Possibly you guys have heard about the recent floods and deadly landslides we've had in Brazil. Over 600 deaths accounted for so far. This happened in a mountain area next to Rio, though not so close to affect us, but the situation is really desperate up there.  I have two colleagues with family in one of the most affected cities, and the news they get is of people wandering in the streets in state of shock.  One of them has relatives who lost their house anad everything inside - they were just lucky enough to get off when the mud hit their house, and gladly their 8-month baby was in the bedroom with them when they left running.

Voluntary reponse has been amazing. Blood centers have queues of donors. I went to a supermarket on Friday to buy some groceries and hygiene items to donate - they are collecting donations and using their own trucks to haul them to the affected areas. There were almost no more bottles of water in stock, because so many people bought them to donate - potable water is one of the things they are more in need. Some areas are still without eletric supply, so candles are another item in demand. Even pets need help, because many lost their owners, or they are in shelters that can not take the pets too.

Today I took the morning to clean our towel/bedclothes wardrobe, and filled four big bags for donation. Also dispatched a lot of my mother's clothes that were still in her wardrobe. And as I side-effect, not I have more room!

If anyone wants to donate money, Caritas is collecting for their office in Brazil. I did not find anything specific in the Red Cross, but their local branch is actively working in the affected areas as well.
http://www.caritas.org/newsroom/press_releases/PressRelease28_05_09.html