Texas arenas, schools open to refugees

[TexasStooge]

HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - At least 23,000 of Hurricane Katrina's refugees, a majority of them at the New Orleans Superdome, will travel in a bus convoy to Houston starting Wednesday and will be sheltered at the Astrodome, which hasn't been used for professional sporting events in years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide 500 buses for the transfer, and the Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December to house the evacuees, said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Other evacuees were headed to Reunion Arena, which will replace two smaller shelters currently operating elsewhere in Dallas.

The American Red Cross' two shelters housed about 400 people, but Reunion will offer a consolidated location with more space. "This way we will be able to provide them a more comfortable place and take good care of them," said Anita Foster, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross in Dallas.

The shelter will provide food, bedding, diapers, baby formula and hygiene products, Foster said.

Meanwhile, Texas public schools are opening their doors to Hurricane Katrina refugees.

'We will do everything we can to welcome these students and return some form of

stability to the lives of these youngsters,' Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley said.

She predicted that thousands of storm refugees would be enrolling in Texas schools,

primarily in the Houston area.

Neeley is notifying school districts that children whose families have temporarily

relocated to Texas because of the hurricane will generally meet the federal definition of "homeless." The law entitles them to enroll in the school district in which they are physically present without having to document residency in the district.

The Texas Education Agency is committing to assisting districts with ordering additional textbooks for the newly arrived students; waiving normal immunization requirements; and providing waivers of the 22-to-1 student/teacher ratio requirements for kindergarten through fourth-grade classes.

Dallas Independent School District spokesman Donald Claxton said Wednesday that the district's schools would accept any child who came to Dallas to escape the hurricane.

Perry and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco spoke by telephone early Wednesday to discuss how Texas could help house those displaced by the hurricane.

"In the face of such tragic circumstances, we are neighbors and we are going to pull together so these families can find as much normalcy as possible," Perry said.

Logistics for the transport and housing of the refugees were still being worked out with the Red Cross and state government officials, said Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

"We want to accommodate those people as quickly as possible for the simple reason they have been through a horrible ordeal," he said.

Texas also is looking at the possibility of using the Ford Center in Beaumont for some long-term housing for other evacuees who may be staying in hotels, motels and campgrounds.

Perry said it was important for Texas to be available to Louisiana's needy residents, especially children who've been uprooted from their daily routines, including going to school.

He said Texas public schools would open their doors to any student displaced by the hurricane. He said the Texas Education Agency would work with school districts to provide additional textbooks and funds for transportation and meals as they "take on this additional pressure."

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome -- which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people -- evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.

The Astrodome helped put Houston on the map 40 years ago. It still stands but is dwarfed by Reliant Stadium, the Houston Texans' newly constructed home. The Astrodome opened in 1965, 10 years before the Superdome.

[djtil]

God Bless Texas.

[Canelaw99]

Way to go Texas! You guys are awesome!!!

[TexasStooge]

Reunion Arena serving hundreds of evacuees

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / DallasNews.com

DALLAS, Texas - Calvin Fortenberry finally had a good night's sleep. He credits the air conditioning, bottled water, food and toilets at the Reunion Arena evacuee camp.

"It's a whole lot better than what we encountered in Louisiana," the 51-year-old postal worker said Thursday. "It's going OK."

Anita Foster, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Dallas, estimated that 600 people showed up at the shelter Wednesday night. She said it's difficult to track the evacuees because many are staying in hotels or with family but drop by for food or other services.

"Disaster happens step by step and what these families have been through is serious," Foster said. "They are realizing they don't have a job and they don't have a home. But not everyone has the same needs. So we will try to get a community built that will meet their immediate needs, then we will look at the longer term needs."

Many agencies were working to make the stay more comfortable for the hundreds of people camping on the floor of the former home of the Dallas Mavericks and Stars.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit was providing transportation, while the Dallas Independent School District has offered to educate the children who were displaced from their schools. Parkland Memorial Hospital stopped by with a medical van and was offering care and prescription drugs for those who left home with a short supply.

"What we are seeing mostly is diabetes and hypertension," said Barry Hull, associate director for the Parkland pharmacy. "On top of that, everyone has cholesterol medication."

"Once people's medication runs out, they start gravitating to the emergency room," Hull said. "Our goal is to keep people out of the hospital."

Many people left with a three-day supply of medication believing they then would return home for more, Foster said.

Dallas-area residents have pitched in by offering space in their homes, money and other donations. "We've created a bulletin board that will connect the people in need with those who have something to offer," Foster said. "It's so generous."

There was still plenty of room at the arena on Thursday morning. Should it reach capacity, the city of Dallas has identified the convention center as a possible spillover location. Fort Worth also has shelters open, she said.

Some Louisianans were trying to decide whether they would return once New Orleans dries out.

Claudette Wallace, 63, fears her home near the French Quarter is ruined. She said she would like to go back to see if she can salvage some family photos and some prized cast-iron pots, but she may live in Texas.

"This may be a good start," she said. "We've been looking at your city and it's really organized. This is a chance to start over and to see new things."