The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) expresses sincere concern and requests for support for the countless thousands of families who have been severely affected by the extra-ordinary level of devastation, damage, suffering and loss of life and property caused by hurricane Katrina that recently struck the US Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We fully support all measures being taken by various levels of federal, state and municipal government, relief organizations and volunteers to bring urgently needed assistance and reassurance to all people in the affected areas, and we applaud the diligent and continuing efforts of emergency personnel working under extremely difficult conditions. Hurricane Katrina has caused havoc and produced devastation of untold consequences. Thousands of people have been affected or become homeless, and many have lost their lives. It is a national crisis of enormous proportions which demands our urgent attention. The people in the affected areas will no doubt recover from this disaster and return to the normalcy of their lives but at this stage, it is an urgent humanitarian cause that deserves our support.

GOPIO is a secular, non-partisan, not-for-profit, international organization based in USA with chapters in various parts of the globe, representing the interests and aspirations of People of Indian Origin (PIOs), and promoting awareness and understanding of issues of concern -- social, cultural, educational, economic, or political, to global NRI/PIO community. For further information, please contact GOPIO President Inder Singh at gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net or by telephone at 818-708-3885 or Chairman Dr Thomas Abraham at 230-329-8010, Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran at 718-939-8194. GOPIO urges immediate donations for this urgent humanitarian effort, which will be sent promptly to the agencies actively involved in relief and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas. Contributions should be made payable to GOPIO and sent to:

GOPIO International

c/o Haresh Panchal

134 Sweet Berry Ct

San Jose CA 95439

1 (408) - 772-8745

They had worked a week straight, watching their city sink and people die, helping those they could and dodging bullets while they did. With untold weeks of toil still ahead of them, a group of New Orleans firefighters and paramedics touched down in Las Vegas Tuesday evening, looking forward to a few days of rest, warm beds and hot showers before continuing their grim work in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. "We're just relieved to be away and have a sense of normalcy for a couple of days," paramedic Chris Keller said at a news conference at McCarran International Airport. Keller was among the first police officers, paramedics and firefighters who will be flown to Las Vegas during the next month. Each group will stay about five days before heading back to New Orleans, making way for another group of exhausted emergency workers. The workers can bring their families, too. Air travel will be provided by Allegiant Air, and rooms will be provided by Station Casinos, the Hard Rock, Boyd Gaming, the Palms and Fitzgerald's. The Hilton offered tickets to its Barry Manilow show. "They asked us if we wanted a trip to Vegas, all expenses paid," New Orleans fire Capt. Phillip Mason said. "You'd be out of your mind to say no." Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he arranged the hospitality after a call Sunday from the New Orleans city attorney. At a news conference Tuesday outside the Allegiant Air offices, Goodman said he found nothing but support for the idea. "They have acted as heroes this past week, and they just have to recover," Goodman said. While Las Vegas opened its arms to emergency workers, public officials and social service agencies prepared to welcome an influx of evacuees from hurricane-ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast.

The Southern Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross already has taken in more than 200 people, and county officials expect the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fly in another 500 by Monday. Counting people who move on their own or are relocated through faith-based groups, officials estimate more than 2,000 former Gulf Coast residents could end up in the valley. Towers said the Red Cross expects nearly 2,000 evacuees to eventually come to the Las Vegas Valley, and that most will stay. "When everything settles and they realize that they have lost everything, they're going to want to leave everything behind and start over in Las Vegas," said Penney Towers, executive director of the local Red Cross. To help evacuees settle in, the county today will open a one-stop shop at the Fertitta Community Assistance Center in downtown Las Vegas, where information on health care, transportation, schools and other services will be available. "It's about providing medical care and schooling. It's about providing for their daily needs," County Commission Chairman Rory Reid said of the effort, dubbed Operation Open Arms.

