Fort Hood Tragedy: How You Can Help Right Now

Thirteen people are dead and 31 are wounded after a horrific shooting Thursday at Fort Hood's soldier processing center. The suspected gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, is a psychiatrist who was recently practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood and previously worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Here are some ways you can help:

Check the Red Cross Safe and Well directory to see if loved ones are safe.

IF YOU'RE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, DONATE BLOOD

Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, has received 10 adult gunshot victims from Fort Hood, and is urgently seeking blood donations. Contact the hospital at 254-724-4376 and donate to the Scott & White Blood Center in Room 115 next to the McLane Dining Room. The hospital is located at:

2401 S. 31st St.
Temple, TX 76508

Follow the Scott & White Twitter account to stay updated on blood donation center needs.

The American Red Cross is working to ensure that there is enough blood supply to support the Fort Hood tragedy. The blood drive continues next to the National Guard Armory:

4224 Cobbs Drive
Wacos, TX 76710

Burnt Orange Report has gathered a comprehensive list of Austin and Central Texas hospitals and centers accepting blood donations.

HELP VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES RECEIVE FREE GRIEF COUNSELING

TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), a national nonprofit organization that cares for anyone suffering the loss of a military member, has pledged to provide grief counseling and support to the victims and their families. They will provide peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, seminars, case work assistance, and 24/7 crisis intervention at their Fort Hood branch. You can help TAPS provide these free services by donating to the organization.

SEND YOUR CARDS AND LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES

You can mail them to:

Ft. Hood Public Affairs Building
1001 RM. W105
Fort Hood, TX 76544

Send notes and stuffed animals for the families and children of soldiers to
Soldiers' Angels, which provides care packages and technology to service members so "no soldier may go unloved."

4408 PanAm Expressway
San Antonio, TX 78218

Check back on their site for other ways to help as soon as they become available.

You can send your sympathies online via Fort Hood's Facebook page and Twitter account. For more information on how you can help online, visit Email Our Military.

OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE

Organized on Twitter, a moment of silence took place for Fort Hood at 1:34 p.m. Central Time to honor those lost in the shooting yesterday. Did you participate in the moment of silence? Tag your tweets #Stoptheviolence and give your thoughts.

DONATE TO FORT HOOD RELIEF FUNDS

Checks can be mailed to the Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army , a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Soldiers and their families will receive 100 percent of all funds. Please write "Community Response to 11/5" on the memo line of your check.

The Central Texas- Fort Hood Chapter
Association of the US Army
Attn: Community Response to 11/5
PO Box 10700
Killeen, TX 76547-0700

The United Service Organization is collecting ">donations to assist Fort Hood in the aftermath of the shootings, with every dollar going to Fort Hood organizations.

Impact is researching more ways people can help, and we will continue to post information as it comes in.

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Comments

[berkeleygirl1962]

05:50 PM on 11/06/2009

We can all "help," collectively and individually, by raising our voices to speak out against the hatred and prejudice against our fellow Americans who are Muslims that is already permeating the airwaves and internets in the wake of this tragedy.

[Gregory Martin]

04:38 PM on 11/06/2009

The use of Twitter Lists and real-time search tools like TipTop http://feeltiptop.com/fort+hood have really changed the way breaking news stories like Malik Nadal Hasan are covered by the media, how consumers expect to get their information, and how the outpouring of sentiment is shared.

[relevancematters]

04:19 PM on 11/06/2009

While the families of the deceased would no doubt benefit from an outpouring of sympathy across the country, the Army does not need help in rising to this occasion. They are more than familiar with death--even this kind, when one of their own breaks, and more than capable of procuring what's needed to help their people go on.

New Orleans needed help. The unemployed need help. The uninsured need help. The mentally ill need help (and maybe if somebody had noticed the shooter's pain here, there would not be dead soldiers at Fort Hood). The poor need help. My brother, with no health insurance, is dying--without care--of liver failure in Rick Perry's Texas healthcare paradise.

A lot of people, alone and unsure of what to do, need help. The soldiers of Fort Hood, with a how-to manual two feet thick and a bevy of commanding officers actually ready to take up the slack, might appreciate the thought, but they don't need the help. This is what they signed on for--violence.

[hulagirrrl]

01:52 PM on 11/06/2009

Think twice before sending your money to the Army Relief Fund, they are very very bureaucratic and known for hoarding money instead of actually giving it out. Soldiers may get faster relief from Red Cross.

[sthirasukha]

01:51 PM on 11/06/2009

The Soldiers' Angels website says it is collecting any new items, not just stuffed animals, that may brighten a child's day in this time of tragedy. I just want to mention--and this applies to Toys for Tots and similar programs, too--that gifts for preteens and teens are often neglected in favor of those for younger children. Some examples of much appreciated, suitable gifts include gift cards for Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon.com, and other similar stores; sports equipment; MP3 players and coupons for free MP3s or CDs; make-up kits (though this may be more appropriate for Toys for Toys and different collection programs); and anything you might buy the tweens and teens in your life that, I'd advise, seems appropriate for this tragic time, doesn't require other expensive equipment (like video game consoles?), or have small parts that may get lost. Don't forget you can send checks to the Fort Hood Relief Fund, too, so families can buy what they most need and want. Keep the faith :(

[BenNC]

12:29 PM on 11/06/2009

Live by the sword, die by the same.

George Bush started a war against a religion, saying that his religious figure had instructed him to do so. This is the madness into which we have descended. It is hardly novel or unpredictable; I am trying to muster shock and disbelief, and alas, I can find none.

[hoobit]

12:16 PM on 11/06/2009

It may seem odd that a post as large as Hood wouldn't have more than enough donated blood to go around. Depending on where a soldier was stationed, and when, however, they are screened out and are precluded from donating. (Their family members who might've accompanied them on particular tours are similarily barred.)

There was a time when all service members (and their families) were just about first in line to donate at any blood drive; currently, with the possibility of mad cow and other blood-borne diseases, that is no longer the case. It's not that they don't want to donate, it's that, to protect the blood supply, they can't.

It's now up to civilians to fill the gap. PLEASE!

[Jeanne Brady]

01:05 AM on 11/06/2009

My heart is with all those who've lost loved ones today, and those who've been injured. You are all in my thoughts.

Don't forget that you can save a life anywhere, any time by donating blood!

[erbhedgehog]

09:18 PM on 11/05/2009

IT IS WITH A HEAVY HEART THAT I SEND THIS TO THE FAMILIES OF THOSE THAT HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES AND INJURY TO LOVED ONES THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THE SHOOTINGS AT FORT HOOD. AS A RETIRED ARMY RESERVIST WHO TRAINED IN TEXAS, I AM PROUD OF ARMY STRONG. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON AND MANY POSITIVE THOUGHTS TO YOU ALL.

[Smirk]

08:56 PM on 11/05/2009

Thanks for posting this info, HP.