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Internet scams take advantage of Hurricane Katrina!

You might have heard of phishing scams where an Internet user is led to bogus website for extortion of money or for spreading viruses or other malware.

Similar to such phishing scams, now that Katrina has struck and people are donating through online sites, scam sites have sprung up on the Internet which imitates web sites of such organizations as Red Cross etc. Here, when you donate you are actually donating to a mischievous individuals or groups of people who has no real connection with the intended charity organization whatsoever.

To circumvent this problem, always go to the charity’s website by directly typing their web address on the browser (Internet explorer or firebox) address bar. You can also go to those sites by following links on other reputed sites.

FBI warns of Hurricane Katrina-related web scams - Media Life Magazine
Officials Warn of Katrina Relief Web Scams - Los Angeles Times 

Moved by Presidents speech; A man from the New Orleans!

Bush asked all Americans on Thursday night speech to pinch in all they can and to help the devastated region in every other way possible. Here is a moving article written by a democratic political consultant on rebuilding and saying to his president and the nation that he is ready for duty.

I Will Rebuild With You, Mr. President - Washington Post. (Require registration)

Resurrecting business – in the battered city of New Orleans!

Flooding that accompanied hurricane Katrina drowned the great city of New Orleans almost entirely and ended many precious human lives in the process.
   
Now, the business owners are reportedly trying to make a come back with renewed vigor as water recedes giving them a chance to clean up and restart. They will have much to think when they start all over again; including the days and months by the time there is the same level of business as in the past since most people have deserted this city.

This disaster although natural was similar to the September 11 attack in the level of devastation it inflicted upon three American states.
   
Business owners to return to New Orleans Saturday - CNN.com

Businesses return to New Orleans - BBCNews.com

Finally, Bush takes the responsibility!

He has stopped defending the federal Govt. In the latest statement, he says that he takes full responsibility for the failure of the Govt’s response to Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Only yesterday, polls have indicated that people think race as a factor for slow response. Bush might have had no other course of action except taking responsibility. This is a step in the right direction. As a leader, he must have saved his people; taking responsibility is at least a demonstration of remorse.

Bush: I'm Responsible for Some Katrina Failures - FOX News
President Says He's Responsible in Storm Lapses - New York Times

CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds discrimination in Katrina reaction.

As blamed by some sources in the media and as doubted by many due to the large number of blacks involved, a poll now says that there was indeed prejudice on racial lines and that is what delayed or affected the response of the official machinery.

It is wrong to assume something as fundamental as race as one of the main slowing factor in the response to a natural disaster crisis like Katrina. That is questioning the very integrity of the individuals involved in the efforts.

However, the disaster response we saw on TV, Americans wailing and crying one week after a major disaster was unbelievable! If everyone thought that there was indeed racial prejudice, they cannot be blamed; such was the state of the reaction.

US president must have been on the ground inside the New Orleans Superdome. He must have been giving directions for the response to disaster and sharing the grief and loss of his people. Nothing short of that looks acceptable. No one would have dared to discuss race as a factor if he were amongst his people on the ground in the time of their utter distress.

President Bush might have his defenses, but the truth is, people across the world are in bewilderment of what they saw on the TV screens. America, which conducts a global war on terror, could not save its own people and could not even provide water, food, and other basic needs days after the disaster struck.

Hurricane Katrina struck; devastated, and gone. Preemptive war that Bush announced as a policy made some sense then. However when they knew for days an enemy is out there approaching fast, they could not pluck out every one of American citizen who was going to be affected, to safety. One wonders whether preemptive war makes sense any more.

Reaction to Katrina split on racial lines - CNN.

Storage in the hour of need!

100,000 homes are said to have been severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. Washington Post article on storage of digital photos, computer files, and other digital information is what triggered this post.

They are discussing ways to store and snatch it away in a moments notice so that all your critical data is safe. However to do this, you need to have the habit of storing your data in an organized manner and copying important data in a secondary storage or location.

