Astrodome now in chaos with refugee crisis

[Nixxxed]

After trumpeting all day on every news outlet that Houston would welcome 25,000 NOLA refugees to stay in the Astrodome, they're turning the buses away. The Dome has fewer than 10,000 people in it. :distress:

No one knows what's going on. No one communicated to the buses. They're sitting outside the complex, unsure whether they're going to San Antonio, Dallas, or Huntsville (a small town about an hour north of Houston).

Apparently, Houston fire marshals intervened, or re-evaluated, or who knows what are to blame. But info is still coming in.

I feel so sorry for these people. First, trapped in a devastated city. Now trapped on freakin' buses (some without air conditioning) *outside* the refuge they were offered.

[gldstwmn]

Those poor people have been through enough. :distress:

[Nixxxed]

There are more than 30 buses already in town. They may let them stay. Maybe not.

It's official - all the people "in charge" of this whole crisis are complete IDIOTS.

[Nixxxed]

There are more than 30 buses already in town. They may let them stay. Maybe not.

It's official - all the people "in charge" of this whole crisis are complete IDIOTS.

Oops - typed too soon - there are 108 buses waiting.

Yes - One Hundred-Eight.

[gldstwmn]

Oops - typed too soon - there are 108 buses waiting.

Yes - One Hundred-Eight.

108 times how many people on each bus?

[Nixxxed]

108 times how many people on each bus?
They're estimating 60 people per bus.

Houston news is seriously freaking out. :nod:

[gldstwmn]

They're estimating 60 people per bus.

Houston news is seriously freaking out. :nod:

That's 6080 people that have just endured a 12 hour bus ride. Oh man. These peole need a hot meal, a shower and a good night's rest. I hope they get it.

[Dreammms]

That's 6080 people that have just endured a 12 hour bus ride. Oh man. These peole need a hot meal, a shower and a good night's rest. I hope they get it.

They sure do. So do the people who are still in NO. :(

[Nixxxed]

That's 6080 people that have just endured a 12 hour bus ride. Oh man. These peole need a hot meal, a shower and a good night's rest. I hope they get it.
Earlier today, the officials refused to let samaritans drop off food, water, and supplies/goodies to them. One guy showed up with two entire barbeque pits of fully cooked barbeque, and several coolers of hot dogs, and they wouldn't let him take them inside or hand them out on the ground.

So, he set up across the street on the sidewalk, and people walked across the street (in the mid-day blazing sun, mind you) just to get a bite.

[amber]

Earlier today, the officials refused to let samaritans drop off food, water, and supplies/goodies to them. One guy showed up with two entire barbeque pits of fully cooked barbeque, and several coolers of hot dogs, and they wouldn't let him take them inside or hand them out on the ground.

So, he set up across the street on the sidewalk, and people walked across the street (in the mid-day blazing sun, mind you) just to get a bite.
Why? I'm glad some people were able to get food.
oh, it's on my news, now....
it says they already have all the refugees that the workers can handle....
God, seeing all those elderly people sitting outside...they just said, with no power or medicine, the sickest are left to die. :(
It's too much to bear. There will be a reckoning.
Bush is saying no one could have predicted levy would break, NO says they have been warning of exactly that since the 1960's.
Gov. has given national guard permission to "shoot to kill" if they see anyone shooting, or violence against someone else.

[Nixxxed]

Why? I'm glad some people were able to get food.
oh, it's on my news, now....
it says they already have all the refugees that the workers can handle....
God, seeing all those elderly people sitting outside...they just said, with no power or medicine, the sickest are left to die. :(
It's too much to bear. There will be a reckoning.
Bush is saying no one could have predicted levy would break, NO says they have been warning of exactly that since the 1960's.
Gov. has given national guard permission to "shoot to kill" if they see anyone shooting, or violence against someone else.
I seriously have no idea why. I'm sure some Fed official will come up with a terrorist-related excuse.

The people in the neighborhoods surrounding the Astrodome are also freaking out. After seeing a week of looting footage in NOLA, they're afraid their homes will be broken into, etc. (But you know that's not the REAL reason, considering the ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods ... 'nuff said.)

OHMIGOD - they don't even know if they have enough food to feed everyone who's already here, much less the people they're still deciding whether to let in. Yet, they're turning away food and supplies from the public.

(blood vessels in brain popping)

[amber]

I seriously have no idea why. I'm sure some Fed official will come up with a terrorist-related excuse.

The people in the neighborhoods surrounding the Astrodome are also freaking out. After seeing a week of looting footage in NOLA, they're afraid their homes will be broken into, etc. (But you know that's not the REAL reason, considering the ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods ... 'nuff said.)

OHMIGOD - they don't even know if they have enough food to feed everyone who's already here, much less the people they're still deciding whether to let in. Yet, they're turning away food and supplies from the public.

(blood vessels in brain popping)
I hear you with the blood vessels. As I said in my post, they say rescue workers have all they can handle. :shrug:
I know what you mean about the looting, but it really is out of control. Did you read my post about so much violence in NO that the gov. gave permission to shoot freely if someone perpetrates violence??? Though, around the astrodome, that may not be the case. But those people are angry, I tell you what...
Turning away food and supplies? WTF? My news didn't tell about that! It's absurd! have you heard any kind of reason? Can't the people outside eat the food? (blood vessels popping).

[Nixxxed]

I hear you with the blood vessels. As I said in my post, they say rescue workers have all they can handle. :shrug:
I know what you mean about the looting, but it really is out of control. Did you read my post about so much violence in NO that the gov. gave permission to shoot freely if someone perpetrates violence??? Though, around the astrodome, that may not be the case. But those people are angry, I tell you what...
Turning away food and supplies? WTF? My news didn't tell about that! It's absurd! have you heard any kind of reason? Can't the people outside eat the food? (blood vessels popping).
I think they're gonna let the people already in Houston now into the Dome. But still, that's only about 16,000 people - not 25,000 - and everyone else will be turned away. It seems the media fury made the fire marshals reconsider, or made the Mayor step in, or something. It certainly made them realize what idiots they suddenly looked like.

