Full Circle Associates

This seems worth circulating... another way to think about options. Please note the request to VirginMobile and Tracphone to pump in free minutes to the affected area codes. Anyone know someone high in those organizations to contact? Use your networks!

NOLA.com: Missing Persons Forum: "Dear Volunteers,

Phones in New Orleans and especially those with pre-pay phones are running out of minutes, pre-pay represents the poor and especially the youth market. There are many individuals who just want a moment of contact, through any means with loved ones they are seperated from.

Our goal is to provide refugees with comfort by making contact with their loved ones by using our mobile phones with the 504 and affected area codes of refugees.

Pre-pay phones are especially vulnerable here as the actual cards bought in stores to buy more minutes are simply no longer available on store shelves in these areas.

Be very, very careful with how long you talk to people on the phone, get the info you need :

1. Their full names and email addresses if they have one. Both seeker and contacted refugee(open a notepad file and save that.)2. Their location3. If anyone is hurt, how bad, where they are now, their full name.4. Where they plan to go.5. Tell the reufugee you will get back in touch with them.

All we want to do is reassure.Any refugee reporting the need for resucue, that should be sent to the red-cross resuce lists.Go to http://www.redcross.org

So how do we find those that wish to make contact and cannot?

Search google with keywords like, Hurricaine, Katrina, contact, and of course the area code of the Katrina emergency area you are working. Look at craigslist under the 'Katrina' forums. Look on the major news channels, etc ...

REMEMBER, batteries on phones are running LOW, do not keep these people on the phone.

Most important, email the customer service operations of virginmobile.com and tracphone and demand free minutes be pumped into the phones for the affected areas. Spike their email servers, let them know we are watching the phone companies for ANY DISASTER PROFITEERING !

Be calm, these people need to hear a calm, concerned voice from their fellow Americans.

Good luck - bless us all,Pat Jack"

katrina, hurricane+katrina, phone+volunteers