However, more important than that is your commitment to adhere to a certain data organization method and following that routine religiously.

About the actual storage, there are two ways of safe keeping your documents outside your PC.

1. Using CD, DVD storage, USB flash memory, and removable hard disk.
2. Online storage! Through online storage / backup utilizing services of companies like xdrive, ibackup, filesanywhere.

Yet another method is storing your mails on the Internet, (hotmail, yahoo, gmail) etc…and photos in photo sharing sites so that at least that part of your content is in safe hands.

Let alone a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, even when a virus strikes your PC or when your PC crashes with data loss, keeping a recent backup of your critical data will be of immense benefit.

The Digital Storage Solution - Washington post.
Backing up files, e-mail. – Your PC / CalicutNet.com

U.S. abandon efforts to stop media from coverage.

In an already bad publicity received for the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, U.S. Govt. did not want additional damage to its reputation.

Hence, they tried to ban media from covering the recovery of bodies in an effort to save face. CNN immediately filed suit for right to cover search for bodies of Katrina victims. Later Govt. reportedly relented and dropped the plan to ban media.

Govt. must have understood that this is no time to have a court battle over the issue and relented and abandoned efforts to implement the ban.

CNN Report - U.S. won't ban media from New Orleans searches.

About city of New Orleans & havoc by Katrina.

Katrina hurricane was different in many ways. People first feared the hurricane; however the storm hit and passed. What happened next was flooding. Flooding was so bad that some parts had submerged in 20 feet of water. 100,000 or more houses are reportedly under water.

American city of New Orleans is the one city which took most of the devastation Katrina brought. The city of New Orleans is protected by levees as three sides of this city have boundaries by Sea, Missisipi River, and Lake Pontchartrain. Lake is the second largest salt-water lake in the United States and some 50 miles in width.

An Industrial Canal in eastern New Orleans provided a direct navigable water connection (with locks) between the river and the lake. That’s why New Orleans’s Canal Street is probably named after.

What are Levees?
During hurricanes, a storm surge can build up on the large lake. Therefore, levees have been built to protect the city of New Orleans, most of which is actually below lake level. City being below the lake level was filled up like a cup when flood waters entered the city. Most of the city as you know is still under water at the time of this writing.

New Orleans city has a population of about half a million. It is a major port city due to its location near the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mississippi River.

It’s Names:
The city's several nicknames describe various characteristics of the city, including the "Crescent City" (describing its shape around the Mississippi River), and the "Big Easy," or the, "City that Care Forgot. The city's name is often abbreviated NOLA.

Hurricane Watch is one of several Blogs.
MSNBC.com Katrina Blog is another good one.

Living Paycheck to Paycheck Made Leaving Impossible!

Poorest of the worlds richest nation were amongst the worst hit in Katrina hurricane that struck Gulf Coast of America and most of them were blacks. Many amongst them was living paycheck to paycheck and did not have the money required once evacuation orders were given.
   

Some of them have stayed put due to reluctance in abandoning their home. However most of them who decided to stay back faced the worst in their lives.

There are still people living in submerged homes calling out for help. Rescue agencies and military are dropping food to people. Some of them are still refusing calls for leaving their homes. Katrina has reportedly affected an area as large as the United Kingdom. This explains how widespread the damage has been.

Details of the number of dead are still not known as so many houses and other locations could not be reached to carryout a search.

Living Paycheck to Paycheck Made Leaving Impossible - Washington post.

Death toll from Hurricane Katrina could be in thousands - PTI India

Hurricane Katrina related Blogs.

Web Log (Blog) community is buzzing with Hurricane Katrina related news, information, and experience of individuals. Writing things gives some sought of relief to individuals and they can vent some of their feelings through words.

For you, it is required to know what is going on and how people are coping. We recommend you visit,

Katrina Housing and Transportation Resources
Hurricane Watch; HurricAid
Journey to Healing; Hurricane Katrina