Should you feel inclined to donate to relief efforts for victims of Gustav — or any other recent tragedies — I would like to remind you about my charity of choice, Operation USA. I looked around at many organizations that ask for money and promise to good with it…and many do. Many, it should also be pointed out, spend way too much on their own bureaucracy and salaries so only a small part of each dollar you give actually helps out folks in need.
After a fair amount of research and asking folks who know this kind of thing, I decided that whatever money I can afford to donate could not be put to better use than it is when I give to Operation USA. They have a small staff (small, considering how much they accomplish) and they don't spend a lot on themselves or on frills. Give them a buck and something like 95 cents of it is spent feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, helping control disease, etc. Not only that but they do it all with a minimum of delay, often before any other organization can get its act together.
As for why you might not want to donate to the Red Cross, read this article by Richard Walden, who's one of the guys behind Operation USA. He's not shilling for the interests of his own charity. He's telling you the kind of bureaucratic hinderances that plague the big charities and prevent them from doing as much good as the small ones.