Evacuees arriving Thursday will be medically screened by public health nurses from University Medical Center and transported to the community center. Based on the experience of Salt Lake City, Reilly expects many evacuees to be in poor health. One-third of the 1,000 evacuees arriving in Salt Lake City were unable to walk. Evacuees will be housed for at least three months at hotels and motels. Harrah's made the largest commitment, setting aside 150 rooms for the federally transported evacuees. Because of the valley's fast growth, county spokesman Erik Pappa said Las Vegas is better equipped than most cities to handle the influx of people. "We're the fastest growing community in the country, so perhaps these folks here can assimilate faster than in other places," he said. "But at the same time, we're facing an affordable housing crunch and cost of living increases."

Towers said another challenge evacuees will face is finding work. The Las Vegas-Clark County Urban League is one of the agencies offering to help find jobs and housing for new residents. Wilma Gaines, chief executive and interim president of the league, said Las Vegas is fortunate because it has jobs available, but she said the speed with which people find employment will depend on their skills. The league will train those lacking marketable skills to make them more attractive to prospective employers, she said. There was no estimate on the cost to the county and the state of receiving the evacuees, but officials said they are keeping track of expenses and expect to be reimbursed by FEMA. The influx of evacuees comes as police from Southern Nevada are headed to the Gulf Coast to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. A convoy of officers from several police departments left Monday morning for a 35-hour drive to Mississippi, taking with them tents, food and water for what is expected to be a three-week mission, said Officer Bill Cassell, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department. "They are going there to provide some reinforcements and some relief to the officers who have worked since this thing started," Cassell said. "We have officers who have been going on two, three hours of sleep each night. They need to take some time to be with their family and friends and get done what they have to get done." Las Vegas police devoted 30 officers to the effort, with Henderson and North Las Vegas sending eight apiece. All told, the state of Nevada sent roughly 100 officers for the mission, Cassell said.Contributed by Vegas RJ Frank Curreri.

Nevada will be accepting about 800 of the people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina and Gov. Kenny Guinn will declare a state of emergency to qualify for federal funds to handle the arrivals, officials said this morning. Mike Hillerby, Guinn's chief of staff, said state and local officials worked through the weekend arranging for 500 of the homeless to live in the Las Vegas Valley and 300 in Northern Nevada. Las Vegas will be ready Thursday to accept the people and Northern Nevada will be ready Wednesday. It's the start of what will likely be an unofficial surge in residents coming to the valley, as more have probably come out here to visit family or friends or are expected to do so in the future, county Manager Thom Reilly said. Starting Wednesday, the "newest Nevadans" will be processed through an assessment center at the Fertitta Community Center, 1501 Las Vegas Blvd. North, where they will be screened for medical needs and children can be enrolled into local schools, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid said. "This is a work in progress," he said. "Many more people are going to arrive and we need to be prepared." Reid and other county commissioners joined Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman this morning to announce the plan.

The 500 residents -- 300 of whom are expected to arrive Thursday -- will be flown into McCarran International Airport by federal officials, although three times that number could come here on their own, he said. Lifelong New Orleans resident Sandra Sayles came to Las Vegas on Sunday and this morning said she was eager to start a new life with her grown daughter, Sydni Sayles-Long, who lives in Southern Nevada. Hurricanes are nothing new for Sayles, who said she expected to be home after a couple days. Instead, Sayles and her three school-age grandchildren -- who began living with her after the death of their mother in February -- hopscotched the county, staying in Houston, Atlanta and Denver before arriving here, she said. "I tried to explain it as a mini-vacation," Sayles said of how she explained the unexpected move to her 5-year-old grandson. "We thought we'd be gone for three days, then we'd come back and clean up." Sayles, who hasn't been back to her house but has been told by friends and neighbors that her once quiet street is uninhabitable, came to the Clark County Government Center this morning to try to enroll her grandchildren in local schools as quickly as possible.

