BURNING MAN AND HURRICANE KATRINA
What we're doing, how you can help ...
Find out what's going on in Biloxi today, in our Reports from the Field.
By now you're all home and unpacked, and coming to terms with life in Reality Camp -- and with the enormity of the damage left by Hurricane Katrina.
Although our access to outside news was sketchy during the event, as noted in this Mark Morford column, as soon as Burners found out about the hurricane they did what comes naturally -- they stepped into motion, organized and helped out, which you'll read about in this Wired.com article and this Reno Gazette-Journal story. It just made sense -- after all, as many have noted, New Orleans is a sort of free-spirited sister city to Black Rock City.
The Regional Information Center, Playa Info, BMIR and Media Mecca all participated in the effort to provide information and support. Media Mecca was turned into the New Orleans Disaster Relief center, where free satellite phones and a laptop were set up so people from the affected area could reach home, receive housing offers, post news updates, meet to coordinate various relief efforts, and collect materials to help people on and off the playa.
Volunteers from all over the playa and every Burning Man department spent hours sharing information and collecting resources. During the event, cash donations of over $35,000 were collected, and thousands of pounds of food and water were delivered to the Salvation Army for refugees displaced to Reno (at that time we were their single largest contributor).
"But wait," you might be thinking, "wasn't I told that food and water wasn't needed when I tried to donate it during Exodus?" Yes, you were -- we weren't able to confirm until very late during Exodus that they would be needed and accepted. Had we known we could have collected much, much more. As you'll see mentioned in the RGJ article cited above, as soon as the Project discovered the need for dry goods for refugees in Reno the Exodus crew took in as much as participants wanted to give, reserved enough to feed the crew for the next few weeks and then drove 3 truckloads of food and water donations to the Reno Salvation Army.
In addition to the money and food raised, materials and funds were donated directly to a group of people from New Orleans who, along with some circus performers who met in Black Rock City -- now calling themselves the Third Line Circus -- left the event and went directly to Houston to provide aid and raise the spirits of people displaced by the storm. We'll provide updates of their progress and efforts as we receive them.
What we're doing:
Of the money raised, over $13,000 was placed in containers specifically ear-marked for the Red Cross and has already been donated. In order to aid two particularly hard hit parishes we chose OXFAM to receive a $15,000 donation. The remainder is being held temporarily and is earmarked for non-profit groups and on-the-ground agencies delivering immediate aid. We share your concern that resources not be used on overhead, and will keep you informed as this process moves forward about exactly where your donations went.
We are also creating a Katrina Relief announcement list to connect people affected by the disaster with those who wish to help, and to keep people up to date with our latest information. If you provided your email address on the playa for this list, you will be contacted soon.
How you can help:
There are several simultaneous efforts underway to help people displaced by the hurricane. Right now we're working to get a sense of what people are doing, and how the Project and participants can best help coordinate and facilitate those efforts. If you'd like to assist in any way, please email us at katrina-relief (at) burningman (dot) com.
Feel free to join our Katrina Relief announce list to keep apprised of the latest updates, and to see how you can directly help those in need. To join the list email: katrina-relief-announce-subscribe (at) burningman (dot) com.
For those that like the connectivity of tribe.net you have a few options that provide information: There is the New Orleans Burner Tribe which is moderated by the official Burning Man New Orleans Regional Network Contact, Anthony De Cognito. And there is the New Orleans Tribe moderated by jennconspiracy, which includes periodic posts by the regional contact. Lastly, there is a newly created Tribe specifically for Burners interested in helping with Katrina, however, neither the moderator of the Tribe nor its content are known to the Project. Search for "Burning VanGuard" on Tribe.net.
Finally, please work with your regional contact to put something together (a Mardi Gras decompression, anyone?) and let us know how we can assist you.
Projects Now in Motion:
[dateline: Sept. 20]
Here's what we know of right now ...
There are a number of different projects and efforts in which Burning Man participants are engaged in to help the relief efforts from hurricane Katrina. We are only including projects that the Burning Man organization has researched and have an understanding of the purpose and goals. However, like the playa, one should use one's own good judgment when getting involved in a project.