I really don't know why they're turning away citizen donations, unless they want them to go through a clearinghouse to be safety-checked. No explanation was ever given.

And I can't believe about the shooting order from the LA governor. I can kinda see why, but not really. Especially when it's the govt's fault the situation got so bad in the first place. I mean if it's someone who's being violent, sure. But at this point, what does looting matter? The whole city is a write-off at this point, and they can't take the loot with them anyway.

Man, there's no way I'm sleeping tonight - f-u-r-i-o-u-s. Every time I look at the TV, the thought runs through my mind that the same exact situation could be unfolding right here in the Houston area. And I have no confidence that when/if Houston is hit by a hurricane that we'll get help any sooner.

[amber]

I think they're gonna let the people already in Houston now into the Dome. But still, that's only about 16,000 people - not 25,000 - and everyone else will be turned away. It seems the media fury made the fire marshals reconsider, or made the Mayor step in, or something. It certainly made them realize what idiots they suddenly looked like.

I really don't know why they're turning away citizen donations, unless they want them to go through a clearinghouse to be safety-checked. No explanation was ever given.

And I can't believe about the shooting order from the LA governor. I can kinda see why, but not really. Especially when it's the govt's fault the situation got so bad in the first place. I mean if it's someone who's being violent, sure. But at this point, what does looting matter? The whole city is a write-off at this point, and they can't take the loot with them anyway.

Man, there's no way I'm sleeping tonight - f-u-r-i-o-u-s. Every time I look at the TV, the thought runs through my mind that the same exact situation could be unfolding right here in the Houston area. And I have no confidence that when/if Houston is hit by a hurricane that we'll get help any sooner.

Thanks for the info.
About the shooting order - it's not for looting, it's because gang-like violence has broken out. People are shooting at rescue helicopters, cops have been shot, other regular people have been shot - some cops are resigning because it is too dangerous. Normally a shooting order would make me sick, too, but it appears the people have become like rabid, panicked beasts....the extreme conditions are bringing out the worst in some people's human nature, as it always does. :distress: Tragic.
Yes, I no longer feel that I am in any way "safe", or will be helped, should there be a natural disaster here. *earthquake*. It's a shame.

[macfanken]

Yes, I no longer feel that I am in any way "safe", or will be helped, should there be a natural disaster here. *earthquake*. It's a shame.


I was thinking the same thing today... it's pretty scary how fast a civilized society degenerates into anarchy. If the "Big One" hits here and I couldn't get out of the city for whatever reason, I could be in trouble. I only have enough food and water for maybe two days. A cupboard full of canned food and bottled water might be a good idea.

[Mari]

I can't believe what I'm reading here.. or the short bits I saw on the news this morning :( I'm so sorry for all the people who have to go through all this!

Now I heard this newsbit, maybe you can tell me if this is correct: the money that was there to make the levees in NO safer was used instead by the Bush administration for home security and the war in Iraq..

[macfanken]

I can't believe what I'm reading here.. or the short bits I saw on the news this morning :( I'm so sorry for all the people who have to go through all this!

Now I heard this newsbit, maybe you can tell me if this is correct: the money that was there to make the levees in NO safer was used instead by the Bush administration for home security and the war in Iraq..


Hey Mari... I heard that too... don't know if it's true. Wouldn't surprise me.

[amber]

I can't believe what I'm reading here.. or the short bits I saw on the news this morning :( I'm so sorry for all the people who have to go through all this!

Now I heard this newsbit, maybe you can tell me if this is correct: the money that was there to make the levees in NO safer was used instead by the Bush administration for home security and the war in Iraq..

The money has been used for something else (Needless Military Spending? Corporate Subsidies? So much to choose from!) by approximately the last three or four presidents, who were all warned that the levees needed improvement, (since at least Camille, I think) and that it was a disaster waiting to happen. The funding was cut/not granted/used for something else. Basically, all the presidents said it wasn't as important as whatever they spent it on.

[Mari]

The money has been used for something else (Needless Military Spending? Corporate Subsidies? So much to choose from!) by approximately the last three or four presidents, who were all warned that the levees needed improvement, (since at least Camille, I think) and that it was a disaster waiting to happen. The funding was cut/not granted/used for something else. Basically, all the presidents said it wasn't as important as whatever they spent it on.

So not just Bush then. I guess it often takes a disaster like this before money actually comes.

[macfanken]

Mari, here is an editorial from the New York Times that talks a little bit about the funding cuts...



A Can't-Do Government

By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: September 2, 2005
Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all." It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.

So why were New Orleans and the nation so unprepared? After 9/11, hard questions were deferred in the name of national unity, then buried under a thick coat of whitewash. This time, we need accountability.

First question: Why have aid and security taken so long to arrive? Katrina hit five days ago - and it was already clear by last Friday that Katrina could do immense damage along the Gulf Coast. Yet the response you'd expect from an advanced country never happened. Thousands of Americans are dead or dying, not because they refused to evacuate, but because they were too poor or too sick to get out without help - and help wasn't provided. Many have yet to receive any help at all.

There will and should be many questions about the response of state and local governments; in particular, couldn't they have done more to help the poor and sick escape? But the evidence points, above all, to a stunning lack of both preparation and urgency in the federal government's response.

Even military resources in the right place weren't ordered into action. "On Wednesday," said an editorial in The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss., "reporters listening to horrific stories of death and survival at the Biloxi Junior High School shelter looked north across Irish Hill Road and saw Air Force personnel playing basketball and performing calisthenics. Playing basketball and performing calisthenics!"

Maybe administration officials believed that the local National Guard could keep order and deliver relief. But many members of the National Guard and much of its equipment - including high-water vehicles - are in Iraq. "The National Guard needs that equipment back home to support the homeland security mission," a Louisiana Guard officer told reporters several weeks ago.