She's one of the lucky ones. Others who have no family or friends in Southern Nevada will be offered one of 150 rooms at Harrah's resorts in Las Vegas, Tom Jenkin, vice president of the Western division of Harrah's Entertainment, said. The gaming giant, which operates several resorts in the battered region, was among the hardest hit by the disaster. Jenkin estimated that roughly 8,000 employees were affected by the storm. "We were shocked by what a couple of weeks ago we thought was unimagineable," Jenkin said of the destruction. Harrah's has joined the American Red Cross, United Way of Southern Nevada, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada and other local nonprofit groups to assess the needs of displaced residents, many of whom will require housing here for up to six months. Penney Towers, chief executive of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Red Cross, said the charity is encouraging donors to give money instead of clothing, which could require cleaning. "We're all pulling together to do everything we can to diminish the stress and hardship of the evacuees from the affected areas of the Southeast," Towers said in a written statement. "Our neighbors in the Southeast have suffered so much devastation. We are working to do everything we can do bring hope and comfort to them."

Sayles still doesn't know just how much damage her home suffered. Now, she said, her priority is helping her grandchildren make the transition into life in Southern Nevada and looking for a job. "It's tough, once you get here and you realize you have nothing," Sayles said. "Now you've really got to walk your talk about your faith in God." State officials expect the evacuees will stay in Nevada two or three months, Hillerby said. The declaration of a state of emergency will allow for federal agencies to cover the costs of expenses such as housing, food and clothing. He said he expected Nevadans to "be very excited" about giving a helping hand to the 800 who have been left homeless. Keith Rheault, state superintendent of public instruction, said he will be issuing school districts guidance on how to accept the children. He said they can be immediately enrolled in school without paperwork from their former schools. He said once the children are in class, the schools can then start trying to gather the information from the former schools.

As of September 7th 2005 What South Asians are doing to help compile Hurricane Katrina stories by Sreenath Sreenivasan - SAJA - South Asian Journalism Association www.saja.org and S. Mitra Kalita, with input from around the globe by Council of National Journalism Organization. Let SAJA know if you covered or are covering any aspect of the story saja@columbia.edu 1 (212) 854-5979 Also see various reporters and Contributions from some South Asian heads of States. SAJA member available to cover story: Diane Sustendal, NON resident now in Baton Rouge: 1 (225) 925-2112 (temp), 1 (917) 648-9009 (cell), e-mail: dsustendal@aol.com On the ground - Sumi Das, CNN reporter, has been reporting out of Biloxi, Miss. Sanjay Gupta, MD, and CNN medical correspondent, has been in New Orleans for several days. Read about some of his work. Mona Khanna, MD, and medican correspondent for Dallas CBS 11, has been working double duty at New Orleans International Airport since Tue., Aug. 30. She has been treating patients as a member of TX-4 Disaster Team and doing live shots and phoners for her station. Raja Mishra, Boston Globe correspondent, has been reporting from New Orleans Sudeep Reddy, Dallas Morning News reporter, has been covering the story; frequent guest on NPR and Texas TV to talk about Katrina's effect on energy industry.

Here's a narrative story from the roof of a hospital.(no link). Eswhere Vikas Bajaj, NYT business reporter, has been covering the effect on business, including with an A1 story on Sat., Sept. 3. Monika Mathur, news researcher for the AP, has been part of a seven-person team working round-the-clock on researching the relief operations. Hari Sreenivasan, ABCNews Now anchor, has been anchoring the coverage from before the hurricane struck, right throught the aftermath. SOURCES: US-based Experts on South Asia & Sources based in South Asia: See relevant section of SAJA's source list. BACKGROUND: In the last week of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. See free LexisNexis coverage of the crisis. Comparisons to the Dec. 26, 2004, Asia tsunami and its devastation are inevitable. For a complete list of resources SAJA offered then, please visit : www.saja.org/tsunami.html Below : South Asian Analysts/Experts Who Can Provide Commentary | South Asian Relief Efforts | South Asians Affected in the Gulf Coast | Responses of South Asian Governments.

