The following is a large excerpt from a letter from a friend of our family. I usually don't pass on pleas for help, (Feed the kids, save the whales, kill my wife, etc...) but I feel whatever I can do to help New Orleans should be attempted:

The federal government's response to this monumental disaster has been appalling. Much of the blame for the catastophic flooding that wiped out thousands of homes and destroyed vast amounts of our city's infrastructure lies at the feet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who failed to build and maintain the levee system to adequate levels, and then lied about it. Engineers from Lousiana State University and other experts from around the world have examined the levees and found they were grossly inadequate and that their failure in the aftermath of Katrina was a man-made disaster. Had it not been for this, our city would have survived Katrina. Despite this evidence, many of the leaders in Congress refuse to support a comprehensive rebuilding plan that includes adequate flood control and hurricane protection. The people of New Orleans are now in the process of contacting out-of-state friends to ask for their support in gaining the attention of Congress. Currently, our state senator Mary Landrieu is launching an all-out effort to gain support in Congress for rebuilding the levee system to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and to restore our wetlands to further protect the city and southeast Louisiana. She is hosting the ambassador from the Netherlands, who has been in New Orleans and has proposed solutions based on what his country has done. The Netherlands is a tiny country, and yet its citizens have built a state-of-the-art flood control system. The U.S. citizens who live in Louisiana deserve no less. While the U.S. spends billions of dollars on the Iraqi war effort, thousands of Louisiana residents remain homeless, jobless, and hopeless. This is unacceptable. Senator Landrieu has promised to do whatever it takes to keep Congress in session through the upcoming Christmas holidays if necessary, until they agree to this rebuilding plan. Time is of the essence. Please contact your congressional representatives and voice your support for a comprehensive flood control program for Louisiana, including Category 5 protection and restoration of the wetlands. You can use the following websites to write to your state's representatives in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives: www.senate.gov and www.house.gov . On September 14, 2005, President Bush stood in a darkened Jackson Square, in the very heart of our city, and said, "There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again." Please help to ensure that this pledge is fulfilled. We have seen the destruction first hand, we live with it on a daily basis, and it is unimaginable. Our people are heart-broken and need to know that the rest of America still cares.