Second question: Why wasn't more preventive action taken? After 2003 the Army Corps of Engineers sharply slowed its flood-control work, including work on sinking levees. "The corps," an Editor and Publisher article says, citing a series of articles in The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, "never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security - coming at the same time as federal tax cuts - was the reason for the strain."

In 2002 the corps' chief resigned, reportedly under threat of being fired, after he criticized the administration's proposed cuts in the corps' budget, including flood-control spending.

Third question: Did the Bush administration destroy FEMA's effectiveness? The administration has, by all accounts, treated the emergency management agency like an unwanted stepchild, leading to a mass exodus of experienced professionals.

Last year James Lee Witt, who won bipartisan praise for his leadership of the agency during the Clinton years, said at a Congressional hearing: "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded. I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared."

I don't think this is a simple tale of incompetence. The reason the military wasn't rushed in to help along the Gulf Coast is, I believe, the same reason nothing was done to stop looting after the fall of Baghdad. Flood control was neglected for the same reason our troops in Iraq didn't get adequate armor.

At a fundamental level, I'd argue, our current leaders just aren't serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don't like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.

Yesterday Mr. Bush made an utterly fantastic claim: that nobody expected the breach of the levees. In fact, there had been repeated warnings about exactly that risk.

So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying.

[strandinthewind]

I can't believe what I'm reading here.. or the short bits I saw on the news this morning :( I'm so sorry for all the people who have to go through all this!

Now I heard this newsbit, maybe you can tell me if this is correct: the money that was there to make the levees in NO safer was used instead by the Bush administration for home security and the war in Iraq..

I was born there. So many memories. I am devastated but in my heart reslient - deep in it. I just keep praying to God to show us the way back.

[Mari]

I was born there. So many memories. I am devastated but in my heart reslient - deep in it. I just keep praying to God to show us the way back.

:( That must be hard, Jason. I look at the pictures of New Orleans and it's hard to grasp that that city will never look the same again, but if you actually know those people & places, man..

If you hear about people going there to bring food, there's still goodness out there though, you know.

thanks for the article, Ken, will read later, work now, ahum :o

[SuzeQuze]

Hey Mari... I heard that too... don't know if it's true. Wouldn't surprise me.

It is true. Last year they asked for 40 million and Bush cut it to 10. Where else could the money have gone but to Iraq? They also lifted the restrictons on destroying the marshland around NO that was helping to protect it. That marshland is nearly gone now.

The feds have been ignoring this for a long time though so it is not all Dubya's fault but he does have to take some of the blame. To say no one knew this would happen is an insult to all of those people in NO. My heart is so broken. If the people left there were mostly white this response would have been different, IMO, and I am beyond disgusted by that.

[GateandGarden]

I really don't know why they're turning away citizen donations, unless they want them to go through a clearinghouse to be safety-checked. No explanation was ever given.On the news, they asked us not to donate any more clothes. This was just as I was thinking about all the clothes I have that I could give. We're talking about a lot of people who lost all of their belongings; they need clothes! I heard stories about some shelters having people who didn't even have one entire outfit! It's hard for me to understand why clothes are being turned down.

[GateandGarden]

:( That must be hard, Jason. I look at the pictures of New Orleans and it's hard to grasp that that city will never look the same again, but if you actually know those people & places, man.. I can't believe it. I won't believe it until I see it and who knows when I'll see it. New Orleans, Biloxi, and Gulfport are my homes away from home. I haven't been very many places and those places are my favorites. Or they were. :(

[Nixxxed]

Mari, here is an editorial from the New York Times that talks a little bit about the funding cuts...



That's an amazing summation. Thank you for posting.

[Nixxxed]

On the news, they asked us not to donate any more clothes. This was just as I was thinking about all the clothes I have that I could give. We're talking about a lot of people who lost all of their belongings; they need clothes! I heard stories about some shelters having people who didn't even have one entire outfit! It's hard for me to understand why clothes are being turned down.
After I signed off last night, they had video on the local news of many Houstonians who had seen the coverage (at midnight last night), and had rushed to the Astrodome. If the Astrodome was gonna turn the buses away, these people were going to offer their spare rooms to the refugees. It was amazing.

I also just saw a blip on Fox, I think, where they were calling for more "plus-sized clothing". I don't know if that's the reason they are turning away clothes or not. Maybe they just don't have room to store all the donations if they can't be used. I still don't understand, but I'm *trying* to keep an open mind and good attitude - notice I said trying. :laugh:

And my parents and I would love to go to the Dome to volunteer - we just can't afford the gas to get there right now. It would be close to 100 miles round-trip. :distress:

[reebokandlace]

Bush is saying no one could have predicted levy would break, NO says they have been warning of exactly that since the 1960's.


New Orleans city planning commission have had 10,000 body bags in a storage bunker since the 80's because they knew that this would happen someday.

[GateandGarden]

I also just saw a blip on Fox, I think, where they were calling for more "plus-sized clothing". I don't know if that's the reason they are turning away clothes or not. Maybe they just don't have room to store all the donations if they can't be used. I still don't understand, but I'm *trying* to keep an open mind and good attitude - notice I said trying. :laugh:Well, I wish I could bring that somewhere, 'cause all I've got are sizes 12 through 18.

[gldstwmn]

Earlier today, the officials refused to let samaritans drop off food, water, and supplies/goodies to them. One guy showed up with two entire barbeque pits of fully cooked barbeque, and several coolers of hot dogs, and they wouldn't let him take them inside or hand them out on the ground.

So, he set up across the street on the sidewalk, and people walked across the street (in the mid-day blazing sun, mind you) just to get a bite.

Good for him. That is really the spirit of America and Americans.

[gldstwmn]

I can't believe what I'm reading here.. or the short bits I saw on the news this morning :( I'm so sorry for all the people who have to go through all this!

Now I heard this newsbit, maybe you can tell me if this is correct: the money that was there to make the levees in NO safer was used instead by the Bush administration for home security and the war in Iraq..

That is correct. I linked to it in one of the other threads.