South Asian Analysts/Experts Who Can Discuss Katrina

Congressman Bobby Jindal, R-Louisiana - represents New Orleans and is the first South Asian in Congress in more than 50 years. Updates from www.BobbyJindal.com

DC phone: 1 (202) 225-3015

Sudeep Reddy, energy reporter, Dallas Morning News, frequent guest on NPR and Texas TV to talk about Katrina's effect on energy industry sreddy@dallasnews.com Vijay Vaitheeswaran@vijaytothepeople.com author "Power to the People, worldwide energy and environment correspondent, The Economist, also frequently on NPR Asian American Hotel Owners Association - representing the thousands of motel and hotel owners (despite the name, it's a South Asian group, not one representing the larger Asian American community) see info below on its efforts, 1 (404) 816-5759

South Asian Relief Operations and Story Ideas

NPR: Hindu Priests Providing Comfort (click on "listen to the story" and go to 4:30) NOTE: SAJA does not endorse the fundraising efforts of any of these groups and encourages donors to conduct their own research into the missions of the groups and their track record with disaster relief. AAHOA, Asian American Hotel Owners Association As we see the full impact of Hurricane Katrina, it is clear that hundreds of thousands of people are in need of help, some of whom now lack the most basic necessities of life. In response, AAHOA will be making a contribution of $100,001 toward the relief efforts through the American Red Cross and other initiatives. On a local level, AAHOA members are doing a tremendous job in helping people in need in many places. It is heartening to hear that our members are doing such things as :

* Extending complimentary rooms

* Providing food and other essentials to storm refugees

* Opening up lobby areas as sleeping quarters

* Traveling on site to hoteliers in need with baskets of food

* Collecting tens of thousands of dollars in donations for relief efforts.

We, the AAHOA members, are part of a diverse American culture, which has enabled us to achieve our “American Dream.” To show our commitment, loyalty and solidarity with our fellow Americans we have launched a campaign to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States. All funds collected will be turned over to the American Red Cross and other charities. While AAHOA will be making a contribution of $100,001 toward the relief efforts, we also want to encourage each of you to help in any way you can. Here are some ways you can do that:

* Send a check, payable to the AAHOA - Hurricane Relief Fund, to the AAHOA office at 66 Lenox Pointe NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. All funds collected will be turned over to the American Red Cross and other charities.

* Donate free room nights at your property by:

* Visiting your local American Red Cross to donate rooms.

* Sending an E-mail to the AAHOA office at roomnights@aahoa.com

with your complimentary room allotment. All rooms collected will be coordinated with FEMA and/or the American Red Cross.

* Coordinating with FEMA to donate rooms.

While FEMA would certainly appreciate complimentary rooms, they may be willing to pay for rooms as needed. Send an E-mail to FEMA with your room allotment at private.sector@dhs.gov. If you are allotting rooms on a complimentary basis, please indicate as such in your e-mail. We will continue to explore other ways in which AAHOA and its members can assist in the national effort to recover from this disastrous situation.

Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, GOPIO GOPIO is a secular, non-partisan, not-for-profit, international organization based in USA with chapters in various parts of the globe, representing the interests and aspirations of People of Indian Origin (PIOs), and promoting awareness and understanding of issues of concern -- social, cultural, educational, economic, or political, to global NRI/PIO community.

Checks to: GOPIO International

c/o Haresh Panchal

134 Sweet Berry Ct

San Jose Ca 95439

1 (408) 772-8745

National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA)

