$ 1,097,331 in contributions, way to go bloggers. TTLB’s Blogathon is almost done. Admittedly the big bloggers brought in the big bucks, well all except Andrew Sullivan. Smaller bloggers did better than he did.

Update: Final total $ 1,195,259 :)

The carnival is at Conservative Cat and features kittycats, a welcome break from the devastation cause by another kat, Katrina. Which Katrina is more evil than Psycho Cat. Sharing one of the last pics I shot of her evilness before she went to live with kid’s bf. Maybe I should have taken a pic of my kid as she too has gone to live with her bf. Would appear so as she is there far more than she is here.

$ 839,585 in contributions so far in TTLB’s Blogathon. Today’s the last day to donate. And since I never officially listed my blog since I was working the entire holiday weekend, tell them Lair (This Blog Is Full Of Crap) sent you. I gave him credit when I donated.

Other relief efforts helping in the longer term/other areas include St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church which is collecting money to fill a truckload of food to go to Biloxi, Ms and Mobile, Al. They suffered too. 100% of the money will go to the victims.

Mail to: St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church
1803 W. Emma Springdale AR 72762 Ph: 756-5074/927-9789

The deadline to place the order with Angel Food Ministries is 9/11. The food will be delivered on 9/24.

And Chabad Lubavitch of Louisiana has help in obtaining housing and employment assistance as well as food for evacuees from New Orleans. They take donations, offers of help, the previously mentioned housing and employment assistance.

These are long term needs, food isn’t just needed now, food, shelter and jobs will be needed for months. And in other news, my employer, at least corporate HQ, has donated $250,000. And as Arizona is taking in some of the evacuees, volunteers are needed to help. If I have the right skills, I might get to help too.

Sobering statistic, an estimated 1.5 million people have been displaced from the Gulf Coast. Obviously, there are homes in the area not destroyed, like in the historic area of New Orleans, and people may wonder why they have to leave. New Orleans is uninhabitable, most of which is covered in a soup of toxic/human waste and containing dead bodies and who knows what.

Probably nothing living either, read where alligators were found dead in the stuff. That’s one way to kill the undesirable wildlife.

No services either - water, electricity and the like. Other areas have that problem, the no services and are totally destroyed making travel impossible due to the litter of levelled homes and businesses. Oh, and there are no businesses in some areas. Or jobs. Would be silly to stay in an area where you can’t buy food, gas and other essentials, and obviously can’t work.

Although Anne Rice, who lived in the Garden District of New Orleans, probably could write an interesting vampire novel out of this. What would Lestat do?