New Orleans Community Shoulders Chief Burden of Isaac Recovery - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

New Orleans Community Shoulders Chief Burden of Isaac Recovery - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: New Orleans Community Shoulders Chief Burden of Isaac Recovery

September 18, 2012, 9:57 am

Lacking the national outpouring of support that accompanied Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, recovery work in New Orleans following last month’s Hurricane Isaac will fall far more heavily on local volunteers and donors, according to The Times-Picayune.

Internal Revenue Service Webinar Registration Page

Internal Revenue Service Webinar Registration Page: IRS Presenters:

Steven Grodnitzky, Tax Attorney, Manager, IRS Exempt Organizations Office

Emily Mangrum, Tax Law Specialist, IRS Exempt Organizations Office
When disasters strike new charities spring up to help the victims, and existing charities want to expand their activities to provide disaster relief. But often, these organizations don’t understand the complexities of starting and operating an organization to provide disaster relief.

Philippines Goes Hi-Tech For Disaster Response Plan - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ

Philippines Goes Hi-Tech For Disaster Response Plan - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ: The Philippines is no stranger to disasters. Floods, earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons frequently ravage the archipelago, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the work.

But now a new plan aptly dubbed Project NOAH – National Operational Assessment of Hazards – intends to give Filipinos a better chance of overcoming these calamities by providing real-time access to weather information and updating maps, some of which date back to the 1960s.

Answering the Call of Isaac

Answering the Call of Isaac: Parishes in Louisiana were hit hard again by a gulf hurricane, this one Isaac. New Orleans did not see the impact it has in previous storms such as Katrina, Gustav and Ike. But the tribal communities in southeastern Louisiana were severely impacted as the storm hovered over them for 48 hours. Isaac left some homes under as much as 12 feet of water.

Sequestration in Disaster Relief

Sequestration in Disaster Relief: The upcoming 2013 budgetary fiscal cliff has prompted some in Congress to consider sequestration in disaster relief in order to save money. Sequestration is simply defined as automatic spending cuts.

Baptist Press - 83,500 meals cooked by disaster relief volunteers post-Isaac - News with a Christian Perspective

Baptist Press - 83,500 meals cooked by disaster relief volunteers post-Isaac - News with a Christian Perspective: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief feeding operations are now in high gear in nine Louisiana and Mississippi venues, with 83,500 hot meals prepared and delivered to Hurricane Isaac victims in the two hard-hit Gulf Coast states by noon Sept. 4.

Disaster Relief Of A Different Kind - West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio

Disaster Relief Of A Different Kind - West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio: Seventeen West Virginia Office of Technology employees are working long hours in Louisiana lending an IT helping hand following what Hurricane Isaac left behind.

The workers volunteered for the service and state Chief Technology Officer Gale Given says they've been busy since they arrived.

"They are helping intake centers distribute food stamp cards," she said. "They may be pulled away to do other things but that's what they are doing right now."

Baptist Press - Southern Baptist relief spurs 'thank you' from Napolitano - News with a Christian Perspective

Baptist Press - Southern Baptist relief spurs 'thank you' from Napolitano - News with a Christian Perspective: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called to thank Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers who have diligently served since Hurricane Isaac hit the southeast Louisiana coast 10 days ago.

Napolitano Thursday (Sept. 6) personally expressed gratitude to North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell.

Donating to disaster relief efforts - WTVA.com

Donating to disaster relief efforts - WTVA.com: Jackson – Governor Phil Bryant has activated the Mississippi Disaster Recovery Fund (http://www.mississippirelief.com) to collect financial donations.

PHOTOS: Isaac response in Mississippi � American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

PHOTOS: Isaac response in Mississippi � American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom: AmeriCorps worker Ally Ramirez carries a Red Cross disaster clean-up kit during the Hurricane Isaac disaster relief supply distribution in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Disaster partner organizations like AmeriCorps are working with the Red Cross to bring emergency relief to families across the northern Gulf Coast following Hurricane Isaac. Photo credit: Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross

Disaster relief sluggish for thousands without power | Daily World | dailyworld.com

Disaster relief sluggish for thousands without power | Daily World | dailyworld.com: More than 2,800 people were at shelters in Louisiana, down from around 4,000. State officials were uncertain how many people would eventually need longer-term temporary housing. Kevin Davis, head of the state's emergency office, said housing would likely include hotels at first, then rental homes as close as possible to their damaged property.

