Meeting Sunday 3PM to plan busses from Boston to NO to bring back evaccue

[mom cat]

Send Buses to New Orleans and bring people back here to offered homes!
First meeting, 3pm tomorrow, at Mel King's Tech Center, 359 Columbus, South End Boston

(two letters follow)
Dear People--

A number of us, some from UJP community groups, are looking into the practicality of sending
buses from this area down to New Orleans to pick up Hurricane survivors. The thought is that
many thousands of people in this area have offered their homes to hurricane victims, but the people in
New Orleans have no way of getting up here. Thus the solution would seem to be to rent buses and
send them down there, hopefully loaded with food and supplies, and then pick up people and
bring them up here to the offered homes. (MoveOn lists nearly 5000 homes offered within 350
miles of NYC, for example. There are other lists as well, and people have already written us
with more housing offers.)

We think it is a great concept and exciting and are hoping to involve as many people as possible
in this effort. We will need 1) lots of money-- each bus will cost around $3000 to rent for the trip,
so anyone with access to funding sources would be very helpful; 2) phone calling to locate buses
to rent -- or even better to find buses that might be donated for this trip; 3) people to coordinate
housing offers with people to take them in New Orleans. and 4) undoubtedly more to be done.

AND it all needs to be done very quickly-- the sooner these people are picked up the happier
and healthier they will be.

Our first meeting will be tomorrow, Sunday Sept 4, at 3pm, at Mel King's Tech Center,
http://www.volunteersolutions.org/boston/org/213129.html for a map. 359 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: SouthEnd (Orange Line), 2 minute walk
Nearest Bus Stop: #1 Mass Ave, 5 minute walk
For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

You can also get off the Green line at Copley and walk 4 blocks down Dartmouth Street to Colombus
Avenue, turn right on Columbus and go down 1/2 block.

Please join us if you can! You can get on an email list to be informed of our progress and to offer your own suggestions by sending email to Lynne and ask to be added, [e-mail]. You can also send email to me, Amy, at [e-mail].

[paineinthearse]

1. Think locally, ACT LOCALLY

THANK YOU! and nominated.

[Ian David]

2. I hope this works, and that the Guard doesn't turn the busses away

I wish I'd gotten notice of this earlier.

May I suggest that the busses be loaded with food, water, supplies, first aid, etc.?

And bring cameras (especially camera/video cellphones) to document abuse and resistance by the authorities.

[TayTay]

3. Be careful, this whole effort has been just screwed up

FEMA has been turning rescue vehicles and buses away. (No place hot enough in hell to put those who screwed this up.) Make sure that someone knows you're coming and that you can actually get people. FEMA is in the way and a lot of rescue attempts have been just diverted.

And god bless, best of luck and let me know what you need. We have to help these people. They are us.