Posted on 09/07/2005 10:39:23 AM PDT by BurbankKarl
The number of Katrina evacuees counted at Houston's largest shelters is dropping dramatically as people leave for new accommodations, new jobs and new lives.
Today 8,066 hurricane victims are still stranded at the three Reliant Park shelters and the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center, down from 25,400 reported just Tuesday. It's evident at a glance that evacuees have more breathing room than they did last weekend, but it's hard to track how many people are simply switching shelters, moving in with relatives or actually finding more permanent housing.
After Reliant Park imposed a curfew for the first time last night, authorities were able to do their most reliable headcount yet. But during the day, no one stands guard at the gates to ask evacuees whether they're going out for groceries or leaving for good, so even the latest numbers are fluid.
"I wouldn't say there was a large exodus in the last 24 hours," said Coast Guard Lt. Joe Leonard, who's in charge of Houston's megashelters.
This morning's tally of evacuees came to 2,930 in the Astrodome, down from 16,000 on Tuesday; 1,800 in the Reliant Arena, down from 4,500; 2,000 in Reliant Center, down from 2,400; and 1,336 in the George R. Brown Convention Center, down from 2,500.
For some of those who've arrived from New Orleans, the prospect of venturing out into Houston is intimidating.
Eighteen-year-old Marcus Poole, a community college student who worked at a rental car agency back home in Louisiana, is finding that looking for a job is no easy task in a city so sprawling. Houston's even bigger than he remembers it as a child in town for a visit to AstroWorld.
"I feel like I'm in another country, being in a city so big," he said.
For those who are staying for now at least, officials turned their attention to needs, such as food stamps, school registration and medical care.
Local and federal authorities were finalizing a special housing subsidy "voucher" program, good for at least six months and perhaps a year, to serve 25,000 displaced families.
Meanwhile, the shelters opened job booths and the Texas Workforce Commission and Federal Emergency Management Agency were expected to send representatives there today. The federal agency could help with a variety of services, including housing and unemployment aid.
"Our focus this week is to begin the process of re-integrating our guests," said state Rep. Rick Noriega, a CenterPoint Energy official tapped by Mayor Bill White to run the facility at the convention center.
The center's shelter, created to house as many as 7,200 people, was meant initially to ensure a safe, clean environment in which evacuees could sleep.
"We're seeing, obviously, that mission shifting," said Noriega, a Texas Army National Guard officer. "We're becoming a little more service-focused."
Registering for help Nearly 7,000 people have registered at the shelter to get access to help, officials said.
Some of that help is coming from volunteers with Operation Compassion, a massive relief effort led by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and spearheaded by the Second Baptist Church. The thousands of volunteers from 131 local congregations have assumed primary responsibility for feeding the masses of storm victims who have taken refuge here.
"It's blessing me probably more than it's blessing them," said volunteer Wanda Brock, 68, a member of Second Baptist Church who was dishing out barbecue Tuesday. "It's a real eye-opener to see how blessed you are when you see people who have lost so much."
At the convention center's job booth, evacuees picked up fliers and added their names to a 12-page list of people looking for jobs.
Potential employers can browse the list, and some companies also have posted jobs on another list.
East New Orleans resident Gabrielle Thomas, 30, who is living with 13 other evacuees in a friend's two-bedroom home in Sugar Land, came to the shelter seeking help to get her life back on track.
A job, she said, would be a first step.
"I can't go back there for a few months, and I need work," said Thomas, who worked as a clerk to a juvenile court judge. "I lost everything I had."
Emergency assistance With forecasts that more than 500,000 people could lose their jobs because of the hurricane, the Labor Department announced plans Tuesday to spend up to $75 million in emergency assistance for evacuees who now are living in Texas.
The money would provide assistance to 37,500 evacuees by temporarily putting them to work providing food, clothing, shelter and other assistance to storm victims.
Gov. Rick Perry made a stop at Reliant Park about 5 p.m. Tuesday, part of a scheduled visit to evacuee shelters in Beaumont, Killeen and Tyler.