Local Red Cross Volunteer Remembers Helping in Katrina - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

Local Red Cross Volunteer Remembers Helping in Katrina - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader: Volunteers from Mid-Michigan are already down at the Gulf coast, ready to help with hurricane relief efforts.

Almost seven years ago to the day, Gloria Andrews signed up through the Red Cross to go help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Local NGOs propose disaster-relief body for entire East Asia - Taipei Times

Local NGOs propose disaster-relief body for entire East Asia - Taipei Times: Reacting to the rise in frequency of natural disasters affecting East Asian countries, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have proposed setting up a coordination platform for disaster relief in Taiwan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.

Google launches crisis map anticipating hurricane Isaac | Fox News

Google launches crisis map anticipating hurricane Isaac | Fox News: To do its part, Google has launched the new website aggregating info on tropical storm Isaac as part of its Crisis Response project.

Isaac: A Chance for Government to Rebuild Public Trust? - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.

Isaac: A Chance for Government to Rebuild Public Trust? - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.: Tropical Storm Isaac only lightly brushed by Florida, though the Republican National Convention convened and then recessed due to the completely understandable caution that Tampa could have been hit. The path of the storm (which may become a hurricane) is heading along the path that looks just like the Hurricane Katrina vector, straight for Louisiana and the Mississippi gulf coast. Isaac isn’t expected to be as strong as Katrina (much less Katrina combined with Wilma, which also took a huge toll, particularly in Louisiana’s rural areas), but it is slow moving and loaded with tons of rain. Flooding in the low-lying areas of the coast is a distinct possibility if the storm’s impact on Haiti over the weekend is any guide. Nonprofits World Vision and Doctors without borders are reporting on the impact of the storm on Haiti. World Vision has noted the number of homes in Cite Soleil that lost their roofs or were flooded, and Doctors Without Borders is predicting an increase in cholera cases.

Obama signs declaration for FEMA disaster relief - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Obama signs declaration for FEMA disaster relief - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports: BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - President Obama signed an emergency disaster declaration which will allow Louisiana to use federal aid to help with local response efforts to Tropical Storm Isaac.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says the authorization will coordinate relief efforts and provide federal funds for local emergency and relief efforts. FEMA says the measure authorizes the use of "equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency."

Tropical Storm Isaac Deepens Man-Made Housing Disaster in Haiti - The ITT List

Tropical Storm Isaac Deepens Man-Made Housing Disaster in Haiti - The ITT List: he AP is reporting that the death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Isaac this weekend has now risen to 19. Long-displaced earthquake victims were evacuated from the makeshift camps where they’ve resided since 2010, and several died when their houses collapsed on them. As relief efforts get under way, housing rights advocates are emphasizing that Haitians’ ongoing vulnerability to natural disasters represents a man-made failure.

Baptist Press - Isaac disaster relief prep focuses on Gulf Coast - News with a Christian Perspective

Baptist Press - Isaac disaster relief prep focuses on Gulf Coast - News with a Christian Perspective: With Tropical Storm Isaac continuing to churn toward landfall as a potential hurricane on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning -- somewhere along the Louisiana and Mississippi Coasts -- Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders already are planning where major storm responses will be deployed.

OUR OPINION: Reform the ‘disaster’ of Minnesota’s disaster aid | Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota

OUR OPINION: Reform the ‘disaster’ of Minnesota’s disaster aid | Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota: The League is famous for its fiscal conservatism and might have been expected to call for ending disaster relief altogether. But Krinkie’s most recent column doesn’t go there.

Instead, the former Republican state legislator recounts the report’s findings and supports its recommendations.

That’s because right now, the aid process is “a hodge-podge of state and local government programs as well as non-profit agencies working to provide disaster relief services,” Krinkie writes.

And as long Minnesota’s going to be in the disaster-relief business, it might as well do the job right.

“Even in your desire to help others, you need to include accountability,” Krinkie writes.

Here’s a quote from the auditor’s report that captures its basic findings:

Crowdsourcing Community-Based Disaster Relief in Indonesia | iRevolution

Crowdsourcing Community-Based Disaster Relief in Indonesia | iRevolution: Crowdsourcing Community-Based Disaster Relief in Indonesia
Posted on August 21, 2012 | 5 Comments

I just came across a very neat example of crowdsourced, community-based crisis response in this excellent report by the BBC World Service Trust: “Still Left in the Dark? How People in Emergencies Use Communication to Survive—And How Humanitarian Agencies Can Help.” I plan to provide a detailed summary of this important report in a forthcoming blog post. In the meantime, this very neat example below (taken directly from said BBC report) is well worth sharing.