Posted on 09/06/2005 7:14:12 AM PDT by hispanarepublicana
Reese shelters fragile hopes
BY JAMES GALLAGHER Stripped of home and all things familiar, hurricane evacuees find in Lubbock a place to rest. A place to regroup. And for some, a place to start again. Edward Collins dribbles a basketball outside a hangar at Reese Technology Center on Monday.
He's wearing blue basketball shorts and white, high-top sneakers. He has a smile on his face.
The 13-year-old had never heard of Lubbock or flown on an airplane before touching down here from New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, but he is glad to be here.
"Since it's flooded there, I'm happy to be here, but I would be happier to be at home," he said. More than 400 victims of Hurricane Katrina are currently living at the Reese center, and more could be coming.
Most are housed in an air-conditioned, 47,500-square-foot hangar. They sleep on cots or air mattresses while American Red Cross volunteers bring them food, drinks, medicine and a friendly face.
"I've been shown some good love. Love like I've never seen before," said evacuee Charles Harris. "Lubbock, Texas, is like a home for me now. I don't want to leave."
Harris said he hopes to take a tour of Lubbock today. He wants to see what downtown looks like and all the Hub City has to offer.
The evacuees arrived Sunday after three planes ferried them from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. All the victims have stories to tell about the weeklong journey that led them from their flooded homes to Lubbock, but most tales recount similar details.
They speak of rising flood waters destroying their homes.
Of huddling in their attics, fearful of drowning.
Of having no electricity or clean water.
Of dead bodies piling up at shelters.
Of having nothing to eat.
Of not knowing where the rest of their family is.
Edward said his family spent two days in their attic, unable to move for fear they might fall through the Sheetrock.
"We had plywood we could step on, and we had Sheetrock we couldn't," he said. "Nobody could move because nobody could see where we was at. If somebody had fell down, they would have drowned."
For many, the Reese shelter is the first step toward rebuilding their lives. They are given clean clothes, warm food, drinks, medical attention and a chance to get some rest.
"People are always checking on you," Harris said. "It's nice, pleasant. It isn't the best place to be, but it's a start."
Red Cross officials said they are trying to make everyone as comfortable as they can.
"They're our guests," said local Red Cross Chairman Greg Bruce.
The shelter offers computers for people to find loved ones. Telephones are available so evacuees can call family members and let them know where they are. And it provides a place for people to relax and play.
Many just lie on their cots, trying to catch up on days of missed sleep.
Others neatly make their beds, as they would in their own home.
A group of boys try to put together the board game Mousetrap without instructions. A group of girls huddle around a pile of Legos.
Some boys toss a football outside. Others play football on a PlayStation 2 inside.
Twelve-year-old George Pittman said the boys are rotating turns with the game because there is only one remote control.
One little boy climbs on the back of his neighbor, Jimmy Mimms.
Mimms said he didn't evacuate before the storm hit because he didn't expect it to be as bad as it was.
"We tried to save some of our property, but we couldn't. ... The water came up too fast."
He and his companion, Patricia Dennis, are unsure what they will do next. They can't go back to New Orleans any time soon.
For now, they plan to stay at the shelter and play games with the kids.
"They make everyone feel welcome here," Mimms said.
The city is looking to find a permanent home for most of the hurricane victims and plans to enroll children in schools later this week.
Still, many are looking to leave the Hub City as soon as possible.
Vanessa Nevels said she is trying to get to Houston or Mississippi to stay with her family.
"We're trying to see what's the next move," she said.
Mark McKee and Theron Coleman also have plans to travel to Houston to meet with family today.
But they may come back soon. McKee, a former Marine Corps reservist and Orleans Parish civil sheriff, said without much job opportunity left in New Orleans, he may apply to become a Lubbock police officer.
"From what I hear, they need more African-American officers here," he said. "This is a nice town. Everybody has been beautiful to us."
To comment on this story:
james.gallagher@lubbockonline.com 766-8753
brian.williams@lubbockonline.com 766-8717
ping
I was just wondering if my old home would become a new one for refugees.
The kids have been playing on the runways.
I worked at Reese all weekend long. Stories that would break your heart. It is amazing to see what Lubbock has done for all of these new people in our fine town.
Sunday, I was there from 4:00 a.m.- midnight and they were so appreciative of Lubbbock. Yesterday they had TT shirts on and Lamesa Tornadoes shirts.. One man told me the stars are so brite in Texas and the people are the best.
Are they going to be able to "get out" and see the actual city?
Yes, I heard today they are taking bus tours of our city. They will eventually have to have bus service from Reese to places in town. I hear many want to stay but not sure what we even have here in way of living and jobs.
Yes, I heard today they are taking bus tours of our city. They will eventually have to have bus service from Reese to places in town. I hear many want to stay but not sure what we even have here in way of living and jobs.
I lived in Lubbock when Reese AFB had B-25s. Long time ago!
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