Brighter Lights On These Darker Days

[angelwing]

Finally got an e-mail from my girlfriend who evacuated to Oklahoma with her terminally-ill brother and her mom, they got there and her brother managed ok!

[azskyman]

That IS great news angelwing! Seems like there are a whole lot of good stories coming out now that the evacuees are being accounted for and finding each other.

[Recurve]

I'm happy to see some local efforts here. Andrew survivors have a lot of empathy for all of the Gulf Coast.

Publix in my town is selling Mardi Gras beads for $2, all money to the Red Cross. It's a small thing but I was glad to see them do it, the cashier asked everyone very nicely to donate.

Miami-Dade and Monroe EMS and S&R teams have been to the Gulf. Unfortunately, the flooding conditions made it difficult because the dogs couldn't work where it was still flooded.

We really don't want to bring a lot of evacuees here while it's still hurricane season, but many individuals have opened their homes in Dade and Broward to evacuees.

[Skywatch_NC]

I heard yesterday evening on the news about Rev. and Mrs. Billy Graham have a spare house in the NC mtns and took in a family of 5 from New Orleans.

Eric

[azskyman]

The number of evacuees who came to Phoenix that are now without jobs or housing has diminished dramatically. Through an outpouring of assistance, many not only have places to live, but also have jobs. The job market here is wide open for those who want to work....and that showed clearly when the need arose for these people.

[Stephanie]

Here's a great story from National Park, NJ about a family from Louisiana fleeing Katrina;

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/12647527.htm

[Skywatch_NC]

The number of evacuees who came to Phoenix that are now without jobs or housing has diminished dramatically. Through an outpouring of assistance, many not only have places to live, but also have jobs. The job market here is wide open for those who want to work....and that showed clearly when the need arose for these people.

Steve,

Has your printing company been interviewing any applicants who are Gulf evacuees?

Eric

[LAwxrgal]

An astonishing story of survival: a 76 year old man found ALIVE in New Orleans after 18 days!!!!

LINK

[Skywatch_NC]

Couple Who Fled To Raleigh After Katrina Marry

POSTED: 7:03 pm EDT September 17, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A couple who fled Katrina's wrath started a new life Saturday in Raleigh.

Trazjae Clark and DeShawn Moss had planned a big wedding for next May in New Orleans. Katrina ruined those plans.

With their hometown in ruins, Clark and Moss decided to get married now instead.

When word got around Raleigh about the couple's plan, people donated everything -- from the dress and the tux to plane tickets to fly in family.

http://www.wral.com/news/4987115/detail.html

[Skywatch_NC]

My church has taken under it's wings 2 families from the NO area. A married couple with (grown adult children) named Ryan and Sharon were in the church service yesterday morning and afterwards the congregation went up front to where they were standing next to the pastor and formed a line shaking their hands and giving them ((((HUGS)))).
Was a quite (emotionally) moving experience for us all as we greeted them and talked to them some about what they had gone through. We also have their pic and what items for starting a new chapter of their lives here in Raleigh on a church bulletin board and then yesterday evening among other church members we brought items to donate to them and also to another evacuee named Thomas...he'll be at our church for worship and then to greet him next Sunday.

Prayers and thoughts for these fine peeps as they start new lives here in the Triangle area and for many many other evacuees across the country in doing the same thing.

Eric