On Monday, Sept. 26, two vans left the Farm for the Gulf with Dr. Robin Rose and husband, Brandon Lerda and Mulci Madrid with a load of medical supplies and medicines that had been donated to Dr. Rose for the trip in the mini-van, and Ralph McAtee, now Plenty's director of relief operations in the Gulf region driving a cargo van filed with cleaning supplies and other goods, with Elaine Langley, RN riding shotgun. They arrived that night at the new Veterans for Peace relief center, now two houses outside Mobile, Alabama. One the first day down there, Robin went to Baton Rouge, the LA state capital, to get her paperwork and credentialing for practicing in Louisiana and later headed out to the Houma Nation town of Raceland. Since arriving at Raceland, Robin has been visiting some of the Houma Nation places most-heavily impacted by Katrina and Rita, assessing conditions, delivering food and cleaning supplies and giving tetanus shots. Yesterday (Thurs.) she set up a tent next to the tribal "Distribution Center" in Raceland so people coming for supplies could also get medical attention. She described the conditions of Houma families as desperate. "House furnishings and belongings that had been under water are piled up along the road in front of homes. The houses themselves are caked with mud inside and out." Meanwhile, Brandon, a seasoned carpenter, has been going around with a crew of 5 other volunteers making repairs on houses, especially roofs. Robin and Brandon will both be down there another week and want to continue providing aid to the Houma people. Robin says they could use a lot more volunteers with medical and carpentry skills and also people just to deliver food and supplies and help the elderly clean out their houses. Elaine, with the help of Mulci Madrid, has spent her time delivering medicines and giving tetanus and Hepatitis A vaccinations door to door in Biloxi, Mississippi. She's been working with another group of doctors and nurses. Elaine says there's still a great need for medical volunteers. Elaine Langley checks Terry Miller's blood pressure in New Orleans while we put plastic over her roof to protect the furnature in the home she has lived in all of her life. Next to Elaine, standing in a Plenty shirt, is Monica Hampton of Michael Moore's production staff and one of the primary managers of the relief activities emanating out of the VFP camp from the beginning. Photo by Paul Gaskin Ralph has been spending a lot of his time in New Orleans monitoring and documenting conditions in the city and in the Algiers neighborhood where Plenty has been working since we were first there. Ralph reports seeing a lot of toxic-looking waste and an unattended oil spill behind a refinery. He says the clinic at Algiers needs more medical personnel. The group "Common Ground" has been helping the Algiers clinic. Other groups on the front lines that we've been working with include SOS (Save Ourselves) and Hands On USA. Housing continues to top the list of critical needs. People are starting to report that they've gotten on a FEMA list. (see NYT article.) I have contact names and numbers for people wanting more specific information about the needs for medical and other volunteers with the Houma, and in New Orleans, as well as Biloxi and Long Beach, Mississippi. Write plenty@plenty.org. As expected, as hurricane stories recede from the headlines, donations have begun to taper off while the need has in no way diminished and, in fact, in many ways is more critical for the survivors. Peter Schweitzer To donate to Plenty's hurricane relief efforts, please visit our donation page or click button: You may also send a check to Plenty, Box 394, Summertown, TN 38483