[Nixxxed]

100 miles = 20 mpg (if you drive an SUV) = 5 gallons of gas @ $4.00 a gallon (MAX!) = $20.00 for gas.

I don't mean any disrepect....I know some people have it rough, but...

But what? You have no idea about my living situation, or me for that matter.

If you are so financially well-off that you can make judgments (non-disrespectful ones, of course) about what others can and can't do, then why don't you get your ass on a plane down here and volunteer yourself?

I'd do the math for you, but it seems you have that well under control.

[reebokandlace]

But what? You have no idea about my living situation, or me for that matter.

If you are so financially well-off that you can make judgments (non-disrespectful ones, of course) about what others can and can't do, then why don't you get your ass on a plane down here and volunteer yourself?

I'd do the math for you, but it seems you have that well under control.


You are correct, I don't know you or your situation. That was horrible for me to say and I would like to publically apologize. It was insensitive of me.

I am very sorry.

[DavidMn]

I've heard today that Dallas is opening up too now to the refugees. It's about time another city stepped up to help. :thumbsup:

[lbelle1214]

I can say personally that the Houston Astrodome has over 25,000 people in there and are trying to take more. There is a shelter here in my hometown in Beaumont, Texas at Ford Park that has taken 7,500, and many more thru the Salvation Army communities, church communities, I've even taken ph#'s of my patients home with me and given them mine for additional help. I'll be leaving you fine people for awhile to serve as a Texas Disaster Relief Nurse...I'll have my lap top, and if there is electricity, I promise to tell you the absolute truth I see, unbiased. If any of you feel the need to help or come with me, you know how to find me. Ya'll KNOW I'm proud to be a TEXAS....but I may go to NOLA, Ms, Ala., wherever needed. I'm SURE you'll miss my OPINIONS and stupid comments. But I must go deliver some babies and show them that the world is going to be a better place and the ones taking care of them will be stronger for their suffering. This may seem inappropriate to you all, but....please, all types of help are needed. Not just money. These people need care givers and emotional support, in many different capacities. Because there has been nothing like this before, let us pull together, put differences aside....we are ALL members of the HUMAN race.
And on second thought....my son made it in safely early this am. Thanks to all who prayed and sent positive thoughts....I've got my baby home. Now it's time to pass it on....because to who much is given....much is expected.
Care about you, all!!!!! :wavey:

[Dreammms]

I can say personally that the Houston Astrodome has over 25,000 people in there and are trying to take more. There is a shelter here in my hometown in Beaumont, Texas at Ford Park that has taken 7,500, and many more thru the Salvation Army communities, church communities, I've even taken ph#'s of my patients home with me and given them mine for additional help. I'll be leaving you fine people for awhile to serve as a Texas Disaster Relief Nurse...I'll have my lap top, and if there is electricity, I promise to tell you the absolute truth I see, unbiased. If any of you feel the need to help or come with me, you know how to find me. Ya'll KNOW I'm proud to be a TEXAS....but I may go to NOLA, Ms, Ala., wherever needed. I'm SURE you'll miss my OPINIONS and stupid comments. But I must go deliver some babies and show them that the world is going to be a better place and the ones taking care of them will be stronger for their suffering. This may seem inappropriate to you all, but....please, all types of help are needed. Not just money. These people need care givers and emotional support, in many different capacities. Because there has been nothing like this before, let us pull together, put differences aside....we are ALL members of the HUMAN race.
And on second thought....my son made it in safely early this am. Thanks to all who prayed and sent positive thoughts....I've got my baby home. Now it's time to pass it on....because to who much is given....much is expected.
Care about you, all!!!!! :wavey:

That's really great! You are very kind.

I am glad your son made it home okay.

Keep in touch.

[lbelle1214]

On the news, they asked us not to donate any more clothes. This was just as I was thinking about all the clothes I have that I could give. We're talking about a lot of people who lost all of their belongings; they need clothes! I heard stories about some shelters having people who didn't even have one entire outfit! It's hard for me to understand why clothes are being turned down.

If you would like to donate your clothes, take them to the closest site where the relocated people are. They are taking clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. If you have small sample shampoos from hotels, box them up and take them to a center or to the red cross. They will be used.

[strandinthewind]

If you would like to donate your clothes, take them to the closest site where the relocated people are. They are taking clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. If you have small sample shampoos from hotels, box them up and take them to a center or to the red cross. They will be used.


Good idea :nod: Not to mention people other than these evacuees can use this stuff if the evacuees have enough :shrug:

[GateandGarden]

If you would like to donate your clothes, take them to the closest site where the relocated people are. They are taking clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. If you have small sample shampoos from hotels, box them up and take them to a center or to the red cross. They will be used.Thanks for that. I'm going to see about getting things to people. And Jason's right, I think--there are plenty of other people out there who aren't even evacuees who would also need those things.

[Janet]

But just imagine, after a long, hot bus ride, after losing everything, after being so sweaty, dirty, hungry and tired, you count the seconds before you reach your destination and boom, you can't go in. I'd cry. Those poor people. I just hope many ( meaning people of power) take note and learn a lesson on how to handle these things.

[Nixxxed]

You are correct, I don't know you or your situation. That was horrible for me to say and I would like to publically apologize. It was insensitive of me.