Build Biloxi
Two very cool projects, both involving people from the Burning Man community, are now underway in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The first is the Temple to Temple Crew. After learning of the hurricane, Matt Lindsay (who has worked as a heavy equipment wrangler for David Best's Temple crew since 2000) and some friends headed directly to Biloxi, along with several tons of heavy equipment and nine generators. There they encountered a leveled Buddhist temple, which had just been dedicated by Biloxi's large Vietnamese community. Matt and crew moved in and starting repairing it, and using bulldozers and cranes still covered with playa dust cleared an adjacent three acre parking lot of debris, which then became a temporary HQ for groups like FEMA, OXFAM, and Red Cross. Then, using a 44-foot dome donated by Pacific Domes (known well by Burners), they started flagging down trucks of supplies, offloading food and water, and now run a 24-hour free supermarket, aiding a community that's been almost totally overlooked. Matt's been joined by Mauricio, who's volunteered the last several years as a video documentarian on the playa. We'll post some of his photos as soon as we get them.
Andy Stevko (aka Boy Scout) is now in Biloxi working on this project with the Temple Crew, and is filing Reports from the Field.
They've got all the power tools and equipment they need, but what they're really in need of are people to come help clear debris and get the community back together. Matt said "it's just like the playa -- 100 degrees and full of random stuff. Except it's also 100% humidity." They can also use money for gas to run their generators, and another dome to house people in. For more information or to donate, contact: Shelly Lindsay at 541-482-7288.
The second is a group with the non-profit World Shelters, working to build emergency housing for disaster relief workers. Several Black Rock Rangers (including Tulsa, Badger and Beast) arrived on scene on Tuesday, September 19, and will soon be building 60 temp housing for the Biloxi Fire Department, and most likely several hundred more in the weeks ahead for OXFAM and FEMA. You can read about what they're doing, see photos, and donate through their blog: givingshelter or check out www.worldshelters.org for more information.
Third Line Circus
The Third Line Circus group was born on the playa, and includes members of several departments, participants and circus folks from the UK. They first traveled as a group to Reno and participated in a Red Cross training. The group then divided temporarily to convert vehicles to vegetable oil, stock up on supplies while the others headed directly to Houston to research how and when New Orleans would allow their return. They have recently regrouped in Austin to decide on their next move.
Here is a portion of their mission statement:
"The Second Line is a long-standing, long-dancing New Orleans tradition; best known as the band that follows funerals, somber on the way to the grave, joyous and celebratory on the way back.
Inspired by this fine tradition, Third Line is a rapidly expanding hurricane relief team, with a core comprised of New Orleans residents and entertainers, and a vast network of friends who also want to help. Primarily we are a circus, which will provide entertainment relief (in the form of circus acts, a mobile film theater, puppet shows, and music) and children's day care (with an educational focus on creating their own children's circus), although we seek to fulfill other needs as we see fit (e.g. housing, clothing, etc.)."
You can donate via the site, and view their blog.
Hurricane Katrina Relief Film Project
With a bus full of supplies and necessities, Estee Blanchar will drive home to Louisiana bringing relief to as many lives as possible.
She hopes to feed, clothe and unite families, and just help in the ongoing rescue mission to restore life to those who have been severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. She will also be making a documentary of her journey to bring to light the conditions of those in need and what is being done to help.
The group is on their way, and already making a difference. We just got this email today we'd like to share:
Hi,
I'm shelley, and i was lucky enough to be matched by rangers with chicken john and i stayed at his loft in sf for a week. now we're back on the green tortoise on the way to new orleans to film a documentary about going home. Other burners are on the bus, and many of the donations were from the BRCommunity. This year was my first burn!!!!!! I truly have found a new community; to come out of the desert with no home awaiting return was one thing; to be lifted up by my new family and carried to safety has been f**king holy.Thanks, guys. You Rock!
We're gonna be blogging from the road at www.filmkatrina.com.
Love,
ShellShock *_*
Visit www.filmkatrina.com for contact info and to make a donation.
Got something you're working on? Let us know. We'll do our best to keep this list current! 
