Dallas opens arms to New Orleans refugees
Reunion Arena, hospitals, schools – and a good Samaritan with a vacant house – extend Southern hospitality
By PAUL MEYER, MICHAEL E. YOUNG and DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - One New Orleans family found more than shelter Wednesday at Reunion Arena. They found the kindness of a stranger. And they found a three-bedroom brick home.
On a day when Dallas officials and the American Red Cross opened Reunion Arena to hundreds of refugees, Gilbert Narcisse and nine of his family members won't have to stay there.
Instead, the displaced family and their two pets will be living in a vacant Cockrell Hill house provided by Chris McAbee, a good Samaritan who found them distraught outside the arena.
"I can't even think of a word to describe it. 'Miracle' maybe, but it's something larger than that. Out of all those people, he found us," Mr. Narcisse said.
But for others fleeing here from Louisiana and storm-battered sections of the Gulf Coast, the arena might be as good as it gets.
New Orleans' emergency is Dallas' emergency, City Manager Mary Suhm said.
"This will be a long process," she said.
Although Reunion can probably accommodate 1,600 people, Ms. Suhm said the arena alone couldn't deal with everyone expected to flee to Dallas.
Officials decided late Wednesday to designate 50,000 square feet in the Dallas Convention Center – enough for 1,000 people – as a backup shelter if Reunion Arena exceeds its capacity.
Ms. Suhm said this wasn't an open invitation for the storm-afflicted to flock to Dallas. But, "As people have needs, we will be prepared to address them," she said.
At Dallas Love Field on Wednesday, a Southwest Airlines plane from New Orleans unloaded about 40 refugees, many transported to Reunion Arena or to catch other flights.
Ebru Sevtap, 32, said she's returning to her native Turkey after riding out Katrina in a neighbor's Metairie apartment. By the time the storm subsided, she was trapped by floodwaters, unable to reach the airport until Wednesday morning.
"I'm so happy we're alive. It was horrible. Just horrible," she said.
"I'm going back [to Turkey]. I don't think New Orleans will be New Orleans again."
Others boarded a DART bus from the airport to the Red Cross shelter, including four generations of one New Orleans family, ranging from 74-year-old Gladys Smith to 7-month-old Taylor Smith.
"Nowhere to go. We have nowhere to go," Patricia Smith said stoically.
At the shelter, the displaced could find food, medical attention and showers.
Dealing with those needs meant a frantic afternoon preparing for the crowds.
Red Cross coordinators arrived at Reunion Arena about 1:30 p.m. with little idea of the arena's logistics and only vague information about the number of people they might expect to house.
They circled the arena, floor plans in hard, to decide where to set up dining tables and cots, how to arrange shower schedules and where the children might find a place to play.
Though roomy, Reunion presents some problems – including shower controls about 8 feet off the ground in the Dallas Mavericks' old locker room.
"We'll be using space for mental health counselors, nurses, a FEMA representative, because it's hard for people who have lost everything," she said. "We want to make them as comfortable as possible."
Dallas police will provide security, Police Chief David Kunkle said.
The arena's concrete floor began to fill quickly, just an hour or two before refugees arrived from other Dallas-area shelters.
Raquel and Jerome Green, with four children in tow, came even earlier.
They fled their home in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, a neighborhood built on a former cypress swamp and bound by a series of waterways, when officials urged voluntary evacuations.
"We left at 5 o'clock in the evening on Saturday and got to Dallas at about 4 a.m. Sunday morning," Mr. Green said. "That first night, we stayed at a relative's house in Lancaster."
They watched Katrina's progress on TV, trying to discern different neighborhoods as the cameras swept over the flooded city and wondered whether their home survived.
"We think we'll literally be starting over," Mr. Green said.
Kwada Dobosu, 25, was already thinking about finding a job in Dallas after losing everything back home in Kenner, La.
"If they can make my transition better, I'll just live right here. I can't go back there," he said on the way from Love Field to Reunion Arena.
No one knows how long people will need shelter facilities or how many children might need to attend local schools or whether families who've lost everything might decide to stay here permanently.
Officials from the city, Dallas Independent School District and Dallas County agencies said they are planning for them to remain here indefinitely.
"They won't be able to return for weeks, if not months, if ever," said Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, who visited the city's temporary shelters Wednesday morning.
"They feel useless and frustrated and unable to provide for their families. We will help them however we can."
Mr. McAbee, a Dallas-area purchasing agent, came to Reunion Arena on Wednesday for a different reason. He was looking for a family to fill the vacant Cockrell Hill home he has been trying to sell for months.
He found Mr. Narcisse, along with nine relatives, a Chihuahua named Chico and a ferret named Scooter. The family fled New Orleans on Saturday for Dallas, staying in a hotel before running out of money and heading for a shelter.
"Hi, honey. It's me. I found a family," Mr. McAbee told his wife, Natalie, by cellphone from outside the arena.
Within minutes, the group caravanned to the brick three-bedroom home, where they found air mattresses, laundry, showers and a new beginning.
The family doesn't know how long they'll need the place. They think their homes in New Orleans are flooded, perhaps irreparably.
"Everything we worked for is gone. All we have left is what you see in that van," Mr. Narcisse said.
Mr. McAbee doesn't care how long it takes. "Our house is just sitting empty, and we knew there would be people here who would kill for a good shower," he said.
"If it takes 16 weeks, it takes 16 weeks."
Staff writer Sherry Jacobson contributed to this report.
For Texans and Everyone-Oppurtunities to help
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
A twist on transfer students
Districts in Houston, D/FW area relaxing admission rules
By JOSHUA BENTON and TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
Sunday morning, when Demetrice Nora fled New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with her family, she only packed clothes for a few days.
But on Wednesday – seeing the destruction back home – she enrolled her daughters at Larson Elementary in Grand Prairie. It's the first step toward a permanent relocation, she said.
"My main priority is to focus on my kids and getting them stable," Ms. Nora said of daughters Kinyatta and Gilda. "I don't want them to miss too much school."
Among the hundreds of thousands who've fled New Orleans, there's a growing recognition that they won't be heading back home anytime soon.
For those who've arrived in Texas, that means finding a school for their children.
As with most things about Hurricane Katrina, officials don't know all the details – like how many new students have already enrolled, or how many more will come.
But state officials expect the number to be in the thousands.
"We're just trying to get them in school as fast as we can," said Toni Gallego, homeless liaison for the Irving schools, which had received enrollment inquiries from more than a dozen families.
Dallas school officials expect hundreds of new students. The district, like many others in the area, is waiving some of the traditional requirements for new students – like immunization records and transcripts – to enroll them faster. Those records "are either underwater or the school's gone," Dallas spokesman Donald Claxton said.
The district plans to set up shop at the Reunion Arena refugee center Friday to help students figure out what schools they should be attending.
Most large school districts in North Texas, including Mesquite, Richardson, Garland, Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Carroll, reported taking in students from Louisiana. Most said they would take students immediately.
Other districts, such as Plano, either asked students to stay away until next week, or said they would be enrolled only if space is available, as was the case with elementary-age students in Highland Park.
Arlington schools have already enrolled almost 30 new students, district officials said, and more are on the way. Nelva Hardin, a coordinator for the district's Families in Transition program, said one woman with whom she spoke had 40 people living in her house, including several school-aged children.
"Those poor kiddos have been displaced and their emotional needs should be first," said Susan Timms, principal at Miller Elementary in Arlington, where five new students enrolled Wednesday.
Terragon Smith had already planned to relocate his family from New Orleans to Cedar Hill in about a month. Katrina sped the family's move. But their belongings stayed behind.
"I don't know what's left there, and it's not like I can go back and get what's left," Mr. Smith said. "I have the most important parts of my life here – my wife, kids and my family."
On Tuesday, he enrolled fifth-grader Saliq and second-grader Tariq at a Cedar Hill elementary school. The boys start school today.
The biggest impacts are likely to be in Houston. Its relative closeness to the state line meant it was already home to many people fleeing storm damage. And Louisiana officials announced Wednesday that they would transport all those stranded in the Superdome to Houston's Astrodome – bringing another influx of thousands of children.
A half-dozen students showed up in the small Port Neches-Groves school district in southeast Texas on Wednesday, and district officials expect that number to climb in the coming days. Port Neches has some of the strongest Louisiana ties of any Texas city. Large numbers of Cajuns, chasing refinery jobs, moved to Port Neches and the surrounding Golden Triangle area in the mid-1900s.
"There's no one I know here who doesn't have kinfolk in Louisiana," Superintendent Lani Randall said.
State officials did their part to welcome the students Wednesday, informing superintendents that they could enroll most under federal regulations for homeless students. That means they will automatically be eligible for free school lunches. Students will not have to provide proof of residency in the school district to attend classes.
In most districts, the cost of educating the new students will be funded through a small bump in state money. As with other children, schools will be reimbursed based on how long students remain enrolled.
Some schools will get more textbooks to supply the newcomers, and in some cases they will be able to exceed state class-size limits.
The displaced students come in all sorts. Many fleeing New Orleans were poor and lost all their belongings in the storm.
On the other end of the spectrum is Morris Hyman, a New Orleans attorney staying with relatives in Richardson. His two children, 11th-grader Elizabeth and seventh-grader Ben, have attended the private Isidore Newman School since kindergarten. Now they're trying to find new schools – for a few weeks or a few months.