I am very sorry.
I'm sorry too. Check yer PMs. :xoxo:

[Nixxxed]

I can say personally that the Houston Astrodome has over 25,000 people in there and are trying to take more. There is a shelter here in my hometown in Beaumont, Texas at Ford Park that has taken 7,500, and many more thru the Salvation Army communities, church communities, I've even taken ph#'s of my patients home with me and given them mine for additional help. I'll be leaving you fine people for awhile to serve as a Texas Disaster Relief Nurse...I'll have my lap top, and if there is electricity, I promise to tell you the absolute truth I see, unbiased. If any of you feel the need to help or come with me, you know how to find me. Ya'll KNOW I'm proud to be a TEXAS....but I may go to NOLA, Ms, Ala., wherever needed. I'm SURE you'll miss my OPINIONS and stupid comments. But I must go deliver some babies and show them that the world is going to be a better place and the ones taking care of them will be stronger for their suffering. This may seem inappropriate to you all, but....please, all types of help are needed. Not just money. These people need care givers and emotional support, in many different capacities. Because there has been nothing like this before, let us pull together, put differences aside....we are ALL members of the HUMAN race.
And on second thought....my son made it in safely early this am. Thanks to all who prayed and sent positive thoughts....I've got my baby home. Now it's time to pass it on....because to who much is given....much is expected.
Care about you, all!!!!! :wavey:
Yes, things are much better here. They've stopped taking people into the Dome itself, but have opened 2 or 3 of the other buildings in the same complex (see the pic I posted in the Katrina thread). The Mayor of Houston also opened the city's main convention center downtown, and cancelled all the conventions scheduled there through the fall. He told the organizers if they didn't like it, they could just sue, and they could fight it out in court later on. :thumbsup:

And my town is now holding a food/supply/donation drive, so I'm off to volunteer there thankfully. Apparently our Mayor's office has been swamped with calls all week - many of them by me. :laugh: There's also talk of us housing evacuees here ... somewhere ... if Houston runs into trouble again.

I only hope I can put on a brave face, which has been very hard this week. The last thing these people need (if they make it here), is some big blubbering queen handing out water and food. :laugh:

[gldstwmn]

I've heard today that Dallas is opening up too now to the refugees. It's about time another city stepped up to help. :thumbsup:

Well...they were actually ordered to by FEMA. It doesn't exactly sound like they are being welcomed with open arms.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/katrina/stories/090305dnmetkatchaos.1cccdfd6.html

Dallas seeks housing help, finds little

12:50 AM CDT on Saturday, September 3, 2005


By JENNIFER EMILY, DAVE LEVINTHAL and JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News

Even as hurricane evacuees are flooding into the Dallas area, officials are still desperately scrambling to find shelter for all of them.

The decision would be far easier, some officials said, if not for the fact that the shelters would have to be self-sufficient, with little or no help from the Salvation Army or Red Cross.

"If we do make a decision to open a shelter, we have to do so not expecting to receive any assistance from anyone else," Plano Fire Chief Bill Peterson said.

Denton city officials say they turned down a request by Dallas officials to help out because they don't have the resources or personnel to run such an emergency shelter, city spokesman John Cabrales said.

Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, CEO of the local Red Cross, said the agency does not have enough cots even for those arriving at Reunion Arena, the city's primary evacuee center.

"We are certainly overwhelmed," she said. "We have no resources. If a city wants to open a shelter, we will pay for the food. This is an unprecedented event for our city, our state, for our nation. The focus is on keeping them safe and getting a roof over their head."

She said the relief agency has requested more cots from the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, which will eventually reimburse cities for the cost of the shelters, did not return several phone calls Friday.

As Dallas officials struggled to prepare for the onslaught of evacuees, Mayor Laura Miller blasted Gov. Rick Perry for visiting Dallas on Thursday but not informing her or City Manager Mary Suhm personally that 25,000 evacuees would soon be on their way.

The state has also failed to make good on its promise of cots and blankets for the city's shelters, Ms. Miller said.

"I'm amazed at the lack of help we're getting," the mayor said. "The state has done zero to help us, the governor has done zero to help us – besides coming here for a photo op."

Ms. Miller also panned other state and federal officials for a lack of communication with Dallas officials. The mayor said she learned from Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher, not FEMA or the governor's office, that the federal agency ordered Dallas to accept 25,000 evacuees.

Mr. Perry contacted Ms. Keliher because she had participated in a state-sponsored emergency management program and appeared the logical point person for the Dallas area, said Robert Black, the governor's spokesman.

"If the governor neglected, as a courtesy, to call the mayor, he is sorry," Mr. Black said.

On Friday, city officials, in conjunction with their Dallas County counterparts, found themselves pleading with surrounding counties and municipalities for help. Convincing other municipalities to help has not proved easy, however. Dallas possesses only the power of persuasion over its neighbors.

Dallas officials say the city can house only 10,000 in Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center, the city's two primary shelters. Tarrant County agreed to take 4,000.


Collin considers helping

Collin County has asked its five largest cities to take in at least 2,000 evacuees. Plano, Frisco and Wylie were considering setting up shelters.

Denton County Judge Mary Horn said Friday that she had made arrangements with Dallas to move women and children into a couple of county jail barracks in Denton.

She said she requested women and children because the barracks have air conditioning, showers and restrooms but not a lot of privacy.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said that emergency management officials have identified space in the county for 4,000 evacuees.

"That's the capacity we have identified, and I don't want to say we have the capacity to do more until I'm sure," he said. "We only have what we have. The last thing we want to do is put people where they are not comfortable or safe."

In Arlington, Mayor Robert Cluck estimated that his city could house 2,000 or more evacuees, but he said that's a "moving target." Several recreation centers are being converted to temporary housing, and a Salvation Army shelter can hold several hundred more.

The Eastern Star Home, a former fraternal retirement home, and a 200,000-square-foot building owned by Trammell Crow have been offered as shelters for as long as the buildings are needed.

"We know that 25,000 are coming to Dallas, but one city should not have to bear an undue burden," Dr. Cluck said. "We're prepared to take care of as many as we can."

Ms. Miller said North Texas must have a united response to hurricane relief.

"If all the cities would take people, we could handle this well," she said. "I find it astonishing that one would say no. It'd be admirable for these towns to help. We in Dallas have done our job. Everyone has to do their share."

In addition to Reunion Arena and the Convention Center, some evacuees in Dallas will be housed in the Decker Detention Center, county officials said. They said they will move inmates out of Decker, which the county used as a jail from the 1970s until mothballing it in 2002. It has been reopened several times since to handle overflow population from the main jail facilities.