6912 Winter Lane, Annandale VA 22003

1 (703) 642-3156

ranand2@csulb.edu

www.nfia.net

Rajen Anand 1 (703) 642-3156

Radha Krishnan 1 (248) 682-2106

Pramod Kamdar 1 (210) 408-0959

Niraj Baxi 1 (408) 307-9845

NFIA WILL RAISE FUNDS TO HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS

The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization of various other associations representing Americans who trace their roots to India has launched a campaign to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina that has caused havoc in the Gulf States. All funds collected will be handed over to the American Red Cross and other charities. “Images on television of helicopters plucking frantic survivors from rooftops, the catastrophic destruction of entire towns left in the path of powerful hurricane that has caused the loss of life of thousands of people and made hundreds of thousands homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are bound to affect every human being,” observed Rajen Anand, president of the NFIA. “The hurricane Katrina’s howling, lethal force has dealt an immense blow to the region and the dimensions of destruction are unfathomable,” he added. The tax deductible checks payable to the NFIA-Hurricane Relief Fund should be sent to NFIA 6912 Winter Lane, Annandale VA 22003. Further information can be obtained by calling 1 (703) 642-3156.

American Hindu Association www.americanhindu.net/Katrina.htm The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization of various other associations has set up a Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The entire amount of money collected will be handed over to the American Red Cross for providing assistance to the hurricane victims. Tax deductible checks payable to NFIA Hurricane Relief Fund should be sent to :

NFIA

6912 Winter Lane

Annandale VA 22003

Further information can be obtained by calling 1 (703) 642-3156.

HOUSTON-BASED EFFORTS Volunteering in Houston: To serve food and help at George Brown Convention Center, please call

Hemendra Pal 1 (713) 306-2408 or Dhiraj Rathi 1 (713) 384-0068

Email to dhiraj_rathi@yahoo.com Write VOLUNTEER and your name on the subject line.

Computer assistance need: The ACT Center (Astrodome Community Technology Center) was set up in Astrodome. For more information, go to the blog on our site at www.techforall.org We will be organizing to develop other sites. Pl Email kann@pdq.net if you want to help/coordinate with technology. Food: Take food items to Food Bank or designated HEBs. If you need list of locations and items, please email kann@pdq.net Housing: If you wish to accommodate some people in your home contact shelter committee, prdesai1@yahoo.com.

Sundaram " Sundy"

Srinivasan,

1 (281) 285-1381

Mob: 1 (713) 894-962?

All Houston-area Indo-American organizations will consolidate

through Indo-American Charities Sheela Rao

713-464-7780, With help from

IAF Harvinder Arora 281-980-1700 & ICC, Houston Vale

Subramaniyam 281-685-0081

India Development & Relief Fund, IDRF

Our volunteers in and Baton Rouge, LA are working with American Red Cross and local voluntary organizations to assist in providing relief efforts. There is a need for long term rehabilitation and all your contributions will be directed to the grass roots organizations.

Suresh Deopura

Phone: (510) 573-5100

Email: suresh@dewsoftware.com

Babulal Gupta

Phone: (309) 663-9198

Email: Idrf_blg@yahoo.com

Raghu Verabelli

Phone: (781) 270-2349

Email: idrfboston@yahoo.com Vijay Pallod

Phone: (281) 568-4995

Email: pallod@aol.com

Please make check payable to ‘IDRF’ (mention ‘Hurricane Katrina’ in the memo) and mail it to:

Hurricane Katrina IDRF

4807 Phebe Ave

Fremont CA 94555

Donate online for Hurricane Katrina victims by More About PayPal® IDRF is administered by volunteers without any honorarium or overhead. Thus, 100% of your contribution will be disbursed directly to the NGO. Please check out our website www.idrf.org for latest information.

National Council of Pakistani Americans

NCPA is urging the Pakistani American community to participate in the relief work for the victims of Katrina. "Americans of all ethnicities, faiths, and backgrounds must come forward to give a helping hand to the victims of Katrina. Those fellow citizens who have faced the indescribable catastrophe in New Orleans and Mississippi need our urgent attention and utmost generosity" said Faiz Rehman, President NCPA. Please donate through the following charities: American Red Cross

www.redcross.org

Islamic Relief www.irw.org/katrina/

ICNA Relief www.icnarelief.org Toll Free: 1-866-354-0102

The Hidaya Foundation www.hidaya.org

Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or www.salvationarmyusa.org

Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Inc.

