You've probably seen the bumper stickers, right? "Think Globally, Act Locally"

Remember, every little bit that you can do helps the nation, even when it's done locally. People in your communities will have their own disasters (fires are the most common). So, when you contribute to your local charities, that money goes to help people in your community. Once a surplus of donations is reached, it goes into funds designated for statewide relief efforts, then nationwide funds, and then worldwide. So, whether you put a few dollars in a jar at the grocery store or send in a check specifically for "Hurricane Katrina Relief," please know that you are helping.

Same goes for when you donate your time or your blood. Think about how it is (most of the time ) after Christmas dinner. Cleaning up is much easier on everyone and gets done faster when perhaps one washes the dishes, one dries, one clears the table, and one puts away leftovers. It's the same with volunteering. Even just a few hours a week, even just four hours for one day a week can make a difference. Volunteers can be spread thin at times and with a catastrophe of this magnitude, every bit of manpower helps. Plus, many of the volunteers in your area who are trained in disaster response, mass shelter, and assessment will be leaving your communities to go to the hardest hit areas. They will still need help in your local shelters, not just for evacuees (because they may not have evacuated as far as Seattle or Hoboken or Bangor), but for people in your own neighborhoods who need assistance for local disasters.

And blood is always necessary at times like this. The more that is out there for your local hospitals and communities, the more surplus can be shipped to LA/MS/AL and the hospitals caring for evacuees. If it's not your time to donate yet, be patient...it will be and your blood can be used then. And I promise, it doesn't hurt.

Finally, remember -- Don't feel useless or guilty when you go to your jobs and go about your daily "routine." It helps us all get through this. You're maintaining a sense of normalcy for all of us, whether you're the postal carrier, the cashier at the grocery store, the vet down the road, the teacher, the garbage collector, and so on. You help us all keep going by doing your part to keep life going as "usual" (as best we can). Chances are, one of you is either filling in for a rescue worker, Red Cross volunteer, or engineer who has gone to respond to the disaster or you're helping to keep things running smoothly for your boss or coworker whose husband, wife, son, or daughter has gone to respond. Or you're the mom or dad who sends their child on the school bus everyday so that our future can continue to grow.

Every little thing you do is magic. So to everybody, thanks for the help.