Look for licensed Katrina relief agencies - MarketWatch

Look for licensed Katrina relief agencies - MarketWatch: "Those who have seen the devastation in and around Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and want to donate to the storm's relief effort would do best by donating to local charities, but major groups such as the United Way and Salvation Army are working with those organizations to get the help where it's needed.
And experts say that donors should keep an eye out for swindlers that have sprung up on the Internet, trying to capitalize on the nation's worst-ever natural disaster.
While federal aid is slow in getting to the region, charitable donations already have set records. However, in a disaster of this magnitude -- that drove as many as 400,000 residents from New Orleans -- much more charitable giving will be needed, particularly if the federal assistance originally promised doesn't make its way to the region.
'It's record-breaking in the amount that has been raised thus far,' said Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a publication that monitors charitable spending. 'But I think the question is what kind of aid they're going to see from the government.'
Palmer said Katrina donations topped the $2 billion mark in mid-November and were headed well north of the $2.2 billion raised in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States."