Message from Mayor Nickels about Hurricane Katrina

08/30/05

Dear Friends,

For the past several days, we’ve watched terrible devastation rip across the Gulf Coast. New Orleans, a city slightly smaller than Seattle, is almost completely under water today. Every town on the Mississippi coast has been shredded, from waterfronts and for miles inland. Mobile and the Alabama coast are also struggling with flooding and wind destruction.

While the news has shown the destruction of the coast’s beautiful homes and resorts, it is the poor and working families who have the greatest struggle ahead of them. There are many people in Southern Louisiana and the rest of the coast who could not afford to board up their homes, much less the gas and hotel costs necessary to travel away from the storm.

If you can help, please do. Earmark any donation you make to be sure your money gets to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Here are a couple of organizations already at work:

www.secondharvest.org - "America's Food Bank" has pledged to use 100% of earmarked donations for hurricane relief services.

www.nwmedicalteams.org - NW Medical Teams are gearing up to support the affected areas; 96% of their donations benefit their relief services.

www.mercycorps.org - Their focus will be to assist families who have been displaced and/or lost their homes to Katrina; 92% of their donations benefit their relief services.

My thoughts are with those of you who have families and friends on the Gulf Coast.

Sincerely,

GREG NICKELS
Mayor