Cross-posted from a comment at the fabulous Backup Brain, where Tom encourages people to consider donating to the Red Cross.

Or, please, please, consider not donating to the Red Cross.

As noted last year when it was Hurricane Charley, consider a group like Catholic Charities, or from my own church, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Both of those are included in FEMA's list of agencies that need cash to assist hurricane victims.

So is the American Red Cross, but hopefully we've learned more this time. Note that on the ARC's online form, you cannot donate specifically to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. You can only donate to the "National Disaster Relief Fund," where they may use the money for anything they consider a disaster, or simply bank it for some future point. You must call the toll-free number (1-800-HELP-NOW) to "stipulate your gift for a Red Cross effort that's not listed," and unless you're very specific, they'll hear "Katrina" and put it in the National Disaster Relief Fund anyway.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, I note, allows you to give to one of three separate accounts: US Hurricane Response, Pastoral Care, or Church Damage. They know that non-Presbyterians may not want to donate money to non-secular relief efforts, and they segregate the money. The secular Red Cross can't even manage that.