ACS Response to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have damaged the basic communications infrastructure in the affected areas.

DONATIONS
As our members, their families, and institutions providing chemical science education recover from the devastation wrought by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes, ACS remains committed to helping them re-establish their careers and programs. We are now focusing our efforts on helping to match the needs of individuals and institutions with those who can donate or provide what is needed. We encourage you to contact us directly at 800-227-5558, 202-872-4600, or hurricanerelief@acs.org with specific needs, such as laboratory equipment, curriculum materials, journals, and career services, or offers of materials you wish to donate.

ACS RESPONSE
ACS has taken a number of steps to respond to the devastation wrought by the hurricanes. ACS members were urged in the September 5 issue of Chemical & Engineering News to donate to relief organizations; both the Publications Division and Chemical Abstracts Service have taken steps to assist institutions and individual customers of their products in the afflicted regions, and a number of ACS divisions and local sections are providing services or offering the expertise of their members to assist students, faculty, or others in need. ACS is making additional use of its volunteers and staff to review ways to assist with the more long-term issues facing the affected colleges and universities, and other institutions, in the region.

ACS BLOGS
ACS continues our original blog, which was designed to help link those within and outside the regions affected by the hurricanes. In this forum, we post information regarding the safety of our members and their friends and family; broker assistance offers or requests, which can be posted or made via phone or email; and provide any other relevant information. We have created a separate blog to collect observations related to the Gulf Coast hurricanes from our members, their families, and friends. We encourage you to use that blog to describe/express what you have seen.

Crisis And Courage (Nov. 21, 2005)

C&EN reporters interview students, professors, and chemical company employees affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Katrina floodwaters not as toxic to humans as previously thought, study says (Oct. 11, 2005)

The floodwaters that inundated New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina were similar in content to the city’s normal storm water and were not as toxic as previously thought, according to a study by researchers at Louisiana State University published in Environmental Science & Technology. Their study, the first peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the water quality of the Katrina floodwaters, is good news for those who’ve been exposed directly to the floodwaters, the scientists say.

Letter from ACS President William Carroll (Sept. 26, 2005)

ACS - CHAL Legal Assistance Network (LAN) for Hurricane Katrina Recovery

Letter from ACS President William Carroll (Sept. 9, 2005)

Latest C&EN stories on the hurricane's impact

ACS Gulf Coast Hurricane blog

ACS Gulf Coast Hurricane Observations blog

The American Chemical Society has suspended delivery of its journals and C&EN to areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita at the request of the U.S. Postal Service. Information on future deliveries will be available at a later date. Full online access to all publications continues. If you or your library cannot access our publications as a result of these tragic events, please call us at 1-888-338-0012 or send an e-mail to liblink@acs.org. Members in the affected area who would like delivery to an alternative address should contact Member & Subscriber Services at 800-333-9511 or service@acs.org.

• American Red Cross
• Benefits Information for Federal Employee Hurricane Victims
• Center For Disease Control and Prevention
• Clean Up Safely After a Natural Disaster
• Department of Interior, Hurricane Responses
• Disaster Recovery, A Guide to Financial Issues
• Disaster Recovery Income Assistance (1-866-487-2365)
• Federal Disaster Management Website
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• FEMA Establishes Hotline To Coordinate Donations For Victims Of Katrina
• FEMA - Hurricane Katrina Disaster Information
• FEMA Individual Assistance Center
• Florida Hurricane Relief Fund
• HUD'S Response to Hurricane Katrina
• Hurricane Katrina, Frequently Asked Assistance Questions
• Hurricane Information for Response and Cleanup Workers
• Hurricane Katrina Recovery Resources
• IRS Expands Relief Area for Katrina Victims
• Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
• Monster.com Hurricane Relief Job Board
• The National Academies Information for Foreign Nationals Displaced by Hurricane Katrina
• National Education Association Hurricane Relief for Public School Employees and Students
• National Flood Insurance Program
• National Institutes of Health Hurricane Response
• Oxfam America
• Salvation Army USA
• Texas Online Hurricane Information
• USA Freedom Corps
• US Department of Agriculture Disaster Assistance Information
• US Department of Defense Hurricane Katrina Relief Information
• US Department of Education Hurricane Help for Schools 
• US Department of Health & Human Services: Hurricane Relief
• US Fund for Unicef
• The White House: Hurricane Relief