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Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Miami Relief Effort
From: fred-mckenzie@ksc.nasa.gov (Fred McKenzie)
Date: 1 Sep 92 10:16:16 EST
Followup-To: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Distribution: world
Organization: NASA/Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Date: 31-Aug-92 02:24
From: Christopher Baker
To:   All
Subj: FLorida hurricane relief info

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!

zben@ni.umd.edu     -KA3ZDF