From: Christopher.Baker@umagic.FIDONET.ORG (Christopher Baker)
Newsgroups: hsv.general
Subject: FLorida hurricane relief info
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 02:23:26 CDT
Organization: Micro Magic

Governor Lawton Chiles announced today a toll-free number for coordination 
of hurricane relief to southern Florida residents and agencies.
 
1-800-FL-HELP-1 (1-800-354-3571) is the centralized number for information, 
pledges, and coordination of delivery of goods at the FLorida Relief 
Center. It will be manned 24 hours a day.
 
The Florida Relief Fund has been establish for collecting money to be used 
in South Florida and they even have provisions for credit card donations to 
the disaster relief. Donations of money by check or money order will also 
be welcome. Make your check or money order out to: FLorida Relief Fund. 
Send it to:
 
FLorida Relief Fund P.O. Box 7000
Tallahassee, FLorida 32314 U.S.A.
 
Credit card donations may be called into the FLorida Relief Center on 
either MasterCard or Visa [no, they don't take American Express].
 
A staging area for the delivery of goods has been set up in Palm Beach 
County to preclude the direct transportation from everywhere that is 
seriously clogging the passable roads into south Dade County. Items 
received will be warehoused and transported as needed into the storm strike 
zone.
 
Anyone with goods for the relief effort are requested to take them to the 
South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach or to send them there by 
whatever shipping means available to them.
 
I have just spoken to the Relief Center and here's the direct scoop and 
particulars:
 
Florida Relief Center
South Florida Fairgrounds
9067 Southern Blvd
West Palm Beach, FLorida 33411 U.S.A.
24 hours telephone - 1-800-354-3571.
 
The Fairgrounds are accessible from either I-95 or the Florida Turnpike. 
From I-95, take the Southern Blvd exit west and continue west for about 10 
miles. From the Florida Turnpike, take the Okeechobee/West Palm Beach exit 
west and continue west about 1 1/2 miles.
 
The exits are well marked, according to the Center personnel, and signs 
will direct you after you exit either highway to the Fairgrounds.
 
The following list contains the current needs in rough, priority order:
 
NO CLOTHING AT THE PRESENT TIME, PLEASE.
 
Non-perishable food items of all kinds. There is NO refrigeration in most 
of the strike zone. Canned and packeted goods in original containers are 
welcome.
 
Baby food and formulas of all kinds and plastic baby bottles, inserts and 
nipples.
 
Bottled water in factory sealed bottles [NO volunteer filled bottles, 
please] of gallon or larger sizes. Cases of water very desirable.
 
Disposable diapers and baby cleansing cloths; baby powder; baby ointment.
 
Insect repellents and sun screens including those for sensitive skin.
 
NON-PRESCRIPTION, OTC [over-the-counter] medications of non-perishable type 
such as aspirin, acetaminophen [Tylenol, Panadol, etc.], ibuprofen [Midol, 
Bayer IB, etc.] in tablets and liquids for children; cold and cough 
medicines; allergy medicines; basic first-aid supplies such as bandages, 
dressings, antibacterial ointments, band-aids, rolled gauze, elastic 
bandages [ACE, etc.], rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and cotton swabs. 
NO prescription or perishable meds, please.
 
Personal and feminine hygiene products such as: toilet paper, personal 
cleansing towels [Softkins, Baby wipes, WetNaps, etc.]; tampons, sanitary 
napkins; toothbrushes and toothpaste; disposable razors; anti-perspirants 
and deodorants; bleach.; tissues and paper towels.
 
Equipment and supplies: NON-electric can openers; generators up to 300KW 
[kilowatts]; propane for forklifts and tractors at the Relief Center and 
down south; batteries and flashlights; chainsaws; shovels, rakes, picks; 
plastic tarps or large sheets of plastic.
 
These are just the main things, if you can think of other things of use, 
call the Relief Center and see if they are needed or wanted. They need to 
keep their space available for the priority items.
 
The Relief Center is OPEN every day, 24 hours a day. All convoys from 
FLorida and the rest of the U.S. and the world should head for West Palm 
Beach and avoid direct importation of goods into the south Florida area. 
There are security and logistical problems down there right now that are 
only compounded by all the extra traffic. PLEASE take your donations to the 
FLorida Relief Center!
 
Thanks, for all the survivors!
 
PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE TO ALL DATALINK SERVICES EVERYWHERE!!
 
If you have Internet access or pay-service access, please post it there.
 
It has been distributed to the following FidoNet Echomail conferences:
 
SYSOP18, FL_LIVING, FLA_COOKS, 374SYSOP, SYSOP, NEW_SYSOP, INTERUSER, 
USA_EURLINK, A_THEIST, MENSA, MENSANS_ONLY, FLA_NET, MEADOW, NEW_AGE_ECHO, 
ABLED, CIVLIB, P_NEWS, ANEWS, GREEN.029, ENVIRON, BREV_SYS, HANDY.SYSOP, 
DADS, FEMINISM, ICGAL, SKEPTIC, and TAGLINES.
 
OtherNets are encouraged to copy and distribute it as well.
 
This message has been sent as an article to FidoNews for publication next 
week. All others are encouraged to copy and send it to any online 
publication for immediate dissemination.
 
Thanks again.
 
TTFN.
Chris
FidoNet 1:374/14, Titusville_FL_USA
[former member of Miami Net 1:135]

(1:374/14)

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