), from 6-9 p.m. A $25 donation is suggested, and the American Red Cross will be on hand to collect donations and provide receipts for tax deductions. The best part: beer and wings are complimentary until they run out, after that, $5 pitchers.

Update, Part 2: The Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which owns a variety of restaurants in Northern Virginia (notably Tallula, Vermilion, and the Evening Star Café), is planning a series of fundraising events to benefit the relief efforts. On September 7, a percentage of total sales from all three restaurants will go to the American Red Cross and Catholic Relief Services, while from September 5-11, 50 percent of all dessert sales will be donated. Throughout the month diners will also be able to add donations to their checks. A "Taste of the French Quarter" night is being planned, though no date has been set.

Picture above from Reuters.

Thanks to a DCist reader, we bring you more info on another worthy fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, this one taking place on September 12. Please keep directing information our way, and we'll keep posting it.

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A group of high-profile chefs and restaurateurs here in Washington is donating its time, food and energy to raise money for New Orleans, in sympathy with all their fellow food and restaurant workers who have lost their livelihoods and so much more. We're hoping the movement will go national. We're doing it with Po'Boys, the beloved New Orleans sandwich.

Here's our rallying cry: "PO' BOY POWER, Dress New Orleans Again!"

At any New Orleans po'boy joint, you order your oyster or roast beef sandwich "dressed" - with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and hot sauce. Our goal is to raise money, not just to revive the city, but to bring it back as good as it can possibly be - "dressed."

Acadiana Restaurant, a Louisiana-style fish house opening September 12th in the heart of the nation's capital, will become the po'boy headquarters of the fund-raising effort. On opening day, Chef Jeff Tunks and his chef friends Robert Wiedmaier, Michel Richard, Roberto Donna, and Cesare Lanfranconi, to name a few, will make brown bag carry-out po'boys (meat and seafood) all day for a donation of $25 each. Get'em and go!

"There is no question. This food is what we know and love, these people are who we care about, and this is what we can do to help" says Tunks. His ties to New Orleans are strong -- he lived there for four years, and even got married there. "I was just down there, getting to know local purveyors, farmers, and fishermen who were to supply Acadiana. We've been in constant contact all summer. Now they're just gone."

The first food donor on board is Congressional Seafood, and all proceeds will be given to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross will also receive a percentage of Acadiana's profits for its first month of operation, as well as generous donations of the server's tips.

As a New Orleans native and long-time culinary industry professional, I know first-hand how the disastrous hurricane has affected my family, their homes, and businesses. New Orleans' legendary cuisine, such a tremendously important part of its industry and economy, has always been the lifeblood of countless food-service workers, from busboys to restaurateurs - who have now lost everything.

Come one come all and have a deliciously dressed po'boy. Help us get the word out. Help Dress New Orleans AGAIN! Thanks Y'all!

Acadiana
901 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

For more information:
Simone Rathlé - Headquarters for PoBoy Power
(800) 496-1733/(703) 534-8100/(703) 534-8102
simonepr@aol.com / simoneink@aol.com

Picture above taken from the AP.