By Friday evening, Dallas County officials offered this breakdown of how incoming evacuees would be distributed: 1,000 at Reunion, about 5,000 at the Convention Center, 2,000 at the Decker center, 4,000 in Tarrant County and 2,000 in Collin County. That left potentially 11,000 more slots to be handled by individual cities.

Ms. Keliher, who said the number of evacuees headed to the Dallas area might not top 20,000, said county commissioners were calling cities in their districts to ask for additional help.

Dallas officials said Friday that no single leader is coordinating preparations for the onslaught of evacuees.

"This is a unified command, as we say in the police department," said Ms. Suhm, Dallas city manager.


Security concerns

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said, "We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," about the security situation caused by thousands of beleaguered people flocking downtown. "We don't know what kinds of populations we'll be getting on the buses. New Orleans has historically been a violent city. But we will keep the residents of Dallas safe."

Fifty officers per shift will patrol Reunion, while 100 will patrol the Convention Center, Chief Kunkle said.

So far, 50 Texas State Guard members have supplemented Dallas' policing effort, although Chief Kunkle said he hopes more will arrive.

The Mesquite Fire Department provided a depot at Big Town Mall for buses carrying evacuees from New Orleans to Dallas. Officials expected 75 buses Friday evening with an average of 40 people on each bus. Tents and metal detectors were set up in the parking lot.

Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman Don Peritz said Friday evening that deputies as well as officers from Garland and Dallas are assisting Mesquite police in giving the evacuees a once-over.

"All evacuees from North Texas come here first," Sgt. Peritz said. "We're letting them have a bathroom break, running them through metal detectors and going through belongings."

He said they've found guns, but the most common contraband by far is liquor.

"Lots of liquor," Sgt. Peritz said. "Mostly beer and wine."

Some experts said the long-term implications of this wave of migration could alter the face of Dallas.

In recent American history there is no precedent for such an influx of people with so many needs, said Dr. Jeff Ferrell a sociology professor at Texas Christian University who has researched urban dynamics. Sociologists have studied other cities that have been wiped out by flooding, but none the size of New Orleans.

"I think it's going to force us to imagine ways of working together and pooling resources that we haven't been forced to do in the past."

[strandinthewind]

Yes, things are much better here. They've stopped taking people into the Dome itself, but have opened 2 or 3 of the other buildings in the same complex (see the pic I posted in the Katrina thread). The Mayor of Houston also opened the city's main convention center downtown, and cancelled all the conventions scheduled there through the fall. He told the organizers if they didn't like it, they could just sue, and they could fight it out in court later on. :thumbsup:

And my town is now holding a food/supply/donation drive, so I'm off to volunteer there thankfully. Apparently our Mayor's office has been swamped with calls all week - many of them by me. :laugh: There's also talk of us housing evacuees here ... somewhere ... if Houston runs into trouble again.

I only hope I can put on a brave face, which has been very hard this week. The last thing these people need (if they make it here), is some big blubbering queen handing out water and food. :laugh:

Other states have offered help too and I slaute them, but Texas gets a 12 gun salute for its apparently unending generosity. God Bless Texas!

[gldstwmn]

I only hope I can put on a brave face, which has been very hard this week. The last thing these people need (if they make it here), is some big blubbering queen handing out water and food. :laugh:

I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms. :xoxo:

[stargazer99]

Well...they were actually ordered to by FEMA. It doesn't exactly sound like they are being welcomed with open arms.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/katrina/stories/090305dnmetkatchaos.1cccdfd6.html

Dallas seeks housing help, finds little

12:50 AM CDT on Saturday, September 3, 2005


By JENNIFER EMILY, DAVE LEVINTHAL and JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News

Even as hurricane evacuees are flooding into the Dallas area, officials are still desperately scrambling to find shelter for all of them.

The decision would be far easier, some officials said, if not for the fact that the shelters would have to be self-sufficient, with little or no help from the Salvation Army or Red Cross.

"If we do make a decision to open a shelter, we have to do so not expecting to receive any assistance from anyone else," Plano Fire Chief Bill Peterson said.

Denton city officials say they turned down a request by Dallas officials to help out because they don't have the resources or personnel to run such an emergency shelter, city spokesman John Cabrales said.

Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, CEO of the local Red Cross, said the agency does not have enough cots even for those arriving at Reunion Arena, the city's primary evacuee center.

"We are certainly overwhelmed," she said. "We have no resources. If a city wants to open a shelter, we will pay for the food. This is an unprecedented event for our city, our state, for our nation. The focus is on keeping them safe and getting a roof over their head."

She said the relief agency has requested more cots from the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, which will eventually reimburse cities for the cost of the shelters, did not return several phone calls Friday.

As Dallas officials struggled to prepare for the onslaught of evacuees, Mayor Laura Miller blasted Gov. Rick Perry for visiting Dallas on Thursday but not informing her or City Manager Mary Suhm personally that 25,000 evacuees would soon be on their way.

The state has also failed to make good on its promise of cots and blankets for the city's shelters, Ms. Miller said.

"I'm amazed at the lack of help we're getting," the mayor said. "The state has done zero to help us, the governor has done zero to help us – besides coming here for a photo op."

Ms. Miller also panned other state and federal officials for a lack of communication with Dallas officials. The mayor said she learned from Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher, not FEMA or the governor's office, that the federal agency ordered Dallas to accept 25,000 evacuees.

Mr. Perry contacted Ms. Keliher because she had participated in a state-sponsored emergency management program and appeared the logical point person for the Dallas area, said Robert Black, the governor's spokesman.

"If the governor neglected, as a courtesy, to call the mayor, he is sorry," Mr. Black said.

On Friday, city officials, in conjunction with their Dallas County counterparts, found themselves pleading with surrounding counties and municipalities for help. Convincing other municipalities to help has not proved easy, however. Dallas possesses only the power of persuasion over its neighbors.

Dallas officials say the city can house only 10,000 in Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center, the city's two primary shelters. Tarrant County agreed to take 4,000.