Since she was already in the area, Elizabeth toured Southern Methodist University on Monday. In her tour group were five other New Orleans natives, all in the same boat.
"It's going to be pretty strange being around all new people," Elizabeth said Wednesday, an hour after visiting Lake Highlands High for the first time. She liked it.
Back in New Orleans, she was in the school chorus and did theater. At Lake Highlands, she'll be able to join the chorus, but she said it's probably too late to join the cast of the first school play. But there will be more plays.
"I think I'd like to do the musical this winter," she said. "If I'm still here."
Staff writers Katherine Leal Unmuth, Laurie Fox, Tawnell D. Hobbs and Kristen Holland contributed to this story.
Districts in Houston, D/FW area relaxing admission rules
By JOSHUA BENTON and TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
Sunday morning, when Demetrice Nora fled New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with her family, she only packed clothes for a few days.
But on Wednesday – seeing the destruction back home – she enrolled her daughters at Larson Elementary in Grand Prairie. It's the first step toward a permanent relocation, she said.
"My main priority is to focus on my kids and getting them stable," Ms. Nora said of daughters Kinyatta and Gilda. "I don't want them to miss too much school."
Among the hundreds of thousands who've fled New Orleans, there's a growing recognition that they won't be heading back home anytime soon.
For those who've arrived in Texas, that means finding a school for their children.
As with most things about Hurricane Katrina, officials don't know all the details – like how many new students have already enrolled, or how many more will come.
But state officials expect the number to be in the thousands.
"We're just trying to get them in school as fast as we can," said Toni Gallego, homeless liaison for the Irving schools, which had received enrollment inquiries from more than a dozen families.
Dallas school officials expect hundreds of new students. The district, like many others in the area, is waiving some of the traditional requirements for new students – like immunization records and transcripts – to enroll them faster. Those records "are either underwater or the school's gone," Dallas spokesman Donald Claxton said.
The district plans to set up shop at the Reunion Arena refugee center Friday to help students figure out what schools they should be attending.
Most large school districts in North Texas, including Mesquite, Richardson, Garland, Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Carroll, reported taking in students from Louisiana. Most said they would take students immediately.
Other districts, such as Plano, either asked students to stay away until next week, or said they would be enrolled only if space is available, as was the case with elementary-age students in Highland Park.
Arlington schools have already enrolled almost 30 new students, district officials said, and more are on the way. Nelva Hardin, a coordinator for the district's Families in Transition program, said one woman with whom she spoke had 40 people living in her house, including several school-aged children.
"Those poor kiddos have been displaced and their emotional needs should be first," said Susan Timms, principal at Miller Elementary in Arlington, where five new students enrolled Wednesday.
Terragon Smith had already planned to relocate his family from New Orleans to Cedar Hill in about a month. Katrina sped the family's move. But their belongings stayed behind.
"I don't know what's left there, and it's not like I can go back and get what's left," Mr. Smith said. "I have the most important parts of my life here – my wife, kids and my family."
On Tuesday, he enrolled fifth-grader Saliq and second-grader Tariq at a Cedar Hill elementary school. The boys start school today.
The biggest impacts are likely to be in Houston. Its relative closeness to the state line meant it was already home to many people fleeing storm damage. And Louisiana officials announced Wednesday that they would transport all those stranded in the Superdome to Houston's Astrodome – bringing another influx of thousands of children.
A half-dozen students showed up in the small Port Neches-Groves school district in southeast Texas on Wednesday, and district officials expect that number to climb in the coming days. Port Neches has some of the strongest Louisiana ties of any Texas city. Large numbers of Cajuns, chasing refinery jobs, moved to Port Neches and the surrounding Golden Triangle area in the mid-1900s.
"There's no one I know here who doesn't have kinfolk in Louisiana," Superintendent Lani Randall said.
State officials did their part to welcome the students Wednesday, informing superintendents that they could enroll most under federal regulations for homeless students. That means they will automatically be eligible for free school lunches. Students will not have to provide proof of residency in the school district to attend classes.
In most districts, the cost of educating the new students will be funded through a small bump in state money. As with other children, schools will be reimbursed based on how long students remain enrolled.
Some schools will get more textbooks to supply the newcomers, and in some cases they will be able to exceed state class-size limits.
The displaced students come in all sorts. Many fleeing New Orleans were poor and lost all their belongings in the storm.
On the other end of the spectrum is Morris Hyman, a New Orleans attorney staying with relatives in Richardson. His two children, 11th-grader Elizabeth and seventh-grader Ben, have attended the private Isidore Newman School since kindergarten. Now they're trying to find new schools – for a few weeks or a few months.
Since she was already in the area, Elizabeth toured Southern Methodist University on Monday. In her tour group were five other New Orleans natives, all in the same boat.
"It's going to be pretty strange being around all new people," Elizabeth said Wednesday, an hour after visiting Lake Highlands High for the first time. She liked it.
Back in New Orleans, she was in the school chorus and did theater. At Lake Highlands, she'll be able to join the chorus, but she said it's probably too late to join the cast of the first school play. But there will be more plays.
"I think I'd like to do the musical this winter," she said. "If I'm still here."
Staff writers Katherine Leal Unmuth, Laurie Fox, Tawnell D. Hobbs and Kristen Holland contributed to this story.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
N. Texans welcome displaced relatives
By KEVIN KRAUSE / The Dallas Morning News
THE COLONY, Texas – It's not very roomy, but it's better than the Superdome.
James and Rita Lenoire of The Colony have opened their house to 27 relatives who fled their homes in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approached, leaving behind everything but a change of clothes.
The small three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Ragan Road is now a shelter – hot and stuffy and packed with bodies.
More relatives are on the way.
"We can't even picture right now where we're going to live," Mr. Lenoire's brother, Lewis Lucas, 48, said as he stood in the kitchen watching CNN while his son helped pass out ham and cheese sandwiches.
The Lenoires aren't the only ones to take in family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
As refugees pack into arenas and schools across Texas and the South, some people are opening up their homes to family members.
Dixey Arterburn's four-bedroom Preston Hollow house in Dallas is now temporary home to 17 additional family members, including her 77-year-old parents whose Gulf Coast house was washed away. By this weekend, it will be 22 relatives.
"We're just in survival mode right now. I'm overwhelmed," said Ms. Arterburn, a real estate agent whose office is helping with food and provisions. "They have a roof over their heads, and they're blessed."
Mr. Lenoire, 54, who drives a street sweeper for The Colony, said he doesn't know how long his displaced relatives will stay with him. As far as he's concerned, they're welcome to stay as long as it takes.
"Right now, they don't have anything," said Mr. Lenoire, who moved to The Colony from New Orleans 15 years ago. "They don't have anywhere to go."
Mr. Lenoire doesn't know how he'll be able to continue feeding them.
The Colony pitches in
So far, he has had help.
City employees have given him clothes, blankets, sheets, food and other items. City spokeswoman Diane Baxter said the city has collected $900 in cash, enough money for food and to pay the couple's high electric bill. She said an anonymous city staff member has paid the family's utility bill.
The Colony Chamber of Commerce is asking local businesses for help, she said.
"It's sort of like The Colony takes care of its own," Mayor John Dillard said. "Helping these people is something we've got to do. We've got to come together."
The city also set up a fund at a local bank for the Lenoire family to accept donations.
After neighbor Tres Ramirez found out Tuesday night about the makeshift shelter next door, he headed to the local grocery first thing Wednesday morning for bread, milk, eggs, sandwich meat and other necessities.
"We've been taking care of each other for 15 years," Mr. Ramirez said.
Mr. Lenoire saw his 86-year-old mother's street on TV. It was under water. He can't bring himself to tell her.
Getting out of town
She and 26 other family members from seven households packed into several cars Sunday morning and drove out of the city. They spent the night at a gymnasium converted to a shelter in a small town outside New Orleans. They left Monday morning and drove to The Colony.
They include 13 children, two pregnant women, three infants – one of whom is sick – and two diabetics. They have no medicine and no access to money. Their homes are flooded. They haven't heard from friends and family members who decided to stay.
"I told them they would be welcome in my house because they're family," said Mr. Lenoire, one of eight siblings.
"He seems to be a real great guy," City Council member Allen Harris said. "It's absolutely a wonderful thing. Family is important."
Waiting on word
Three of Mr. Lenoire's brothers are still unaccounted for. He can't reach them, and he hasn't heard from them.
His brother-in-law, Leslie Jarrow, 46, said he may never return to New Orleans.
"We lost everything. As far as I know, it's under water," he said. "We thank God we have our lives."
On Wednesday afternoon, his relatives gathered in the open garage for some fresh air and in the living room to watch news coverage. They sleep wherever there's room and a blanket.
Mr. Lenoire's sister, Jean Lewis, talked to her husband Monday by cellphone. He decided to stay behind. He told her he managed to hop into a small boat in their back yard and was waiting for a helicopter to pick him up.
Mrs. Lewis' daughter, Marie Johnson, made it out of the city with her husband and three children.
"It's like a dream. We just don't believe this took place," she said.
The Lenoires have one shower and one bathtub for 29 people.
"We'll figure out how to get through this," Mrs. Lenoire said.
For now, they're looking on the bright side.
"It's kind of like a family reunion," Mr. Lenoire said.
