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S. Floridians pitch in at home and hit the road to help Katrina victims

By Elizabeth Baier
Staff Writer
Posted September 8 2007

Mardi Gras bead necklaces -- thrown from floats to throngs of euphoric people on the streets of New Orleans each year -- are now helping the devastated city.

Local disaster relief experts are packing their bags and catching up on sleep before starting two-week aid rotations in Mississippi .

Business owners are donating everything from bottled water, hygiene products and hot dogs to help feed thousands of hungry and homeless storm victims.

In ways big and small, South Floridians rolled up their sleeves on Wednesday to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Schools

Money has started pouring in from students in Broward schools.

At Tequesta Trace Middle in Weston, students spent the past week working at lemonade stands, and organizing car washes and bake sales to make money for hurricane victims. As of Wednesday, they raised $8,755.

"The kids are amazing," said Julie Sikorski, Tequesta's peer counseling coordinator. "They're coming in and saying, `I get my allowance tomorrow, can I bring it in tomorrow?'"

In Plantation , Central Park Elementary students and teachers sold $2,000 worth of Mardi Gras bead necklaces in the cafeteria. Students also got another $2,500 in donations for hurricane victims.

In Coconut Creek, North Broward Preparatory Schools collected more than $33,000 last week for the American Red Cross by asking each of its 2,000 students to donate money.

North Broward also has enrolled about a dozen students who fled the Gulf Coast and came to South Florida in the last few days.

District officials have told schools to send all the money they collect to relief organizations such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and the United Way .

Heading to Biloxi

Captain Steve Morris, area commander for the Salvation Army in Broward County , is heading to Biloxi , Miss. , today where he will oversee relief operations in the devastated region for two weeks.

Morris and three other Florida officers -- one from Key West and two from Tampa -- will be leading multiple campaign units, organizing supply warehouses and stocking mobile kitchens each night. Their days will be exhausting -- 18 hours on average -- but well worth it.

"When you sign up to be in the Salvation Army, you know you are signing up to be on call for any event that happens around in the country," said Morris, a 13-year officer with the Army. "It's physically and emotionally draining, but rewarding in the end."

Disaster is not new to Morris -- he has seen the devastation of property and life from Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Charley, and floods in Georgia and Kentucky . He is also a fourth generation Salvationist whose parents served as missionaries in Tokyo , Japan for 25 years, where he was born.

"When you're dealing with people who have absolutely nothing, three hot meals a day and a caring shoulder to cry is a valuable thing to give them," Morris said.

Hot dogs

National Deli and All American Hot Dog Carts, both based in Miami , partnered up after Hurricane Katrina and sent about 5,000 pounds of hotdogs-- nearly 20,000 -- to the Houston Astrodome to help feed the more than 25,000 evacuees living temporarily in the sporting complex.

"As long as there are people at the Astrodome, we'll keep sending food," said Louie DiRaimondo, president of All American Hot Dog Carts.

BCC

Broward Community College officials announced Wednesday they are ready to assist college students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Displaced students considering attending BCC can call associate vice president Marcia Conliffe at 954-201-7634.

Parents and students considering other schools, community colleges and universities in Florida can call a toll-free, statewide hotline at 877-352-2731. The hotline is available to callers within Florida from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Also available is a dedicated e-mail address: Florida.cares@fldoe.org.

Driver's license

Residents who have had to evacuate their homes in Louisiana , Alabama , and Mississippi can now obtain identification cards or driver's license in Florida .

Those without a license can go to any Department of Motor Vehicles in Florida and obtain a free ID card.

Many residents from the impacted states who were forced from their homes are finding themselves without proper identification, which is needed for many services from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokesman Frank Penela.

"This is just a drop in the bucket compared to all the other things they are thinking of right now, but for purposes of identification, we're just trying to help in any way," Penela said.

Staff Writers Chris Kahn, Lisa Huriash, and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

Elizabeth Baier can be reached at ebaier@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4637.