Collin considers helping

Collin County has asked its five largest cities to take in at least 2,000 evacuees. Plano, Frisco and Wylie were considering setting up shelters.

Denton County Judge Mary Horn said Friday that she had made arrangements with Dallas to move women and children into a couple of county jail barracks in Denton.

She said she requested women and children because the barracks have air conditioning, showers and restrooms but not a lot of privacy.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said that emergency management officials have identified space in the county for 4,000 evacuees.

"That's the capacity we have identified, and I don't want to say we have the capacity to do more until I'm sure," he said. "We only have what we have. The last thing we want to do is put people where they are not comfortable or safe."

In Arlington, Mayor Robert Cluck estimated that his city could house 2,000 or more evacuees, but he said that's a "moving target." Several recreation centers are being converted to temporary housing, and a Salvation Army shelter can hold several hundred more.

The Eastern Star Home, a former fraternal retirement home, and a 200,000-square-foot building owned by Trammell Crow have been offered as shelters for as long as the buildings are needed.

"We know that 25,000 are coming to Dallas, but one city should not have to bear an undue burden," Dr. Cluck said. "We're prepared to take care of as many as we can."

Ms. Miller said North Texas must have a united response to hurricane relief.

"If all the cities would take people, we could handle this well," she said. "I find it astonishing that one would say no. It'd be admirable for these towns to help. We in Dallas have done our job. Everyone has to do their share."

In addition to Reunion Arena and the Convention Center, some evacuees in Dallas will be housed in the Decker Detention Center, county officials said. They said they will move inmates out of Decker, which the county used as a jail from the 1970s until mothballing it in 2002. It has been reopened several times since to handle overflow population from the main jail facilities.

By Friday evening, Dallas County officials offered this breakdown of how incoming evacuees would be distributed: 1,000 at Reunion, about 5,000 at the Convention Center, 2,000 at the Decker center, 4,000 in Tarrant County and 2,000 in Collin County. That left potentially 11,000 more slots to be handled by individual cities.

Ms. Keliher, who said the number of evacuees headed to the Dallas area might not top 20,000, said county commissioners were calling cities in their districts to ask for additional help.

Dallas officials said Friday that no single leader is coordinating preparations for the onslaught of evacuees.

"This is a unified command, as we say in the police department," said Ms. Suhm, Dallas city manager.


Security concerns

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said, "We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," about the security situation caused by thousands of beleaguered people flocking downtown. "We don't know what kinds of populations we'll be getting on the buses. New Orleans has historically been a violent city. But we will keep the residents of Dallas safe."

Fifty officers per shift will patrol Reunion, while 100 will patrol the Convention Center, Chief Kunkle said.

So far, 50 Texas State Guard members have supplemented Dallas' policing effort, although Chief Kunkle said he hopes more will arrive.

The Mesquite Fire Department provided a depot at Big Town Mall for buses carrying evacuees from New Orleans to Dallas. Officials expected 75 buses Friday evening with an average of 40 people on each bus. Tents and metal detectors were set up in the parking lot.

Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman Don Peritz said Friday evening that deputies as well as officers from Garland and Dallas are assisting Mesquite police in giving the evacuees a once-over.

"All evacuees from North Texas come here first," Sgt. Peritz said. "We're letting them have a bathroom break, running them through metal detectors and going through belongings."

He said they've found guns, but the most common contraband by far is liquor.

"Lots of liquor," Sgt. Peritz said. "Mostly beer and wine."

Some experts said the long-term implications of this wave of migration could alter the face of Dallas.

In recent American history there is no precedent for such an influx of people with so many needs, said Dr. Jeff Ferrell a sociology professor at Texas Christian University who has researched urban dynamics. Sociologists have studied other cities that have been wiped out by flooding, but none the size of New Orleans.

"I think it's going to force us to imagine ways of working together and pooling resources that we haven't been forced to do in the past."


Laura Miller is a major b*tch! I'm not surpised she's upset, but I'm sure the complaints she expressed to the press are only the half of it. She has turned her back on the homeless that are already living here, so I'm sure she's not thrilled about having to accept 25,000 of them in her city. She's made it illegal to panhandle here. The fire department apparently used to stand on the corner with bucket to collect money for the poor, but because of the panhandling law, that is now considered illegal. She is now trying to make it illegal to give money to panhandlers. I believe you can't even give food to the homeless, except for 1 explicit drop-off point. Also, from what I hear, the Dallas shelters are very poorly staffed and supplied. She doesn't want the homeless out on the street "bothering" people, yet she won't provide them with decent assistance. :mad:

And Gov Perry is about as worthless as W was as a governor.

- Mary

[Brad]

Yes, things are much better here. They've stopped taking people into the Dome itself, but have opened 2 or 3 of the other buildings in the same complex (see the pic I posted in the Katrina thread). The Mayor of Houston also opened the city's main convention center downtown, and cancelled all the conventions scheduled there through the fall. He told the organizers if they didn't like it, they could just sue, and they could fight it out in court later on. :thumbsup:

And my town is now holding a food/supply/donation drive, so I'm off to volunteer there thankfully. Apparently our Mayor's office has been swamped with calls all week - many of them by me. :laugh: There's also talk of us housing evacuees here ... somewhere ... if Houston runs into trouble again.

I only hope I can put on a brave face, which has been very hard this week. The last thing these people need (if they make it here), is some big blubbering queen handing out water and food. :laugh:

I saw yesterday where First Baptist TC is housing around 200 evacuees and Moody Methodist in Galveston I think has about 300. My dad is on the board of the Salvation Army and took off work Thursday and Friday to work there and he has been there all day again today.

Also, the dean of my med school (in Dallas) sent out an email saying that they have let Tulane and LSU med students join our classes...really cool. :thumbsup: I've also read in the paper where A&M and other colleges are letting students enroll and charging them the cheapest in-state tuition and offering some scholarships and trying to do something with housing.

The response Texas (and I'm sure other states as well) has made is overwhelming and really shows the good spirit of mankind...kinda chokes me up at times.