By KEVIN KRAUSE / The Dallas Morning News
THE COLONY, Texas – It's not very roomy, but it's better than the Superdome.
James and Rita Lenoire of The Colony have opened their house to 27 relatives who fled their homes in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approached, leaving behind everything but a change of clothes.
The small three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Ragan Road is now a shelter – hot and stuffy and packed with bodies.
More relatives are on the way.
"We can't even picture right now where we're going to live," Mr. Lenoire's brother, Lewis Lucas, 48, said as he stood in the kitchen watching CNN while his son helped pass out ham and cheese sandwiches.
The Lenoires aren't the only ones to take in family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
As refugees pack into arenas and schools across Texas and the South, some people are opening up their homes to family members.
Dixey Arterburn's four-bedroom Preston Hollow house in Dallas is now temporary home to 17 additional family members, including her 77-year-old parents whose Gulf Coast house was washed away. By this weekend, it will be 22 relatives.
"We're just in survival mode right now. I'm overwhelmed," said Ms. Arterburn, a real estate agent whose office is helping with food and provisions. "They have a roof over their heads, and they're blessed."
Mr. Lenoire, 54, who drives a street sweeper for The Colony, said he doesn't know how long his displaced relatives will stay with him. As far as he's concerned, they're welcome to stay as long as it takes.
"Right now, they don't have anything," said Mr. Lenoire, who moved to The Colony from New Orleans 15 years ago. "They don't have anywhere to go."
Mr. Lenoire doesn't know how he'll be able to continue feeding them.
The Colony pitches in
So far, he has had help.
City employees have given him clothes, blankets, sheets, food and other items. City spokeswoman Diane Baxter said the city has collected $900 in cash, enough money for food and to pay the couple's high electric bill. She said an anonymous city staff member has paid the family's utility bill.
The Colony Chamber of Commerce is asking local businesses for help, she said.
"It's sort of like The Colony takes care of its own," Mayor John Dillard said. "Helping these people is something we've got to do. We've got to come together."
The city also set up a fund at a local bank for the Lenoire family to accept donations.
After neighbor Tres Ramirez found out Tuesday night about the makeshift shelter next door, he headed to the local grocery first thing Wednesday morning for bread, milk, eggs, sandwich meat and other necessities.
"We've been taking care of each other for 15 years," Mr. Ramirez said.
Mr. Lenoire saw his 86-year-old mother's street on TV. It was under water. He can't bring himself to tell her.
Getting out of town
She and 26 other family members from seven households packed into several cars Sunday morning and drove out of the city. They spent the night at a gymnasium converted to a shelter in a small town outside New Orleans. They left Monday morning and drove to The Colony.
They include 13 children, two pregnant women, three infants – one of whom is sick – and two diabetics. They have no medicine and no access to money. Their homes are flooded. They haven't heard from friends and family members who decided to stay.
"I told them they would be welcome in my house because they're family," said Mr. Lenoire, one of eight siblings.
"He seems to be a real great guy," City Council member Allen Harris said. "It's absolutely a wonderful thing. Family is important."
Waiting on word
Three of Mr. Lenoire's brothers are still unaccounted for. He can't reach them, and he hasn't heard from them.
His brother-in-law, Leslie Jarrow, 46, said he may never return to New Orleans.
"We lost everything. As far as I know, it's under water," he said. "We thank God we have our lives."
On Wednesday afternoon, his relatives gathered in the open garage for some fresh air and in the living room to watch news coverage. They sleep wherever there's room and a blanket.
Mr. Lenoire's sister, Jean Lewis, talked to her husband Monday by cellphone. He decided to stay behind. He told her he managed to hop into a small boat in their back yard and was waiting for a helicopter to pick him up.
Mrs. Lewis' daughter, Marie Johnson, made it out of the city with her husband and three children.
"It's like a dream. We just don't believe this took place," she said.
The Lenoires have one shower and one bathtub for 29 people.
"We'll figure out how to get through this," Mrs. Lenoire said.
For now, they're looking on the bright side.
"It's kind of like a family reunion," Mr. Lenoire said.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Tulane football sets up in Dallas
New Orleans school's program calls Texas home for time being
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Tulane football program has a new home for at least the next three weeks: Dallas.
Officials from the New Orleans school, players and other Tulane students arrived at the Doubletree Hotel at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after a six-hour bus ride from Jackson, Miss., to escape the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
The football team will stay at the hotel for three weeks, and several students have been moved to the SMU student center.
Classes at Tulane were supposed to start Wednesday but are on hold in the wake of Katrina, but workouts will continue. The team, which brought its equipment and game uniforms, will practice at Jesuit for the time being.
Tulane isn't sure when its first game will be, though coach Chris Scelfo was emphatic that "our team will be ready to play."
Tulane's season opener at Southern Miss, scheduled for Sunday, was moved to Nov. 26. That makes Tulane's first game Sept. 17 against Mississippi State at the Superdome, but that damaged venue's availability is in doubt indefinitely.
New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin said power and commerce probably won't be completely restored to the city for at least two to three months.
Tulane is playing the third game of a six-game home-and-home series with Mississippi State. The Green Wave could play that game at a neutral site or in Starkville, Miss. Tulane has six home games scheduled this season.
School officials are in the preliminary stages of just trying to answer questions. Phone service was sporadic the last three days, so school officials could hardly reach anybody.
"I don't know if we'll have a home season," Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson said. "For the sake of the kids, you hope we're not road warriors."
The players already have endured a lot.
After practicing at the Superdome on Saturday afternoon, they left for Jackson, Miss. on Sunday morning on the way to Hattiesburg for the Southern Miss game. The 157-mile bus ride to Jackson took 10 hours because of the massive traffic leaving New Orleans.
Once in Jackson, Tulane players slept on the gym floor, had no power and little phone service. In the wee hours Tuesday morning, an alarm sounded in Jackson, and the players had to evacuate the gym and stand outside in the rain for an hour.
A decision was made to head to Dallas because the roads from Jackson were better. A trip to Houston was discussed, but the roads were thought to be problematic.
So the Green Wave is here, thanks to donations from various sources that provided clothes, food, water, beds, e-mail addresses and more.
The NCAA has rules governing how much a student-athlete can receive from outside sources, but Erik Christianson, NCAA director of public and media relations, said the organization would be "flexible in regard to the student-athletes needs given the situation."
Dickson said he was told to keep a ledger concerning what Tulane's players receive in terms of goods and services. The hotel is giving Tulane a reduced rate for staying there. It was set up through SMU and Conference USA.
"The goal for us is to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said.
Based on NCAA rules, a student-athlete must pass 12 credit hours each semester to remain eligible. With school not in session, Dickson and Christianson said they weren't sure how that would be handled.
New Orleans school's program calls Texas home for time being
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Tulane football program has a new home for at least the next three weeks: Dallas.
Officials from the New Orleans school, players and other Tulane students arrived at the Doubletree Hotel at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after a six-hour bus ride from Jackson, Miss., to escape the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
The football team will stay at the hotel for three weeks, and several students have been moved to the SMU student center.
Classes at Tulane were supposed to start Wednesday but are on hold in the wake of Katrina, but workouts will continue. The team, which brought its equipment and game uniforms, will practice at Jesuit for the time being.
Tulane isn't sure when its first game will be, though coach Chris Scelfo was emphatic that "our team will be ready to play."
Tulane's season opener at Southern Miss, scheduled for Sunday, was moved to Nov. 26. That makes Tulane's first game Sept. 17 against Mississippi State at the Superdome, but that damaged venue's availability is in doubt indefinitely.
New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin said power and commerce probably won't be completely restored to the city for at least two to three months.
Tulane is playing the third game of a six-game home-and-home series with Mississippi State. The Green Wave could play that game at a neutral site or in Starkville, Miss. Tulane has six home games scheduled this season.
School officials are in the preliminary stages of just trying to answer questions. Phone service was sporadic the last three days, so school officials could hardly reach anybody.
"I don't know if we'll have a home season," Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson said. "For the sake of the kids, you hope we're not road warriors."
The players already have endured a lot.
After practicing at the Superdome on Saturday afternoon, they left for Jackson, Miss. on Sunday morning on the way to Hattiesburg for the Southern Miss game. The 157-mile bus ride to Jackson took 10 hours because of the massive traffic leaving New Orleans.
Once in Jackson, Tulane players slept on the gym floor, had no power and little phone service. In the wee hours Tuesday morning, an alarm sounded in Jackson, and the players had to evacuate the gym and stand outside in the rain for an hour.
A decision was made to head to Dallas because the roads from Jackson were better. A trip to Houston was discussed, but the roads were thought to be problematic.
So the Green Wave is here, thanks to donations from various sources that provided clothes, food, water, beds, e-mail addresses and more.
The NCAA has rules governing how much a student-athlete can receive from outside sources, but Erik Christianson, NCAA director of public and media relations, said the organization would be "flexible in regard to the student-athletes needs given the situation."
Dickson said he was told to keep a ledger concerning what Tulane's players receive in terms of goods and services. The hotel is giving Tulane a reduced rate for staying there. It was set up through SMU and Conference USA.
"The goal for us is to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said.
Based on NCAA rules, a student-athlete must pass 12 credit hours each semester to remain eligible. With school not in session, Dickson and Christianson said they weren't sure how that would be handled.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
SMU opens doors to New Orleans students
Dallas: School offers refugees food, phones, way to get back home
By HOLLY K. HACKER / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas - Katie Trippe expected freshman orientation to bring lots of excitement – just not fleeing a hurricane.