National Office: P. O. Box 611, Iselin, NJ 08830

Make your check payable to VHP of America and In the memo line, write Katrina

Relief Fund. Tel.: 732-744-0851

You can also contribute online by going to www.vhp-america.org You can use Visa and MasterCard or Discover card.

Contact Phones: Girish Gandhi, Vice President, Seva: 973-580-8451

Nachiketa Tiwari, Media & PR Coordinator: 508-261-1274

VHPA Office: Gaurang G. Vaishnav, General Secretary: 732-744-0851.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS)

Media Contact for further information about HSS relief activities:

Amit Misra, 832 723 4776, amitmisra@sbcglobal.net

The HSS office at

Keshav Smrithi

4018 Westhollow Pkwy, Houston, TX 77082

has been designated as the contact point for all relief efforts. Amit Misra Media Contact for Relief Coordination amitmisra@sbcglobal.net 832 723 4776 Sharad Amin To join the relief activities sharad_a_049@yahoo.com 281 762 3178 Khanderao Kand About HSS sampark@hssworld.org 408 368 2709

NOTE: SAJA does not endorse the fundraising efforts of any of these groups and encourages donors to conduct their own research into the missions of the groups and their track record with disaster relief.

South Asians Affected in the Gulf Coast Aug. 31: Indians in Katrina-hit New Orleans take shelter in Baton Rouge by Lalit K Jha

SEWA International

SEWA International, Inc is a not for profit, non-religious, non-political and Tax-exempt charitable organization under 501(c) (3) with Tax Id # 20-0638718. National coordinator Srikanth Konda (srikonda@yahoo.com) 678-362-7480 or local coordinators Dhiraj Rathi (dhiraj_rathi@yahoo.com) 713-384-0068 and Venkat Subramaniam 512-689-3256 Sewa volunteers in Texas and Louisiana are working with American Red Cross and other organizations in providing immediate relief. We are identifying the long term needs of the people and working with governments of Louisiana and Mississippi in rebuilding homes. American Hindu Association www.americanhindu.net/Katrina.htm The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization of various other associations has set up a Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The entire amount of money collected will be handed over to the American Red Cross for providing assistance to the hurricane victims. Tax deductible checks payable to NFIA Hurricane Relief Fund should be sent to

NFIA

6912 Winter Lane

Annandale VA 22003

Further information can be obtained by calling (703) 642-3156

Islamic Center of Lafayette, lft_masjid at yahoo.com Islamic Center of Baton Rouge reports hundreds of people staying there at an expense of more than $1,000 per day.

Donations are accepted at:

Islamic Center of Baton Rouge

820 W Chimes

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Phone: 225-387-3617

For Additional Information, please contact Abdus

Salaam at 225-288-3529

Gulf Medical Relief Fund [GMRF]

c/o P.O. Box 10402

Greensboro, NC 27404

Mohammad Mosque 65

2600 Plank Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70805

atten.: Minister Andrew Muhammad

1 (225) 923-1400 and 1 (225) 357-3079

Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), working to help gurdwara in NO Dr. Rajwant Singh, National Chairman, 1 (202) 460 0630

Sikh Society of South

Katrina Relief Fund

Hibernia National Bank

Account # 208-05-59995

Tax ID # 72-0866136

Hibernia Toll-free: 1-800-262-5689

www.hibernia.com

1(225) 292-4112 home 1(225) 205-3164 cell

Sikh Society of South, Inc.; Katrina Relief Fund at

Hibernia National Bank or mailed to:

Sikh Society of South Inc

12921 Deerpath Way

Baton Rouge

LA 70816

Attention: Sumir Kaur Chehl, president

Assam Foundation of North America

Please send your Tax-exempt donation payable to AFNA and write:

"Katrina Relief Fund"

c/o Pallabita Bhuyan

30 Redland Place

Woodlands

TX 77382