On another note, Chuck, I have seen the God-awful street lights by the stadium...ORANGE poles? In the words of Diss, whore.anus! :laugh:

Brad

[rbs3676]

I've heard today that Dallas is opening up too now to the refugees. It's about time another city stepped up to help. :thumbsup:


I live in San Antonio. We had over 2500 people -- most injured -- bused in yesterday and they are being taken to what was once Kelly Air Force Base. Kelly is acting as a triage and then the ill are taken to various hospitals in the city, depending on their specific needs.
I work in a hospital and we had over 100 children from N.O. admitted yesterday. We are expecting many more victims today. And while this is a holiday weekend, we are all on call. I am expecting to go to work tomorrow to do whatever is needed.

Just an FYI...

rbs

[gldstwmn]

I live in San Antonio. We had over 2500 people -- most injured -- bused in yesterday and they are being taken to what was once Kelly Air Force Base. Kelly is acting as a triage and then the ill are taken to various hospitals in the city, depending on their specific needs.
I work in a hospital and we had over 100 children from N.O. admitted yesterday. We are expecting many more victims today. And while this is a holiday weekend, we are all on call. I am expecting to go to work tomorrow to do whatever is needed.

Just an FYI...

rbs

Thank your for all your kind, hard work. :angel:

[Nixxxed]

I saw yesterday where First Baptist TC is housing around 200 evacuees and Moody Methodist in Galveston I think has about 300. My dad is on the board of the Salvation Army and took off work Thursday and Friday to work there and he has been there all day again today.

Also, the dean of my med school (in Dallas) sent out an email saying that they have let Tulane and LSU med students join our classes...really cool. :thumbsup: I've also read in the paper where A&M and other colleges are letting students enroll and charging them the cheapest in-state tuition and offering some scholarships and trying to do something with housing.

The response Texas (and I'm sure other states as well) has made is overwhelming and really shows the good spirit of mankind...kinda chokes me up at times.

On another note, Chuck, I have seen the God-awful street lights by the stadium...ORANGE poles? In the words of Diss, whore.anus! :laugh:

Brad
Yeah! The FBC is about two blocks from my house. I rode my bike up there this afternoon, and they have plenty of help this weekend, but are expecting a lull after the holiday weekend when everyone goes back to work. Didn't meet your Dad tho - or maybe I did. :shrug: When I'm up there next week, I'll make sure to ask every man I see, "Are you Brad's Dad??" :laugh:

And I went up to Kroger, as I heard that's where the donation drive was going on, and nada. No one knew anything. Looks like I'll spend this week on the phone bitching at the Mayor's office too. :nod: You haven't heard anything by chance have you?

Man, I still can't believe you're from TC. And yeah, the orange lightpoles are a bit much. I much prefer the black poles/orange lights at 21st & 9th - although I'm just waiting for someone to crash into them. You can't see them at night at all. Did you see they also painted a lot of the playground equipment in Nessler Park (behind the library) black and orange too! WTF??? In the words of Ministry, "Halloween is every day-ee-aay-aaaaaaaaayyyyyy."

[Brad]

Yeah! The FBC is about two blocks from my house. I rode my bike up there this afternoon, and they have plenty of help this weekend, but are expecting a lull after the holiday weekend when everyone goes back to work. Didn't meet your Dad tho - or maybe I did. :shrug: When I'm up there next week, I'll make sure to ask every man I see, "Are you Brad's Dad??" :laugh:

And I went up to Kroger, as I heard that's where the donation drive was going on, and nada. No one knew anything. Looks like I'll spend this week on the phone bitching at the Mayor's office too. :nod: You haven't heard anything by chance have you?

Man, I still can't believe you're from TC. And yeah, the orange lightpoles are a bit much. I much prefer the black poles/orange lights at 21st & 9th - although I'm just waiting for someone to crash into them. You can't see them at night at all. Did you see they also painted a lot of the playground equipment in Nessler Park (behind the library) black and orange too! WTF??? In the words of Ministry, "Halloween is every day-ee-aay-aaaaaaaaayyyyyy."

Sorry to hijack this thread into a Chuck/Brad/TC thing!

I grew up in FBCTC. Went there for preschool and kindergarten. Also, my parents did not allow me or my sister to miss a day of Sunday School growing up. Even if we went on vacation, we had to go to church, get a program, and turn it on the next Sunday to prove we hadn't missed church. My sister and I had perfect attendance pins for Sunday School growing up...yeah, my parents were frickin' NAZIS about that crap. But, they were just as bad about school. Even if we were sick, we had to go to school til at least 10:00 after the official attendance record was made so that we could get perfect attendance. Again, NAZIS for parents!!!!

I think my dad was only at FBC for a little bit today. He was mostly at the Salvation Army office (I think's it's on Texas Ave) but I think he did say they went over there to drop a lot of stuff off. So, it's possible you could have seen him at some point! :D But, if you were to mention the Ledge, he would get the biggest blank stare on his face and wonder who the hell you were and how you know his son!!!

And yeah, 21st and 9th is ridiculously close to my house...about 4 or so blocks away. As a matter of fact, I grabbed a chopped beef sandwich from Grand Prize for lunch today around 3:30 (hung over as **** and didn't get up til about 2:30 today!) Haven't seen the playground equipment yet. Last time I was there was this past Christmas Eve when it snowed and me and a bunch of buddies went over there (a little loaded of course) to try to sled down the hill using ice chests!

And no, I haven't heard anything from the mayor's office or what's going on as far as Kroger and the like. Anything I hear is through my dad and the Salvation Army. He said that they really don't need anymore clothes but that anything else is really needed.

Good talking to you again. I just got home after playing a Texas Hold 'Em tournament with a bunch of friends and drinking all night and am so exhausted now, so I better turn in. Got Donnie Darko running on the TV for the 1000th time, but I'm sure I'll fall asleep before it's over.

Take care, and who knows, maybe we'll run into each other one of these days.

Brad