But after Hurricane Katrina forced the evacuation of Tulane University in New Orleans, Ms. Trippe and about 50 other Tulane students took refuge at Southern Methodist University on Wednesday. They spent the day there making arrangements to get back to friends or family.
An additional 130 student-athletes from Tulane have also arrived to use SMU's athletic facilities. The football team plans to stay at a hotel for a few days, though not necessarily until a scheduled game against SMU on Sept. 24.
"This is our bonding. This is our orientation," said Ms. Trippe, curled up in an overstuffed chair at SMU's student union. "This is something I'm going to remember my whole life."
Colleges across Texas reached out to students from schools that closed after the hurricane. Many are allowing students to enroll for the fall semester.
At SMU, officials turned the basement of the student union into a temporary home for the Tulane evacuees. They also set up a television, phones and computers with Internet access in the union. They cleared off part of the union's ballroom for students to crash. They handed out meal cards and helped students arrange flights and rides back home.
Many of the Tulane students had barely gotten to campus Saturday for freshman and international student orientation when they were put on buses and sent to Jackson State University in Mississippi.
About 400 students camped out in Jackson State's gymnasium for three or four days and subsisted on ham, turkey, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then the storm headed that way.
"We had no electricity, no lights, no running water after a while, no air conditioning," said Ms. Trippe, who's from Oceanside, Calif.
Some of the students were sent to Georgia Tech University, the others to SMU. The SMU group left Jackson on Tuesday night and arrived at SMU at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Several SMU students pitched in to help, escorting Tulane students to the dining hall or offering use of their dorm showers.
Dee Siscoe, SMU's dean of student life, said the Tulane students were holding up well, given the crazy circumstances.
"Their spirit has been amazing," she said. "I think right now they're just happy to be safe and going home."
Once there, students sat in front of the TV to watch news about the storm. They e-mailed friends and family and plugged in cellphone chargers to make calls.
Anthony Gatt came to Tulane from Malta, an island nation near Italy. He had barely set his luggage down in his Tulane dorm when he had to leave the campus.
He next plans to head to Los Angeles with some new friends who live there, rather than go all the way back to Malta.
The most frustrating part is being on the move all the time and never settling down, Mr. Gatt said, "but what can I do?"
That's a question that students are asking not just at Tulane, but at several other Louisiana universities. Few students expect to return to their campuses soon.
SMU officials said late Wednesday that only five Tulane students were still on campus. They expected all to have made it back home that night, or found another place to stay for the longer term, though they will allow students from affected areas to apply for admission to SMU.
Tulane freshman Monica Rasmussen of Midland considers her odyssey across three states an adventure. After living together, not showering together, and surviving the hurricane together, she said, "I know I've made better friends the past four days than I would have on campus."
Dallas: School offers refugees food, phones, way to get back home
By HOLLY K. HACKER / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas - Katie Trippe expected freshman orientation to bring lots of excitement – just not fleeing a hurricane.
But after Hurricane Katrina forced the evacuation of Tulane University in New Orleans, Ms. Trippe and about 50 other Tulane students took refuge at Southern Methodist University on Wednesday. They spent the day there making arrangements to get back to friends or family.
An additional 130 student-athletes from Tulane have also arrived to use SMU's athletic facilities. The football team plans to stay at a hotel for a few days, though not necessarily until a scheduled game against SMU on Sept. 24.
"This is our bonding. This is our orientation," said Ms. Trippe, curled up in an overstuffed chair at SMU's student union. "This is something I'm going to remember my whole life."
Colleges across Texas reached out to students from schools that closed after the hurricane. Many are allowing students to enroll for the fall semester.
At SMU, officials turned the basement of the student union into a temporary home for the Tulane evacuees. They also set up a television, phones and computers with Internet access in the union. They cleared off part of the union's ballroom for students to crash. They handed out meal cards and helped students arrange flights and rides back home.
Many of the Tulane students had barely gotten to campus Saturday for freshman and international student orientation when they were put on buses and sent to Jackson State University in Mississippi.
About 400 students camped out in Jackson State's gymnasium for three or four days and subsisted on ham, turkey, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then the storm headed that way.
"We had no electricity, no lights, no running water after a while, no air conditioning," said Ms. Trippe, who's from Oceanside, Calif.
Some of the students were sent to Georgia Tech University, the others to SMU. The SMU group left Jackson on Tuesday night and arrived at SMU at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Several SMU students pitched in to help, escorting Tulane students to the dining hall or offering use of their dorm showers.
Dee Siscoe, SMU's dean of student life, said the Tulane students were holding up well, given the crazy circumstances.
"Their spirit has been amazing," she said. "I think right now they're just happy to be safe and going home."
Once there, students sat in front of the TV to watch news about the storm. They e-mailed friends and family and plugged in cellphone chargers to make calls.
Anthony Gatt came to Tulane from Malta, an island nation near Italy. He had barely set his luggage down in his Tulane dorm when he had to leave the campus.
He next plans to head to Los Angeles with some new friends who live there, rather than go all the way back to Malta.
The most frustrating part is being on the move all the time and never settling down, Mr. Gatt said, "but what can I do?"
That's a question that students are asking not just at Tulane, but at several other Louisiana universities. Few students expect to return to their campuses soon.
SMU officials said late Wednesday that only five Tulane students were still on campus. They expected all to have made it back home that night, or found another place to stay for the longer term, though they will allow students from affected areas to apply for admission to SMU.
Tulane freshman Monica Rasmussen of Midland considers her odyssey across three states an adventure. After living together, not showering together, and surviving the hurricane together, she said, "I know I've made better friends the past four days than I would have on campus."
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
COLLEGES MAKING SPACE
Several Texas universities reported receiving calls from parents and students from the disaster area asking about transfer opportunities. Many schools are still working out details for accepting students. Here are some examples:
The University of Texas at Arlington admissions office is reviewing the requests on a case-by-case basis and will try to enroll as many students as possible. The campus has limited housing, and many classes are filled.
Texas Christian University is offering admission until Tuesday to Dallas-Fort Worth area undergraduates previously admitted to a university severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The University of North Texas posted information on its Web site (http://www.unt.edu) encouraging community members to support the hurricane relief effort and providing resources for students, faculty and staff with family and friends affected by the hurricane. UNT was scheduled to play Louisiana State this Saturday in Baton Rouge as its season opener. That game has been postponed, but a pep rally will go on – and will enable students to contribute to the relief effort.
The University of Texas at Dallas expects to enroll several students from the Dallas area enrolled at colleges affected by the hurricane. UTD is also redirecting Web traffic for Tulane University's Web site at http://www.tulane.edu so visitors can obtain emergency updates.
Both the University of Texas at Tyler and Baylor University in Waco are working out a plan to admit students from colleges in the affected areas.
The University of St. Thomas in Houston said about 10 students from Xavier, Loyola and Tulane universities in New Orleans enrolled Wednesday.
St. Mary's University in San Antonio is reopening registration exclusively for students from Gulf Coast colleges and universities ravaged by the storm. The special registration period continues through Sept. 8.
Rice University in Houston is accepting students from Tulane who live in the Houston area.
Texas Southern University in Houston will admit any student enrolled at institutions affected by the hurricane for the fall 2005 semester. Application fees will be waived.
Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, will let students from affected schools attend on a visiting basis, with the option to apply for permanent status at the end of the fall semester.
Several Texas universities reported receiving calls from parents and students from the disaster area asking about transfer opportunities. Many schools are still working out details for accepting students. Here are some examples:
The University of Texas at Arlington admissions office is reviewing the requests on a case-by-case basis and will try to enroll as many students as possible. The campus has limited housing, and many classes are filled.
Texas Christian University is offering admission until Tuesday to Dallas-Fort Worth area undergraduates previously admitted to a university severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The University of North Texas posted information on its Web site (http://www.unt.edu) encouraging community members to support the hurricane relief effort and providing resources for students, faculty and staff with family and friends affected by the hurricane. UNT was scheduled to play Louisiana State this Saturday in Baton Rouge as its season opener. That game has been postponed, but a pep rally will go on – and will enable students to contribute to the relief effort.
The University of Texas at Dallas expects to enroll several students from the Dallas area enrolled at colleges affected by the hurricane. UTD is also redirecting Web traffic for Tulane University's Web site at http://www.tulane.edu so visitors can obtain emergency updates.
Both the University of Texas at Tyler and Baylor University in Waco are working out a plan to admit students from colleges in the affected areas.
The University of St. Thomas in Houston said about 10 students from Xavier, Loyola and Tulane universities in New Orleans enrolled Wednesday.
St. Mary's University in San Antonio is reopening registration exclusively for students from Gulf Coast colleges and universities ravaged by the storm. The special registration period continues through Sept. 8.
Rice University in Houston is accepting students from Tulane who live in the Houston area.
Texas Southern University in Houston will admit any student enrolled at institutions affected by the hurricane for the fall 2005 semester. Application fees will be waived.
Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, will let students from affected schools attend on a visiting basis, with the option to apply for permanent status at the end of the fall semester.
0 likes
-
windsurfer77058
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:04 pm
- Location: Nassau Bay, Tx
Texans
Gloria Dei in Nassau Bay is opening a Red Cross shelter for about 300 people. I believe most of them are from folks staying at local hotels.