"We're doing great," Perry said as his car drove away. "Everything's going to be fine."
While so many people looked for jobs and permanent housing, plans to move as many as 4,000 evacuees to cruise ships in Galveston were put on hold. Many who had taken refuge in the Astrodome said they would rather stay in the stadium than move to the ships, officials said.
"I don't want to be on no water," said James Givens, 48, a longshoreman who is trying to find a place other than the Astrodome to live. "I've seen enough water to last me a long time."
When she heard about the offer to live on a cruise ship, Bobbie Williams, 44, rose from her cot, shaking her head emphatically.
'I've been there, done that' "No, no, no, no more water," she said. "I don't want to see no more water. I've been there, done that. Not right now."
Evacuee Wallace James, 48, spent part of his day at the Social Security Administration, trying to get a check he was owed. He hopes he can use the money to move out of the Astrodome and into subsidized housing.
"If things don't work out, I'll just move on to another state," James said.
He said many Louisiana residents are trying to look forward.
"We ain't trying to talk about where we came from," he said. "We're trying to talk about where we're going."
Don't tell the MSM. It will really piss them off.
This is a great sign. Noticing more stories of people making their way to Los Angeles to their relatives. If they held jobs in NO, they can find a job in L.A. since have the people here are illiterate illegals.
Maybe he could teach HS English somewhere
As predicted, the people are finding jobs (which they couldn't do in NO/LA) and becoming productive members of society.
The Dems are *so* screwed.
San Bernardino! They are embracing ebonics.
Stranded is an interesting term.
I'd be more than happy to help them set up their books and teach them how to track their costs in exchange for some brave soul teaching me how to make those bisquits that float off the plate. Every time I have tried, they ended up like hockey pucks.
With these people gone, N.O. is going to have to import illegals if they wish to keep their caste system in place.
Here in Austin they're going to have a job fair this week. The TV has been filled with stories of people moving into apartments and finding jobs. The ones I've seen on TV really seem to appreciate Austin. Our receptionist said there were already some new kids in her daughter;s class from Louisiana. Austin has a low unemployment rate so I'm guessing they will find better jobs here than will be available for years to come. New Orleans will lose a great deal of its population over this. Texas will gain much as a result.
< Ain't was probably originally a contraction for am not. So, even assuming ain't was not considered incorrect, it would still not be right, unless you would say "We am not...". >
From my dictionary:
(ain't)
1. Contraction of am not.
2. Used also as a contraction for are not, is not, has not, and have not.
Note that it is also used for "are not", which would fit in this instance. I use "ain't" sometimes in very casual conversation, mostly around family, but I would never use it professionally. It really comes in handy sometimes...like "y'all".
That said, its use is controversial and always will be.
"Today 8,066 hurricane victims are still stranded."
They aren't stranded, they are our guests. Being served good ole Texas Bar BBQ. Yumm.
It is listed as a contraction for almost everything according to dictionary.com. However, since there is a perfectly good contraction for are not, it would not be considered correct. It is interesting to me that more current dictionaries and dictionary.com now discuss its controversy, rather than it's correctness. Older dictionaries are not nearly so PC when discussing its usage. And it's interesting to me in light of that, that I am seeing it used more and more, even in places we would not have heard it even a few years ago (Neil Cavuto has a love affair with it, for instance).
It's not correct, and I fought its use in my classroom in E. TX, much to the chagrin of my students. "But Miss, this ain't English class!" As if that's the only place they should learn to speak correctly!
susie
We need to keep posting these stories of the displaced people who are getting themselves a job.
When the dust settles on the corruption in Louisiana and New Orleans we will find that thousands of the former residents are glad to get out from under the corrupt government that has hurt the citizens of Louisiana for decades.
Yesterday, I thought the story about the guy from Indiana who sent a bus to pick up 50 people from Slidell was really heartwarming. He offered a free apartment for 6 months and help to find a job for all who wanted to come with him. 47 people took him up on his offer.
Susie,
Actually ain't is are not as in "We are not looking back".
They've got their gubment debit cards.
Local liquor stores report brisk business.
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