My aunt is a medical professional who's working with a major metropolitian county healthcare system for decades.

The Red Cross put out a call for 40,000 volunteers.

She retired early recently, and when Hurricane Katrina hit, she immediately volunteered with the Red Cross to go where ever they needed, and bought supplies to take with her, sleeping bags, etc., and was prepared to be there as long as possible. She told me it'd be like her Peace Corps days again.

The first time she was going to go to Houstan, they had trouble getting a flight, and cancelled her entire group going.

A week later, the Red Cross "put her on hold" for going, and she's still on hold.

She's now volunteering at a local hospital, wondering if she'll ever hear from them.

Seems a shame.

It's not going to affect my giving to the Red Cross, but it does make me a little concerened.

I know things were a shamble at all levels for this disaster, but when even one of the more organized and competant relief groups is having problems, it unveils a magnitude of problems that even I didn't want to believe were going on.