0 likes
-
windsurfer77058
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:04 pm
- Location: Nassau Bay, Tx
This is additional info for my previous post. This is for the Red Cross Shelter at Gloria Dei Luthern Church in Nassau Bay on Upper Bay Road. E
1.How to volunteer. Gloria Dei will maintain a volunteer list. Please sign up at the church. The phone number is 281.333.4535. You may be asked to come by and sign-up so that you can leave contact numbers and hours that you can work.
2. What can you donate? This shelter is a Red Cross facility. Gloria Dei is providing space. The Red Cross has identified several specific needs for this shelter. They are:
Paper goods
Diapers
Baby formula
Toiletry items
Personal hygiene items
Laundry soap (the single-load size preferred)
Bottled water
Soda
Boxed juices
Note: The Red Cross has specifically asked that no food or clothing be brought to the shelter. These items may be needed later or accepted at another location, but please bring only the items specified above.
1.How to volunteer. Gloria Dei will maintain a volunteer list. Please sign up at the church. The phone number is 281.333.4535. You may be asked to come by and sign-up so that you can leave contact numbers and hours that you can work.
2. What can you donate? This shelter is a Red Cross facility. Gloria Dei is providing space. The Red Cross has identified several specific needs for this shelter. They are:
Paper goods
Diapers
Baby formula
Toiletry items
Personal hygiene items
Laundry soap (the single-load size preferred)
Bottled water
Soda
Boxed juices
Note: The Red Cross has specifically asked that no food or clothing be brought to the shelter. These items may be needed later or accepted at another location, but please bring only the items specified above.
0 likes
Fw: Numbers Rising In Galveston Hurricane Shelter-Volunteers Needed
(I think I have blankets and some other stuff these people can use, If anyone else has extras, please think about donating, if you don't have a ride to drop off, I'm sure someone can go and pick it up, Thanks so much).
As of 2 p.m. today, there were 207 people utilizing the American Red Cross Shelter at Moody Methodist Church. This number includes 67 potential students. The director of the local Red Cross expects that number to reach 300 people by tonight. The district will be working with the Red Cross on registering these students (more details to come. We also plan to post this information on GISD-TV, Channel 17).
The Galveston Chamber of Commerce sent out the following information regarding needs for the Katrina evacuees. The district also plans to coordinate an effort to collect monetary donations for the American Red Cross to help (more details to come).
Volunteer Help Needed:
A special Red Cross Volunteer training class will be held tonight 8/31/05 at 7:00 p.m. at the shelter if you are interested in volunteering. Room 211
The following is a plan of action and list of needs as of 8/31/05 at 12:00 noon.
NEEDS: NON-PERISHABLE
Ø Large trash can and trash bags
Ø Bedding
Ø Blankets
Ø Sleeping bags
Ø Diapers
Ø Baby food
Ø Paper goods (plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives, paper towels etc.)
Ø Diapers
These can be dropped off between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Our Fellowship Hall/Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church located at 53rd and Avenue U Southside of the Building or Catholic Charities located at 1204 45th Street. Personal hygiene products and toiletries can also be dropped off at this location.
CLOTHING
All clothing donations should be dropped off at the Salvation Army located at 2228 Broadway. Please earmark for Katrina victims.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
Ø Mattress for a special needs person
Ø School uniforms (Children will be able to attend GISD schools.)
Ø Large shower facilities
There are also a great deal of people that need medication and oxygen. I believe they are working with UTMB on this.
CASH DONATIONS
Can be donated to the Galveston County Red Cross.
Finally, the email for the shelter will be shelter@moody.org. This should be up and running by September 1, 2005.
Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerely,
Christine Ruiz Hopkins, Public Information Officer
Galveston Independent School District
(409) 766-5117, Fax (409) 766-5133
(I think I have blankets and some other stuff these people can use, If anyone else has extras, please think about donating, if you don't have a ride to drop off, I'm sure someone can go and pick it up, Thanks so much).
As of 2 p.m. today, there were 207 people utilizing the American Red Cross Shelter at Moody Methodist Church. This number includes 67 potential students. The director of the local Red Cross expects that number to reach 300 people by tonight. The district will be working with the Red Cross on registering these students (more details to come. We also plan to post this information on GISD-TV, Channel 17).
The Galveston Chamber of Commerce sent out the following information regarding needs for the Katrina evacuees. The district also plans to coordinate an effort to collect monetary donations for the American Red Cross to help (more details to come).
Volunteer Help Needed:
A special Red Cross Volunteer training class will be held tonight 8/31/05 at 7:00 p.m. at the shelter if you are interested in volunteering. Room 211
The following is a plan of action and list of needs as of 8/31/05 at 12:00 noon.
NEEDS: NON-PERISHABLE
Ø Large trash can and trash bags
Ø Bedding
Ø Blankets
Ø Sleeping bags
Ø Diapers
Ø Baby food
Ø Paper goods (plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives, paper towels etc.)
Ø Diapers
These can be dropped off between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Our Fellowship Hall/Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church located at 53rd and Avenue U Southside of the Building or Catholic Charities located at 1204 45th Street. Personal hygiene products and toiletries can also be dropped off at this location.
CLOTHING
All clothing donations should be dropped off at the Salvation Army located at 2228 Broadway. Please earmark for Katrina victims.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
Ø Mattress for a special needs person
Ø School uniforms (Children will be able to attend GISD schools.)
Ø Large shower facilities
There are also a great deal of people that need medication and oxygen. I believe they are working with UTMB on this.
CASH DONATIONS
Can be donated to the Galveston County Red Cross.
Finally, the email for the shelter will be shelter@moody.org. This should be up and running by September 1, 2005.
Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerely,
Christine Ruiz Hopkins, Public Information Officer
Galveston Independent School District
(409) 766-5117, Fax (409) 766-5133
0 likes
-
GalvestonDuck
- Category 5
- Posts: 15941
- Age: 57
- Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 8:11 am
- Location: Galveston, oh Galveston (And yeah, it's a barrier island. Wanna make something of it?)
SUPPLIES
As of 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the Moody Memorial Methodist Church on 53rd St in Galveston opened as a Red Cross shelter. They currently are at their maximum capacity of 300 refugees and another shelter will be opened shortly in Texas City to house 300-500 victims. Their needs are included below. These can also be delivered to the sites listed above. (Due to storage space issues, if the donation is large, please bring it to the Office of Student Life.)
• bedding (sheets, blankets and sleeping bags)
• clothing in good condition (need more mens clothes)
• new underwear (children and adults)
• shoes
• school supplies
• bottled water and drinks
• non-perishable foods
• toiletries (hygiene and feminine products)
• towels and washcloths
• diapers/wipes
• baby food/formula
• paper goods
• personal hygiene items
• gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart for students to purchase school uniforms
The Red Cross has requested that these donations be taken to either of the local shelters, the Salvation Army, Our Daily Bread, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Charities. (These groups are helping due to storage issues at the shelters.) They will be reserved for the victims of Katrina. If there are items left over at the very end of this lengthy ordeal, they will be given to those in need here in Galveston County.
The web site for the local shelter is http://moody.org/shelter/index.html. Additional information will be posted there as it becomes available.
We appreciate all of your efforts, and if you would like to organize a group collection, please contact Jodean Schmiederer at 747-4815 or jkschmie@utmb.edu. Please feel free to forward this to any faculty or staff member at the University that is looking for a way to contribute as well.
THANK YOU for all of your interest and desire to help those in need!
As of 7:30 pm on Tuesday, the Moody Memorial Methodist Church on 53rd St in Galveston opened as a Red Cross shelter. They currently are at their maximum capacity of 300 refugees and another shelter will be opened shortly in Texas City to house 300-500 victims. Their needs are included below. These can also be delivered to the sites listed above. (Due to storage space issues, if the donation is large, please bring it to the Office of Student Life.)
• bedding (sheets, blankets and sleeping bags)
• clothing in good condition (need more mens clothes)
• new underwear (children and adults)
• shoes
• school supplies
• bottled water and drinks
• non-perishable foods
• toiletries (hygiene and feminine products)
• towels and washcloths
• diapers/wipes
• baby food/formula
• paper goods
• personal hygiene items
• gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart for students to purchase school uniforms
The Red Cross has requested that these donations be taken to either of the local shelters, the Salvation Army, Our Daily Bread, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Charities. (These groups are helping due to storage issues at the shelters.) They will be reserved for the victims of Katrina. If there are items left over at the very end of this lengthy ordeal, they will be given to those in need here in Galveston County.
The web site for the local shelter is http://moody.org/shelter/index.html. Additional information will be posted there as it becomes available.
We appreciate all of your efforts, and if you would like to organize a group collection, please contact Jodean Schmiederer at 747-4815 or jkschmie@utmb.edu. Please feel free to forward this to any faculty or staff member at the University that is looking for a way to contribute as well.
THANK YOU for all of your interest and desire to help those in need!
0 likes
-
southerngale
- Retired Staff
- Posts: 27418
- Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 1:27 am
- Location: Southeast Texas (Beaumont area)
We have quite a few shelters in Beaumont and the Golden Triangle. Ford Park is full and have received so many donations that they're asking people to hold off until they can do an inventory. My church has a private school and therefore, can't house evacuees but are feeding evacuees staying at a nearby church and after the kids go home, they're coming over to shower in the locker rooms in the gym. There are a lot of churches full and others still accepting evacuees the last I heard. Of course all the hotels and motels are full here. We had a blood drive yesterday and I'm sure there will be more.
