We realize this is a little bit off topic, but it's hard to avoid the situation down south. We learned last night about the Red Cross' iTunes donation program, but today we heard from our friends at the AIA, who've taken on a three-way (!) approach to help. According to their most recent missive:

1. Fundraising: Obviously coping with a disaster of this scale and magnitude surpasses the capacity of public sector assistance and will take an outpouring of voluntary relief support. Funds will be needed for medium term organizing and long term reconstruction as well as short term relief. Use of funds should focus on things we emphasize housing and community rebuilding rather than humanitarian aid, which is being covered by others.

2. Organization: We are preparing to organize-- once direction is defined by local and national officials. Through our Disaster Preparedness Task Force (an outgrowth of the Tsunami Task Force) we will coordinate efforts of various AIANY committees (housing, transportation and infrastructure, planning and urban design, emerging architects, etc) as well as coordination with other AIA chapters and other civic/ professional organizations in the city, region and nation such as the American Planning Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Royal Institute of British Architects/ USA.

3. Direct Action: Specific projects or programs will be extremely important they can provide hands-on implementation and make possible monitoring of results. You may want to help as an individual; we may want to help as an organization. We are in contact with groups such as Architecture for Humanity which is organized to respond to events such as this with direct action projects.

We're gonna have to go ahead and send a buck or two. Pledges should be sent to Annie Kurtin (akurtin@aiany.org) and checks sent to Katrina Relief, Center for Architecture Foundation, 536 LaGuardia Place, NY, NY 10012.