It's been a definite "Who by fire and who by water" situation these past few weeks.

I've had to call family and friends to ask about how they braved earthquakes and storm surges - people who live in places I'd never have thought would be experiencing such tsuris. Follow this to learn what the mainstream media seems to be pushing aside with regards to the effects of the remains of Hurricane Irene in the northeast. Upstate New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rains and are still in need of help.

And then there's this:

Yep, that's the Crescent City Connection, barely there on this past Tuesday morning.

A good friend of mine moved here in part to escape the fumes of the wildfires that occasionally roll into greater Los Angeles and give her daughter's asthma a workout, and now here she is having to supply her little girl with the asthma medications she hasn't had to use until this week. Judging by the lines of parents outside the little guy's school nurse's office clutching inhalers for their children, my friend is not the only one in that situation, either. Thank goodness for the rain outside my window right now, even if it may screw up my husband's plans for us to head to the beach on Labor Day if it continues.

The ongoing one, though, is the fact that in these tough times, people are still going hungry. There was a food drive at Rising Tide VI this year, as there was last year, in large part because the need is still very much there. hence the addition of the Power To Fight Hunger widget to the sidebar on this blog. It leads to the site of Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, and this is their Hunger Action Month - although every month, really, ought to be Hunger Action Month. Check all the links at the site, donate some funds, canned goods, or even your time to helping feed the hungry. It isn't good for the possible future of Louisiana to be starving like this:

“One in five children in south Louisiana is food insecure and the number is growing,” said Natalie Jayroe, President and CEO of Second Harvest food Bank of Greater New Orleans. “Good nutrition is absolutely critical for children to learn and succeed in school and in life. Far too many children in Louisiana are going to bed hungry each night.” 

“Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity” provides the following data for south Louisiana, by Parish, in an interactive map format: 

o The percentage of the population who is food insecure.
o The percentage of children that is eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others.
o The percentage of children that is not eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others. 

An executive summary of the report can be found at:  www.feedingamerica.org . The study is an important tool because it provides critical information for developing strategies to alleviate child hunger.

Any assistance is of great help. Thanks in advance.