The Social Security offices in Beaumont and Port Arthur will be open on Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00 to assist Katrina evacuees.
Goodwill has an office at Ford Park. Goodwill is ascertaining the clothing needs of those evacuees at Ford Park. Goodwill ask that clothing donations be brought to Goodwill stores (not donation stations) where the needs of the evacuees will be matched with the donations and the clothing will then be delivered to Ford Park.
Goodwill is also asking businesses or individuals who have a need for temporary workers to call Goodwill at 838-9911. A list of available jobs will then be co-ordinated with evacuees needing temporary employment.
For information on road conditions in Louisiana call 1-800-469-4828. Please do not call the LSP "Roadway Closure Hotline" that number has been reassigned as a '911' line and needs to remain available for emergencies. Interstate 10 East is closed to Baton Rouge, take a northern route if travelling that direction.
Evacuees who receive Social Security benefits through the mail can call the Beaumont Social Security office at 924-6413 and a replacement check can be issued. Direct deposit funds will be deposited normally for evacuees.
The Social Security offices in Beaumont and Port Arthur will be open on Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00 to assist Katrina evacuees.
Officials at Ford Park are asking that individuals not bring any more donations to Ford Park. Donations can be taken to the Sterling Pruitt Center at 2930 Gulf Street from 8am-10pm. Non-perishable food items, blanket, all baby items, and more are being accepted. Call the Center for specific needs at 835-7426. Monetary donations are encouraged to pay for medicines and perishable foods. Gift cards at local merchants are welcome as well. Monetary donations may be dropped off at any Texas State Bank account number 2801 75362.
The Arena at Ford Park is at capacity, no other evacuees can be accepted. Evacuees needing assistance can call 211 or 1-888-312-4567. Borden Chapel Baptist Church in Beaumont, Proctor Baptist Church on 75th Street in Port Arthur and LL Melton YMCA on Sarah Street in Beaumont are accepting evacuees.
Goodwill has an office at Ford Park. Goodwill is ascertaining the clothing needs of those evacuees at Ford Park. Goodwill ask that clothing donations be brought to Goodwill stores (not donation stations) where the needs of the evacuees will be matched with the donations and the clothing will then be delivered to Ford Park.
Goodwill is also asking businesses or individuals who have a need for temporary workers to call Goodwill at 838-9911. A list of available jobs will then be co-ordinated with evacuees needing temporary employment.
For information on road conditions in Louisiana call 1-800-469-4828. Please do not call the LSP "Roadway Closure Hotline" that number has been reassigned as a '911' line and needs to remain available for emergencies. Interstate 10 East is closed to Baton Rouge, take a northern route if travelling that direction.
Evacuees who receive Social Security benefits through the mail can call the Beaumont Social Security office at 924-6413 and a replacement check can be issued. Direct deposit funds will be deposited normally for evacuees.
0 likes
-
windsurfer77058
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:04 pm
- Location: Nassau Bay, Tx
Texans
The donations have been wonderful at Gloria Dei Luthern Church but the need is amazing. Their website will have updates on what is needed and it will change as the needs change. http://www.gdlc.org Volunteers from all around the area were there today. What some of these folks have seen is amazing.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Texas agrees to house 75,000
By DAVE LEVINTHAL and TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas soon will be the temporary home for at least 25,000 Hurricane Katrina refugees from Louisiana, state and local officials confirmed on Thursday.
City and county leaders scrambled to locate suitable shelter for such an influx of storm victims, who they expected to arrive primarily by bus and plane beginning Saturday.
Reunion Arena and a 200,000-square-foot portion of the Dallas Convention center, both downtown, could house as many as 12,000 people, City Manager Mary Suhm said.
But Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher said she’s asking leaders of neighboring counties to help shelter refugees, as Ms. Suhm acknowledged Dallas will likely need assistance to effectively absorb a population equal to that of University Park or Farmers Branch.
We don’t have all the answers yet. But we’re going to be ready,” Judge Keliher said.
After agreeing to house 25,000 refugees at the Astrodome and other Houston locations on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was asked by Louisiana officials Thursday morning to take 25,000 more, and then a few hours later an additional 25,000 - for a total of 75,000 displaced residents who will move to Texas.
“We were asked this morning to take 25,000 more, and we said yes we would. San Antonio was our first choice because of the I-10 corridor, making it easier to transport people there,” said Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor.
“Then they contacted us again this afternoon and asked us to take another 25,000. The next logical place in the state was Dallas. Both San Antonio and Dallas made sense because of their infrastructure and because they have the personnel to handle an emergency situation such as this,” he said.
“We believe they have the necessary resources to draw upon.”
Said Karen Rayzer, director of the city’s Department of Environmental and Health Services: “We’re pulling out every resource we’ve got. Yes, it’s going to be a lot of long nights.”
The refugee housing effort must involve community cooperation, uniting non-profit organizations, churches, city and county officials and the local offices of the state, Ms. Rayzer said.
Mr. Black said Gov. Perry discussed the refugee relocation with Judge Keliher and Mayor Laura Miller on Thursday afternoon so they could begin planning for the influx of Louisiana residents. Many logistics must still be worked out, he acknowledged.
Juan Ortiz, emergency management coordinator for Fort Worth and Tarrant County, said he hasn’t heard from the state or the city of Dallas about a specific number of refugees North Texas is expected to handle.
Taking care of 25,000 people, however, would have to be a regional effort, he said.
“We’re assuming that no one city could do that alone, not Dallas and not Fort Worth” Mr. Ortiz said.
He said that Tarrant County shelters and a few motels already were housing 541 refugees by early Thursday night. He wasn’t sure how many evacuees Tarrant County could handle on its own.
Mr. Ortiz said that such a large-scale relief effort would require the cooperation all the shelters in the county as well as assistance from other cities to provide personnel for the mass feedings and other daily needs.
By Wednesday, Dallas had established Reunion as its primary shelter, serving 550 registered refugees that night. But city officials had only planned for several thousand storm victims to arrive, setting aside a 50,000-square-foot portion of the convention center as a shelter backup.
Those plans quickly changed.
“The world is changing as I speak,” Ms. Suhm said.
Wal-Mart, which is conducting a convention this week at Dallas’ convention center, offered to relocate parts of its affair in order to accommodate the refugees, Ms. Suhm said.
Mr. Black said state and local officials expect to be reimbursed for all expenses in housing the refugees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We don’t believe the state or local governments will incur any costs other than what they voluntarily decide to pay,” he noted.
He also said Gov. Perry has been in touch with Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to coordinate transfer of the refugees to Texas as smoothly as possible.
The Dallas Police Department will do “whatever is necessary to make it safe, both for the refugees and the current city population,” Chief David Kunkle said.
Dallas needs to be prepared for “tens of thousands of people - maybe 100,000 - added to our population, many of whom may become permanent,” he said. “This is going to change the face of Dallas.”
Council member Steve Salazar, chairman of the council’s public safety committee, said Dallas has “a unique opportunity to show that we’re a city that’s willing to help anyone in need.”
The police department will provide around-the-clock coverage concentrated at Reunion, the West End and along Industrial Avenue, Chief Kunkle said. Other deployments will be made as necessary, he said. The chief and other top city officials will meet at 9 a.m. today to plan their next moves.
“We’ve got a big department, lots of resources,” he said. “We’re also strained. And it may mean bringing people in overtime to meet normal responsibilities as well as provide additional security.”
Dallas Area Rapid Transit will begin distributing 1,000 two-week system passes beginning today to the refugees. Dallas has also constructed a makeshift animal shelter in a Reunion parking garage, complete with food, water and veterinarian care, for dozens of displaced pets, said Ade Williams, assistant director of Dallas’ Department of Code Compliance.
The city also began passing out identification bracelets Thursday to distinguish storm victims, volunteers and emergency personnel in an attempt to make the situation at Reunion more orderly.
“For now, this is the people’s house,” Ms. Suhm said, “and they need some privacy to maintain their dignity.”
Staff writers Emily Ramshaw and Jeff Mosier contributed to this report.
By DAVE LEVINTHAL and TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas soon will be the temporary home for at least 25,000 Hurricane Katrina refugees from Louisiana, state and local officials confirmed on Thursday.
City and county leaders scrambled to locate suitable shelter for such an influx of storm victims, who they expected to arrive primarily by bus and plane beginning Saturday.
Reunion Arena and a 200,000-square-foot portion of the Dallas Convention center, both downtown, could house as many as 12,000 people, City Manager Mary Suhm said.
But Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher said she’s asking leaders of neighboring counties to help shelter refugees, as Ms. Suhm acknowledged Dallas will likely need assistance to effectively absorb a population equal to that of University Park or Farmers Branch.
We don’t have all the answers yet. But we’re going to be ready,” Judge Keliher said.
After agreeing to house 25,000 refugees at the Astrodome and other Houston locations on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was asked by Louisiana officials Thursday morning to take 25,000 more, and then a few hours later an additional 25,000 - for a total of 75,000 displaced residents who will move to Texas.
“We were asked this morning to take 25,000 more, and we said yes we would. San Antonio was our first choice because of the I-10 corridor, making it easier to transport people there,” said Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor.
