Fats Domino is missing in the 9th Ward

It may be useful to put a recognizable person in the place of those who couldn't, or wouldn't, leave New Orleans during the hurricane.

According to Reuters, Fats Domino hasn't been seen or heard from in days.

It's been difficult for me to comprehend the scale of the problems posed by this event. The implications from an international, state, local perspective are enormous. The discussions on this board have been by and large, harmonious, compared to online communities that have a more heterogenous mix of opinions expressed.

But when I stumbled onto the story that Fats Domino is one of the people who stayed, and are missing (or may be lost on a highway somewhere), it made me realize that the real probem, right now, needs to be addressed at the individual level.

We have plenty of time to hold people and government systems accountable: but it won't happen now. What has to happen now is to feed into the systems that ARE working to get the living to safety and to account for the missing and the dead.

Let me propose it here: a series of jazz events/festivals to raise money to support relief efforts. We're going to do one on my block this weekend. Find some musicians, pass the hat, then give all the money to the Red Cross or agency of your choice.