How to help fellow Southerners hit by Katrina

Our hearts and souls go out to people across the South who are suffering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Like millions, we want to do whatever we can to help folks get through these trying times.

After having gone through the recovery of South Carolina following 1989's Hurricane Hugo, we learned quite a few things:

• In the immediate days after the storm despite widespread destruction, residents were resilient and quickly got to the task of rebuilding, in spite of all of the devastation.
  
  
• At the same time, millions of outsiders wanted to help.

Unlike 1989 when there really was no Internet, it's easier today for Southerners from all over to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here are some options:

• Give blood or money via the American Red Cross (Note: the site may not load quickly because it appears to be getting overloaded with hits).
• Charity Navigator, a listing of a lot of ways to donate to the relief effort.
• Salvation Army.
• List of relief organizations from The New York Times.

Finally, if you have a suggestion of ways to help folks in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, please add a comment to this post.