“Then they contacted us again this afternoon and asked us to take another 25,000. The next logical place in the state was Dallas. Both San Antonio and Dallas made sense because of their infrastructure and because they have the personnel to handle an emergency situation such as this,” he said.
“We believe they have the necessary resources to draw upon.”
Said Karen Rayzer, director of the city’s Department of Environmental and Health Services: “We’re pulling out every resource we’ve got. Yes, it’s going to be a lot of long nights.”
The refugee housing effort must involve community cooperation, uniting non-profit organizations, churches, city and county officials and the local offices of the state, Ms. Rayzer said.
Mr. Black said Gov. Perry discussed the refugee relocation with Judge Keliher and Mayor Laura Miller on Thursday afternoon so they could begin planning for the influx of Louisiana residents. Many logistics must still be worked out, he acknowledged.
Juan Ortiz, emergency management coordinator for Fort Worth and Tarrant County, said he hasn’t heard from the state or the city of Dallas about a specific number of refugees North Texas is expected to handle.
Taking care of 25,000 people, however, would have to be a regional effort, he said.
“We’re assuming that no one city could do that alone, not Dallas and not Fort Worth” Mr. Ortiz said.
He said that Tarrant County shelters and a few motels already were housing 541 refugees by early Thursday night. He wasn’t sure how many evacuees Tarrant County could handle on its own.
Mr. Ortiz said that such a large-scale relief effort would require the cooperation all the shelters in the county as well as assistance from other cities to provide personnel for the mass feedings and other daily needs.
By Wednesday, Dallas had established Reunion as its primary shelter, serving 550 registered refugees that night. But city officials had only planned for several thousand storm victims to arrive, setting aside a 50,000-square-foot portion of the convention center as a shelter backup.
Those plans quickly changed.
“The world is changing as I speak,” Ms. Suhm said.
Wal-Mart, which is conducting a convention this week at Dallas’ convention center, offered to relocate parts of its affair in order to accommodate the refugees, Ms. Suhm said.
Mr. Black said state and local officials expect to be reimbursed for all expenses in housing the refugees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We don’t believe the state or local governments will incur any costs other than what they voluntarily decide to pay,” he noted.
He also said Gov. Perry has been in touch with Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to coordinate transfer of the refugees to Texas as smoothly as possible.
The Dallas Police Department will do “whatever is necessary to make it safe, both for the refugees and the current city population,” Chief David Kunkle said.
Dallas needs to be prepared for “tens of thousands of people - maybe 100,000 - added to our population, many of whom may become permanent,” he said. “This is going to change the face of Dallas.”
Council member Steve Salazar, chairman of the council’s public safety committee, said Dallas has “a unique opportunity to show that we’re a city that’s willing to help anyone in need.”
The police department will provide around-the-clock coverage concentrated at Reunion, the West End and along Industrial Avenue, Chief Kunkle said. Other deployments will be made as necessary, he said. The chief and other top city officials will meet at 9 a.m. today to plan their next moves.
“We’ve got a big department, lots of resources,” he said. “We’re also strained. And it may mean bringing people in overtime to meet normal responsibilities as well as provide additional security.”
Dallas Area Rapid Transit will begin distributing 1,000 two-week system passes beginning today to the refugees. Dallas has also constructed a makeshift animal shelter in a Reunion parking garage, complete with food, water and veterinarian care, for dozens of displaced pets, said Ade Williams, assistant director of Dallas’ Department of Code Compliance.
The city also began passing out identification bracelets Thursday to distinguish storm victims, volunteers and emergency personnel in an attempt to make the situation at Reunion more orderly.
“For now, this is the people’s house,” Ms. Suhm said, “and they need some privacy to maintain their dignity.”
Staff writers Emily Ramshaw and Jeff Mosier contributed to this report.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Salvation Army bracing for evacuees
FW, Arlington shelters expect hundreds of hurricane victims
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Salvation Army in Tarrant County is bracing for hundreds of hurricane refugees expected to arrive by car and plane during the next few days.
One of them, Dwight Evans, fled Jefferson Parish, La., on Saturday and eventually arrived in Arlington over the weekend with his wife, three children and mother-in-law.
After a few days in local motels, they were out of money and moved to the Salvation Army Family Life Shelter, which is expected to house about 150 refugees fleeing hurricane damage.
Mr. Evans takes a philosophical approach to becoming homeless.
"If we lost our house, we can buy another one," he said. "It's the family that's important to me."
In addition to looking for a job, finding a home and getting his children enrolled in school, Mr. Evans is desperately trying to find out what happened to his mother, oldest son, brother-in-law and other relatives who didn't leave immediately.
His mother was living on the fifth floor of a retirement home in New Orleans. She thought everything would be fine even if there was flooding.
Harold Tracy Jr., chief operating officer for the Salvation Army's Fort Worth/Tarrant County Area Command, said the agency plans to fill up the beds in Arlington first and then start bringing people to the shelters in Fort Worth.
Dwight Williams Sr. drove 24 hours to get to Arlington with his fiancé, mother and six children. He's a retired New Orleans firefighter who was injured during a blaze two years ago and doesn't know when he'll see his next pension check.
For now, he's focused on the immediate needs: getting glasses and asthma medicine for the children.
"I don't know what we're going to do," he said, shaking his head.
FW, Arlington shelters expect hundreds of hurricane victims
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Salvation Army in Tarrant County is bracing for hundreds of hurricane refugees expected to arrive by car and plane during the next few days.
One of them, Dwight Evans, fled Jefferson Parish, La., on Saturday and eventually arrived in Arlington over the weekend with his wife, three children and mother-in-law.
After a few days in local motels, they were out of money and moved to the Salvation Army Family Life Shelter, which is expected to house about 150 refugees fleeing hurricane damage.
Mr. Evans takes a philosophical approach to becoming homeless.
"If we lost our house, we can buy another one," he said. "It's the family that's important to me."
In addition to looking for a job, finding a home and getting his children enrolled in school, Mr. Evans is desperately trying to find out what happened to his mother, oldest son, brother-in-law and other relatives who didn't leave immediately.
His mother was living on the fifth floor of a retirement home in New Orleans. She thought everything would be fine even if there was flooding.
Harold Tracy Jr., chief operating officer for the Salvation Army's Fort Worth/Tarrant County Area Command, said the agency plans to fill up the beds in Arlington first and then start bringing people to the shelters in Fort Worth.
Dwight Williams Sr. drove 24 hours to get to Arlington with his fiancé, mother and six children. He's a retired New Orleans firefighter who was injured during a blaze two years ago and doesn't know when he'll see his next pension check.
For now, he's focused on the immediate needs: getting glasses and asthma medicine for the children.
"I don't know what we're going to do," he said, shaking his head.
0 likes
San Jacinto College Opens Its Doors
We were notified via email today to not be shocked if we receive students from Louisiana. The San Jacinto Community College District has decided to allow students displaced by Katrina to register at any of the three campuses. (or is it campi?) Anyway, as I recall, students have until next Wed. to register. Transcript requirements are waived, of course.
I teach at South Campus. If anyone needs any more information on this, feel free to PM me.
Brady H.
We were notified via email today to not be shocked if we receive students from Louisiana. The San Jacinto Community College District has decided to allow students displaced by Katrina to register at any of the three campuses. (or is it campi?) Anyway, as I recall, students have until next Wed. to register. Transcript requirements are waived, of course.
I teach at South Campus. If anyone needs any more information on this, feel free to PM me.
Brady H.
0 likes
New Orleans family of 53 finds housing in New Braunfels
8/31/2005 4:39 PM
By: Allison Toepperwein | Williamson & Bell County Bureau Chief
This family drove in a caravan of 21 vehicles to escape Katrina.
As they sit and watch the news from a dry home in Texas, they can't believe what they're seeing.
"Nothing. From what we can see on the news, everything is covered in water. We don't know what's left," Arthur Williams said.
This family left New Orleans Sunday afternoon. It took their caravan 25 hours to drive just to Houston.
"We really didn't have any intentions, we didn't know where we were going to end up, we just got on the road and started driving," New Orleans resident Eddie Williams said.
The caravan picked up more family members along the way, until they made it to relatives in Round Rock.
The house was busting at its seams. In total, 53 extended-family members, along with their 21 vehicles, all sought refuge in Round Rock.
"People that allowed him to come in, opened the doors for me and my family and extended family. So our caravan went from six to eight when we jumped in with my brother," Eddie said
With so many people in just one house, the family asked for help. Slumber Falls Camp in New Braunfels will house the family for the next month.
"Everything I own, except three changing outfits, is gone. It's gone," New Orleans resident Garry Bourgeois said.
"We're just looking for jobs. We're expecting the worse, three to four weeks or longer," Arthur Williams said.
And while many of them didn't even have time to grab an ID before they left their homes, they are all together.
"It's a lot easier knowing you don't have to wonder where they are, if they're fine, if they're OK. It's a lot easier knowing that you have a support system around rather than back in New Orleans," Eddie said.
With hope for tomorrow, and thankful for today, this family is managing to move on.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_ ... rID=144570
0 likes
Central Texas groups need help
9/1/2005 10:14 PM
By: James Keith
Central Texans are looking for -- and finding -- ways to help those in need following the nation's natural disaster known as Katrina.
Start with the steady crowd at the Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas.
