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.
