How You Can Help

Generosity ebbs and flows, but in the wake of Katrina it burst forth at levels not seen since the Asian tsunami. Americans opened their wallets and corporations their coffers, sending water, blankets, cookies and toilet paper. Many companies are offering grants to encourage giving. Time Warner, for example, will match up to $1 million in employee contributions to the American Red Cross.

Help can come in many forms. A few good souls have gone to craigslist.org to offer free space to refugees in their homes--from "a small 2 bdrm trailer" in West Virginia to "a double bed, plus a day bed" in the San Francisco Bay Area. A university in Orleans, France, offered to admit 50 displaced University of New Orleans students. The ambassador from Sri Lanka volunteered to raise money from the tsunami countries.

One thing you should not do, emergency officials agree, is try to travel to disaster areas. Better to work through one of the many reputable organizations collecting donations and offers of help, among them:

THE SALVATION ARMY 800-SAL-ARMY www.salvationarmyusa.org The Salvation Army is providing services to storm victims and first responders. A $100 donation will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household clean-up kit with broom, mop, bucket and cleaning supplies.

AMERICA'S SECOND HARVEST 800-344-8070 www.secondharvest.org The nation's largest food bank is distributing grocery products to shelters and feeding stations. Every dollar raised brings 15 meals to the table. The group is also accepting large-scale donations of food and goods like bottled water, peanut butter, disinfectants and diapers.

AMERICAN RED CROSS 800-435-7669 www.redcross.org The group provides food, shelter, water and critical aid. Its website helps family members who are seeking news about missing loved ones (see Family Links Registry at redcross.org)

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY 229-924-6935 www.habitat.org Planning for both the long and short term, the group is providing immediate assistance to families that lived in Habitat-built homes and promising to help repair and rebuild areas wiped out by the storm.

THE HUMANE SOCIETY 318-219-PETS www.hsus.org The society created an emergency shelter for pets, which are not allowed in the shelters opened for humans. A separate organization, Noah's Wish, specializes in rescuing animals from disaster areas. To make a donation, visit its website www.noahswish.org

TIME Online Edition Turn to time.com for daily analysis from our reporters in the stricken region. Check in regularly for the latest photos, more on the health crisis and updates from TIME's Washington bureau.

Cathy Booth Thomas Our Dallas bureau chief reports on the aftermath in New Orleans

Christine Gorman For more about the public-health crisis, follow our senior health writer's ongoing analysis

Tim Padgett Our Miami bureau chief continues to report from Mississippi and Louisiana

Brian Bennett Assigned to a storm rescue unit, our former Baghdad bureau chief assesses official response

Mark Thompson From the capital, our senior Washington correspondent monitors the federal relief effort