It's not Wall St or NOLA but if you hit it with a hurricane it still bleeds

This is the latest message from my town's mayor:

Hurricane Ike Update

The City of [redacted] has sustained serious damage from Hurricane Ike. As of this writing, the City has no electrical power, no landline phone service, no potable water service, and sanitary sewage may be compromised. Cellular telephone service is limited as cell towers may be down or out of service. Many trees are down and storm debris is still obstructing many streets.

[Surrounding bodies of water] are still over their banks in many places, but water levels are receding. The. . .Sheriff's Department has set up roadblocks to our neighborhood entrances and on [major roads] to prevent sightseers and non-residents from entering the area. There is a dawn to dusk curfew and non-residents are not allowed in the City between these hours. The Mayor is working with FEMA and other emergency management officials to assess the damage and to begin the reconstruction abd claims process.

Residents are urged to not return at this time as the lack of utilities and infrastructure makes the situation unsafe. The City has declared an emergency and is working with state and federal agencies to address recovery.

[Links and information] for. . . clean-up and activities that residents can undertake at this time. The City will post updates to this website and will advise when it is safe for residents to return.

What is helpful for the area?

Consider donating to the disaster relief fund at the Red Cross or to other Hurricane Ike relief funds. But make sure to check to ensure that the organization is legitimate and that relief goes to the intended recipients.

Thanks.