"Everybody wants to do something and, I think in a time of disaster like this, blood donation is one of those things people think of first," Blood and Tissue Center spokesperson Nicolette Abernathy said.
Blood supplies are adequate. But, officials here want to play it safe. The need for blood is growing as more hurricane victims are found.
Plus, there are the everyday needs of Central Texans.
"We live with that sort of uncertainty everyday. In a heartbeat, the need and demand for blood can change any day of the year," Abernathy said.
The Capital Area Food Bank knows about demand.
Workers are hustling to get food and supplies to people recovering from the storm.
"The phone has been ringing off the hook, literaly non-stop. people who are here looking for food, agencies that we work with regularly who need extra food, but also from all across the country," Capital Area Food Bank Deputy Executive Director Michael Guerra said.
The good news: people here are responding.
"We've seen a lot of suprises. We had a group call today and say we're going to do a whole emergency golf tournament for hurricane relief and we want it to go to food. Boy, that hardly ever comes in a year and we got it in the second day," Guerra said.
Donations are also flowing in at Goodwill. But more will be needed as refugees make their way to Central Texas.
"The best you can do is to donate...donate your clothing, your gently used items, your housewares. We want to try and get as many as those kind of things in the hands of the people who lost all of this," Goodwill Industries of Central Texas CEO Jerry Davis said.
Goodwill also wants to help with financial needs.
It's coordinating a job fair next week where interested businesses can connect with victims looking for work.
"These folks need money. Many of them as they've made their way here, stayed in hotels. That eats up a lot of your money right away. Money is gone, now they're in shelters," Davis said.
All three groups say the response so far, has been positive, but they still need community support to meet all of the victims' needs.
If you're a business willing to hire victims of the hurricane, Goodwill wants to hear from you. Call (512) 480-0772. The job fair is still in the works, but should take place sometime next week.
0 likes
Houston Area Doctors Needed in Astrodome
BREAKING (again):
We have 12,000 now in the Astrodome. Another 2000 are being put into Reliant Arena, while cots are being put up and food is being brought in. Another 1000 are being re-routed somewhere else (I missed that, but I think it's Huntsville). By the end of today, we expect that 15,000 will be here in Houston from NOLA, with this wave of refugees.
Many many sicker people came in this bunch. DOCTORS NEEDED BADLY.
Doctors and volunteers need to come to the McNee entrance to the Astrodome.
You can now bring in canned goods and diapers and they can be dropped off right there on I-610 feeder road in front of the Dome, no need to even get out of the car.
We have 12,000 now in the Astrodome. Another 2000 are being put into Reliant Arena, while cots are being put up and food is being brought in. Another 1000 are being re-routed somewhere else (I missed that, but I think it's Huntsville). By the end of today, we expect that 15,000 will be here in Houston from NOLA, with this wave of refugees.
Many many sicker people came in this bunch. DOCTORS NEEDED BADLY.
Doctors and volunteers need to come to the McNee entrance to the Astrodome.
You can now bring in canned goods and diapers and they can be dropped off right there on I-610 feeder road in front of the Dome, no need to even get out of the car.
0 likes
-
GalvestonDuck
- Category 5
- Posts: 15941
- Age: 57
- Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 8:11 am
- Location: Galveston, oh Galveston (And yeah, it's a barrier island. Wanna make something of it?)
UTMB Katrina page with information for evacuees in the Galveston County area and for employees:
http://www.utmb.edu/katrina/
http://www.utmb.edu/katrina/
0 likes
-
southerngale
- Retired Staff
- Posts: 27418
- Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 1:27 am
- Location: Southeast Texas (Beaumont area)
Important Information for Evacuees
To have mail re-routed, call 1-800-ASK-USPS to give the address of where you are staying. You can also list the address of the shelter you are staying at.
Louisiana Homeland Security website. http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov.
Triage Phone Numbers:
Alexandria: 800-841-5778 Shreveport: 800-841-5776
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372 Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409 Slidell/Hammond: 866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210 Lake Charles: 866-280-2711
The Social Security offices in Beaumont and Port Arthur will be open on
Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00 to assist Katrina evacuees.
Kathryn Walker
Social Security District Manager
3260 Eastex Freeway
Beaumont, TX 77706 409-924-6400 Ext 3020
Goodwill has an office at Ford Park. Goodwill is ascertaining the clothing needs of those evacuees at Ford Park. Goodwill ask that clothing donations be brought to Goodwill stores (not donation stations) where the needs of the evacuees will be matched with the donations and the clothing will then be delivered to Ford Park.
Goodwill is also asking businesses or individuals who have a need for temporary workers to call Goodwill at 838-9911. A list of available jobs will then be co-ordinated with evacuees needing temporary employment.
To begin assistance through FEMA call 1-800-621-FEMA or http://www.fema.gov.
For information out of New Orleans and surrounding areas log on to http://www.wwltv.com. For a live feed from WWL-TV go to Channel 21. Also check out http://www.nola.com for up to the minutes information. You can also register yourself to let people know where you are and search for missing friends and loved ones.
For information about friends and loved ones who remained in the afflicted areas, call 1-866-GET-INFO (1-866-438-4636) or http://www.redcross.org. Do not call the Louisiana State Police.
For information on road conditions in Louisiana call 1-800-469-4828. Please do not call the LSP "Roadway Closure Hotline" that number has been reassigned as a '911' line and needs to remain available for emergencies. Interstate 10 East is closed to Baton Rouge, take a northern route if travelling that direction.
Evacuees who receive Social Security benefits through the mail can call the Beaumont Social Security office at 924-6413 and a replacement check can be issued. Direct deposit funds will be deposited normally for evacuees.
To report price gouging call the Texas Attorney General's Office at 1-800-337-3928.
To make donations:
--Call the American Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW. If the line is busy, please call back.
--Lowe's is matching all donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million. Go to your local Lowe's store or log on to http://www.lowes.com for more informaion or make a donation online. Lowe's is accepting donations on behalf of the American Red Cross. Home Depot has a similar program. Go to a Home Depot store http://www.homedepot.com for more informaion.
--For victims needing assistance call the Salvation Army at 1-800-725-2769 or Borden Chapel Baptist Church at 892-2456.
--The Southeast Texas Relief Fund PO BOX 7888, Beaumont, Tx, 77726
--Catholic Charities, USA - (800)919-9338
--Salvation Army - (800)725-2769
--United Methodist Committee On Relief - (800)554-8583
http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station=k ... local.html
To have mail re-routed, call 1-800-ASK-USPS to give the address of where you are staying. You can also list the address of the shelter you are staying at.
Louisiana Homeland Security website. http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov.
Triage Phone Numbers:
Alexandria: 800-841-5778 Shreveport: 800-841-5776
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372 Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409 Slidell/Hammond: 866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210 Lake Charles: 866-280-2711
The Social Security offices in Beaumont and Port Arthur will be open on
Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00 to assist Katrina evacuees.
Kathryn Walker
Social Security District Manager
3260 Eastex Freeway
Beaumont, TX 77706 409-924-6400 Ext 3020
Goodwill has an office at Ford Park. Goodwill is ascertaining the clothing needs of those evacuees at Ford Park. Goodwill ask that clothing donations be brought to Goodwill stores (not donation stations) where the needs of the evacuees will be matched with the donations and the clothing will then be delivered to Ford Park.
Goodwill is also asking businesses or individuals who have a need for temporary workers to call Goodwill at 838-9911. A list of available jobs will then be co-ordinated with evacuees needing temporary employment.
To begin assistance through FEMA call 1-800-621-FEMA or http://www.fema.gov.
For information out of New Orleans and surrounding areas log on to http://www.wwltv.com. For a live feed from WWL-TV go to Channel 21. Also check out http://www.nola.com for up to the minutes information. You can also register yourself to let people know where you are and search for missing friends and loved ones.
For information about friends and loved ones who remained in the afflicted areas, call 1-866-GET-INFO (1-866-438-4636) or http://www.redcross.org. Do not call the Louisiana State Police.
For information on road conditions in Louisiana call 1-800-469-4828. Please do not call the LSP "Roadway Closure Hotline" that number has been reassigned as a '911' line and needs to remain available for emergencies. Interstate 10 East is closed to Baton Rouge, take a northern route if travelling that direction.
Evacuees who receive Social Security benefits through the mail can call the Beaumont Social Security office at 924-6413 and a replacement check can be issued. Direct deposit funds will be deposited normally for evacuees.
To report price gouging call the Texas Attorney General's Office at 1-800-337-3928.
To make donations:
--Call the American Red Cross at 1-800-HELP-NOW. If the line is busy, please call back.
--Lowe's is matching all donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million. Go to your local Lowe's store or log on to http://www.lowes.com for more informaion or make a donation online. Lowe's is accepting donations on behalf of the American Red Cross. Home Depot has a similar program. Go to a Home Depot store http://www.homedepot.com for more informaion.
--For victims needing assistance call the Salvation Army at 1-800-725-2769 or Borden Chapel Baptist Church at 892-2456.
--The Southeast Texas Relief Fund PO BOX 7888, Beaumont, Tx, 77726
--Catholic Charities, USA - (800)919-9338
--Salvation Army - (800)725-2769
--United Methodist Committee On Relief - (800)554-8583
http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station=k ... local.html
0 likes
Return to “Hurricane Recovery and Aftermath”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 220 guests