📬 Want some Southern goodness in your inbox every Friday?
Get Scalawag's latest stories and a run down of what's happening across the South with our weekly newsletter.
Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The full extent of the storm's damage is yet to be seen as rescuers continue to clear roadways and navigate debris. Ida, now a tropical storm, is expected to bring flooding to southern Mississippi and coastal communities in Alabama. Parts of Florida and central Mississippi could experience heavy rainfall as well.
read next:
The South's communication infrastructure can't withstand climate change
Extreme weather is increasingly knocking out power lines and phone towers across the South. Without immediate action, critical internet and communications infrastructure may soon succumb to climate change events they weren't designed to withstand.
As of Monday afternoon, more than a million homes in Louisiana are without power, including all of Orleans Parish. As we learned during Katrina's aftermath, a lot of folks will throw around the word resiliency "when they have no idea what it really takes to live in a community." We still don't yet know the full scope of wreckage from this storm, but we certainly know that recovery and community will require solidarity.
If you've got resources to give, or are looking for support right now, we hope you'll find what you need here—or inspiration for what you can start at home. This list is by no means comprehensive; If you know about projects that should be included, email us: editors@scalawagmag.org or send us a Twitter message: @scalawagmag.
A note: some of the resources we've shared here contain personal information. Please respect peoples' privacy, and if the document we've linked to has specific instructions, do follow them.
These organizations are offering on-the-ground relief to Gulf Coasters in Louisiana and Mississippi:
Across the Gulf Coast:
- Another Gulf is Possible Collaborative is distributing donations directly to indigenous, Black, and brown frontline folks impacted by Hurricane Ida and groups who currently don't have online donations capacity. Support their work, and follow their updates on Twitter and Instagram.
- Bvlbancha Public Access is rounding up ways to help Indigenous folks with Hurricane Ida relief. Check out their rolling doc of impacted tribes and mutual aid opportunities, and follow their updates on Twitter.
- ForeverCalcasieu provides direct assistance before, during and after storms. Donate on PayPal, CashApp $kottyjah, or Venmo @kottyjah.
- The Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy works toward climate justice and ecological equity in communities of color on the frontline of climate change. Support their aid relief and follow their impact surveys on Twitter and Instagram.
- Mutual Aid Disaster Relief is a grassroots disaster relief network providing direct support to those affected by the storm. Donate to support their ongoing relief, and follow their updates on Twitter. To request aid, fill out this form.
- Project South supports organizing and grassroots leadership across the South. They're currently helping folks who evacuated from the Gulf find housing in Atlanta. If you have short-term housing to offer, let them know here. If you need a place to stay, let them know here. Support their work here, and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
Louisiana:
- Algiers Proud is a decentralized community care organization serving Algiers and New Orleans. If you need aid, text RELIEF to 504-285-4815 to receive their Hurricane Ida Relief hotline resources. Support their work here, and follow their updates on Twitter.
- Culture Aid Nola directs no-barrier, no-stigma aid to underserved members of the hospitality and cultural community. Support their efforts to get folks fed, and follow their updates on Twitter and Instagram.
- Feed the Second Line is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the culture bearers of New Orleans. All donations they receive in September and October will go toward helping people recover from Hurricane Ida. Donate here, and follow their updates on Instagram.
- House of Tulip is building an inheritance for the trans and gender nonconforming community in Louisiana. They're currently giving out $15,000 in hurricane relief to TGNC folks impacted by Hurricane Ida. Apply for help here. Make a donation here or on CashApp at $HouseOfTulip, and follow their updates on Instagram.
- Imagine Water Works is a New Orleans-based organization working on climate justice, water management, and disaster readiness and response. Support their relief fund, join their mutual aid Facebook group, and follow their updates on Instagram and Twitter.
- Little Woods Co-op is a worker-owned, Black-led cafe and grocery store in New Orleans East. They're feeding around 50 people, and need donations to keep that going. Support them on Venmo @littlewoodscoop and follow their updates on Instagram.
- Southern Solidarity is a grassroots group of volunteers that organizes the daily delivery of food, medical resources, and other basic needs directly to hundreds of unhoused people in the downtown area of New Orleans. Fund their ongoing work, and follow their updates on Twitter.
- Trans Queer Youth Nola builds safe spaces for LGBTQIA young people and is currently offering folks who need it up to $200 in direct aid. Support them on Venmo @transqueeryouthnola, and follow them on Instagram.
- World Central Kitchen nourishes communities through times of crisis and has supplies ready to distribute 100,000 meals in the New Orleans area. Support their work, and follow their updates on Twitter.
Mississippi:
- Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund is stocking diapers, wipes and other relief supplies in Jackson, Mississippi. Fund their work and follow their updates on Instagram.
- Mississippi Rising Coalition is a grassroots organization that focuses on improving quality of life metrics in the state. Support their mutual aid work on GiveButter or on CashApp at $MSRisingCoalition. Follow their updates on Twitter and Instagram.
