Associated Press
Snapshots of states taking in refugees from Hurricane Katrina:
TEXAS: More than 230,000 refugees are already in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry on Sunday ordered emergency officials to initiate an airlift to take some of them to other states that have offered help.
LOUISIANA: The Red Cross says more than 50,000 refugees were in its shelters. Tens of thousands of hurricane survivors were bused to Texas.
ARKANSAS: Gov. Mike Huckabee says Arkansas likely had 50,000 evacuees in the state as of Friday and another 20,000 could be expected.
TENNESSEE: Gov. Phil Bredesen says nearly 13,000 refugees were being sheltered and that number could double. More than 10,000 people have gone to Memphis, about 350 miles north of New Orleans.
MISSISSIPPI: More than 17,000 were in American Red Cross shelters, while untold others were in hotels, churches and private homes.
ALABAMA: Gov. Bob Riley is seeking to offer housing for 10,000 refugees.
MICHIGAN: The state has offered to house up to 10,000 refugees, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm says.
NEW MEXICO: Up to 6,000 hurricane victims may find shelter in New Mexico. Gov. Bill Richardson said the first 1,000 evacuees will be housed at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
SOUTH CAROLINA: U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn proposed housing up to 5,000 refugees in unused military barracks, an empty mall and other large buildings in Columbia.
MINNESOTA: Gov. Tim Pawlenty says Minnesota is preparing to host as many as 5,000 evacuees for a year or longer.
OKLAHOMA: Buses carrying nearly 2,000 evacuees arrived in Oklahoma on Saturday. As many as 3,000 others are expected to follow.
NORTH CAROLINA: Authorities say they are ready to house up to 1,500 evacuees at shelters.
FLORIDA: More than 1,100 people were in seven shelters, along with 13,500 refugees in hotels.
ARIZONA: One thousand or more refugees were expected to arrive sometime Sunday.
COLORADO: Up to 1,000 refugees will be housed at dorms at the former Lowry Air Force base.
OREGON: State officials are working to accommodate up to 1,000 people.
GEORGIA: State officials have opened 12 shelters housing more than 900 evacuees, Gov. Sonny Perdue says.
MISSOURI: The American Red Cross has housed more than 500 people, says Susie Stonner, a spokeswoman for the State Emergency Management agency.
WEST VIRGINIA: The first of an expected 500 refugees began arriving late Saturday.
ILLINOIS: Authorities were aware of 400 to 500 refugees in the state.
UTAH: About 450 refugees had arrived in Salt Lake City by Sunday.
CALIFORNIA: About 80 evacuees were expected to arrive Sunday in San Diego. Some 300 families were expected in San Francisco and another 100 in San Jose, emergency officials said.
Los Angeles County is refusing to take evacuees.
Well, they ARE using the right word "refugee". "Evacuee" is also good. I have no idea why "refugee" is considered inappropriate.
Great info - thanks.
I count 22 states...and I have to deduct Miss. and Alabama...my gosh they need help themselves..
So 20 out of 50 states helping...pitiful.
BUT, hizzoner Jesse Jackson wants them all brought back to Louisiana and put them in tent cities...he says that not only should families stay together (which IS right)...but NEIGHBORHOODS should stay together...
Now, I love my house, but if a hurricane came....it wouldn't bother me a bit if I didn't live around my neighbors again...get a grip, Jesse.
I have heard quite a few, here in Texas, say the don't want to go back "to that hellhole"...their words, not mine.
Arizona is getting 1500 more.....US Air (America West) has a 737 flying nonstop roundtrips.
When my husband and I arrived around 4 this afternoon, there was a crowd of cars with volunteers from the local churches. Men were cooking burgers on the grill and women were setting out home baked cakes and treats. Our area is almost entirely white, so it was easy to recognize the evacuees. The kids were playing in the pool. Adult evacuees were sitting at picnic tables and enjoying a good meal. There was a few washers and dryers set up under the shelter. There was an army of people folding clothes from the local Caring and Sharing, serving food, and chatting with the evacuees.
The dormatories have become home for the families. This is a summer camp with two wings in each building holding bunk beds arranged in a large room. It is designed for all boys or all girls, but to accomodate the families, each side was set up for a gender. Males in one wing, females in another. This keeps families near each other, but seperates gender for modesty.
The first family I met had husband, 3 year old girl, 8 year old cousin, and wife due to deliver in November. They were overwhelmed at the love being showered on them. Mom was having heart burn, and the medical volunteers checked her out and got her some meds for her and one of the kids. She was upset at not being able to get her "nest" arranged. Tomorrow I will take a few boxes and things to help her. She missed having her husband right with her to help. I later told him how much it meant to her to be able to depend on him, he was a good husband. His eyes watered up. He said he would do anything for her.
They had seen unbelievable things in the Dome. There were dead with their throats slashed. Young girls taken by the gangs to the upper decks and raped for hours. Anyone that tried to stop them was killed. The stench of death, urine, and feces burned their noses.
The guards would play games with the number system for filling the buses. They would call a group's number, then change it. They did nothing to stop the drugs, theft, and murder of the gangs.
These people feel so blessed to have been rescued. They are just now understanding the scope of the damage. The lobby TV is the first time they have seen that the damage goes all the way to Biloxi. Now they understand why it took so long.
But they will never understand the gangs. They knew the criminals in NO, but cannot believe that evil they witnessed.
Our communities have taken these people in. Yes, there are huge risks. But God spared THESE people and brought the to our doorstep. The blessings being poured out are amazing.
Note to self. Don't concern myself when either California (less than 1000 taken) or New York (none listed) has a disaster.