Houston mayor asks residents to open their homes and garages (100,000 already in Houston)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | September 2, 2005 | Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer

[Cincinatus' Wife]

..........“Houston is rising to the call of an unprecedented refugee situation,” White said at a press conference this morning. “People should be asking themselves in this region where they know of a garage or apartment.”

Thousands of children displaced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina have been enrolled in schools throughout the Houston area, and government officials were kicking conventioneers out of several centers so the buildings could be turned into shelters.

“If it takes someone suing us, then sue — and then explain to the American public,” White said.

He estimated that 100,000 evacuees already were in the Houston area, and more were arriving.

“We do need other cities in this country to be accepting busloads of people,” White said. He also called on Texas Gov. Rick Perry to deploy the National Guard to help police in Houston and assist with logistics.

Perry’s office said Dallas and San Antonio had agreed to shelter 50,000 hurricane refugees.

Houston officials had originally planned to put 25,000 refugees in the Astrodome, but on Thursday the fire marshal declared that it could hold no more than 15,000 people and declared the building closed.

White, however, said new arrivals would still be allowed into the domed stadium for processing and so relief workers could find them a place to stay. Refugees coming to the Astrodome today were waiting about two hours for services.

Arrivals were being searched for weapons. Capt. John Anderson of the Houston Police Department’s homeland security division said police had found six pistols and about a dozen knives this morning in bushes outside the stadium.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Astrodome at capacity, but buses with evacuees keep coming (Houston 22,000) (D.C. 400)***......Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced that Dallas would host 25,000 more refugees at Reunion Arena and 25,000 others would relocate to a San Antonio warehouse at KellyUSA, a city-owned complex that once was home to an Air Force base. ....***

[pure_capitalist]

Houston’s Second Baptist Church has begun organizing donations and shelters for refugees and hurricane victims.

http://www.second.org/global/operation_compassion. aspx

[pure_capitalist]

http://www.second.org/global/operation_compassion.aspx

[Brilliant]

Looks like Houston just grew by 100,000 in one week.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Hats off to Houston. Great job.

[faithincowboys]

Houston, I suspect, will be a lot worse off for having had to absorb the thugs from New Orleans. Texas wil be worse off too.

[Bon mots]

Good gesture. How many people has the Houston mayor actually put up in the Mayors mansion?

[Jaded]

A co-worker is ranting and raving about how no other states are stepping up like Texas.

[Desert_Girl]

Houston, I suspect, will be a lot worse off for having had to absorb the thugs from New Orleans. Texas wil be worse off too.

You may be right. Houston may suffer in the long run, but we do it anyway, because it's the right thing to do. I am proud of my city today. Texas steps up to the plate when our neighbors are in trouble.

[CMAC51]

Houston, I suspect, will be a lot worse off for having had to absorb the thugs from New Orleans. Texas wil be worse off too.

Not if we can turn them into Texans. Then the whole country will be better off.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Don't let the msm tell you no one is helping.

Brett Coomer / Chronicle A paramedic carries a pair of girls away from an Army helicopter after they were airlifted from their flooded home in New Orleans on Tuesday.

A woman screams as she is put on a stretcher after being airlifted from her flooded home in New Orleans.

A Hurricane Katrina victim is rescued Tuesday from a New Orleans office building where he and 75 other survivors spent two days after floodwaters from the storm invaded their homes.

Brett Coomer / Chronicle Nicole Matthews of Thibodeaux, Louisiana cheers while holding sign that reads ''Thanks Houston from Louisiana.'' In the foreground is Kelly Saragusa with Ashton Carroll, 1, from Metairie. The Houston Comets treated Hurricane Katrina refugees to tickets for Tuesday's game against the Seattle Storm at Toyota Center.

Melissa Phillip / Chronicle Volunteer Heather Carson holds her son Joel Carson, 10 months, while she sorts through donated items. She and other volunteers at the Westlake Fire Department organized donated items for refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Three families of around 70 people stayed at the Westlake Volunteer Fire Department on Saums Road near Katy. Residents of the community converged on the fire station to bring supplies and offer support.

And it goes

on

and

on

and

on

thousands and thousands of times.

Americans helping their fellow Americans.

[CMAC51]

Good gesture. How many people has the Houston mayor actually put up in the Mayors mansion?

What has that got to do with anything. The man is busting his but to do everything he can for these people. Democrat or not he has shown me many reason why he deserves respect.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

If he's like Tom DeLay and his wife, he's done more for the needy than he'll say.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[i_dont_chat]

I, too, am proud of Houston. I think we can handle it.

Not all Houstonians feel this way. One of my friends, who expressed worry about the influx, made this comment:

"Half of the people in Louisiana have been trying to get to Houston for YEARS. And now we're busing them in all at once!"

[faithincowboys]

Texas is a much maligned place, but let me tell you something, I know you're the best state in this Country. The people there always step up to the plate, you provide our beef our energy and a disprportionate number of our Armed Forces. If this Country is to survive it will be because Texas leads the way.

[stationkeeper]

Thats Houston for you....I lived there for 6 years and nothing fazes them....got a tough job to be done?

Call Houston.

[Pookee]

Houston’s Second Baptist Church has begun organizing donations and shelters for refugees and hurricane victims.

I am going to training in the morning to start helping with this effort through Second Baptist. We are going to be preparing and serving over 30,000 meals a day. I will report back here on how things go in the Dome. I have struggled deeply with all of the instances of ungratefulness and rebellion against those who are trying to help but I feel it is our duty as Christians to help anyway. Houston has a heart like no other city, which I believe is due in large part to its large Christian population.

[Rambler1277]

Can I just say how refreshing it is to see the positive and helpful attitudes expressed here? I just browsed through the democraticunderground blog and became somewhat depressed from all the hatred being vented. This is a great forum

[Liberty Tree Surgeon]

My coworker, a Black lady from NO, thinks it's crazy given how long they'll be here. When the comment was made that we'll have to find jobs for all those folks, her response was most of them didn't work before, what makes you think they'll work now?

Should make going to a Texans game a bit more of an adventure.