Wherever Gustav goes, he is going to leave behind big problems.
The Governor's office is
pointing people to this Web site to sign up as a volunteer to help with Gustov cleanup.
After Hurricane Katrina, volunteers and people who wanted to help storm victims had to wade through legions of relief agencies to find somebody they could rely on. This time, it is different.
A group called Network for Good screens charities and even allows you to send money to one or more groups securely online.
For example, just enter "New Orleans" in the search engine or click on the "crisis relief" button at the top of the page and you will find crises around the world and what worldwide agencies are doing to help. Once you find a charity, click "research" and you can get financial information on that group, including what percentage of their money goes to programs versus fund-raising and administration.
One thing I like about the site is when you donate using Network for Good, it keeps records of your donations, which makes tax time a lot easier.
Donate blood. Labor Day is a weekend when blood supplies get low. Add to that a hurricane and there is reason to worry about how much blood might be on hand to handle a disaster.
Check a charity before you give.
Charity Navigator has these tips before you give during a crisis:
