Posted on 09/03/2005 8:49:17 PM PDT by SolidSupplySide
HOUSTON — With more than 220,000 hurricane refugees camped out in Texas and more coming, Gov. Rick Perry warned today that his enormous state was running out of room.
"Texas is committed to doing everything it can to help our neighbors from Louisiana, but we want to make certain that we can provide them with the medical care, food, shelter, safety, education and other services they need to start getting their lives back together," Perry said in a statement. "Local officials are beginning to notify us that they are quickly approaching capacity in the number of evacuees they believe they can assist."
About 18,500 survivors were housed in Houston's Astrodome and an adjacent meeting hall. More than 120,000 refugees were in 97 shelters in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and dozens of smaller cities across the vast state, Perry's office said, with another 100,000 in hotels and motels. Uncounted more were in churches or private homes.
Buses continued to arrive at the Astrodome, where many were redirected to other evacuation centers after people were processed and evaluated for medical conditions.
"We have notified FEMA and Louisiana officials that we are nearing capacity," said Robert Black, a spokesman for Perry.
More than 50 military and commercial flights deposited more than 7,000 evacuees at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. At Dallas' luxurious Wyndham Anatole hotel, a few guests looked forward to a quieter evening, compliments of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, after spending Friday night on the roof of New Orleans' Baptist Memorial Hospital ferrying patients to safety.
Hospital worker James Bell felt guilty.
"I could be down (at a shelter) and have a couple families here," he said.
Evacuees also were housed at Reunion Arena in Dallas. As a few people smoked cigarettes outside, a plane emerged overhead trailing a sign that read, "Shame on You George Bush."
As I said. This happened in the south and nothing more needs to be said.
Well, it's not like they are willing to provide for their own energy needs. Leach off the ones willing to provide it. And bitch when it gets too costly in their eyes. The same people that groan about the cost of filling the tank and procede to buy a 16oz bottle of water for $1.00!!
Sorry. Misunderstood your earlier post. It's late.
Quite alright. ;)
Every ten years or so, the lake floods horribly and low-lying houses are inundated and ~unlivable.
Until FEMA steps in. They put up displaced families: hotel, food, gas, all that until FEMA-reimbursed renovation is complete, possibly 6 months later.
Curious if that is what Katrina refugees can anticipate.
Guess you couldn't come up with some, eh?
They won't stay in one place long enough. When you look at the situation realistically 2 things are going to happen fairly quickly in Houston. Once the memory of the conditions they left in NO recedes they will start looking at their present surroundings and start demanding something more. You cannot place this many people in an open dorm for any length of time and so a lot of the single young people will start getting restless and they will start looking for outlets either inside the dome or outside. If they go outside then they are in one of the highest crime areas of Houston and they have access to drugs, alcohol and weapons. Many of them will just melt into the population and not return. People are very optimistic about the situation in Houston but I am not.
And the 'dome is just bout the worst part of town.
There is some hope that they'll soon be dispersed to a better place than that.
You gotta be positive. Distaster always transforms: witness locals shooting at would-be rescuers. But sometimes it transforms the other way. There are millions of eyes from the churches of Texas on them, ready to steer them out of hell and into a more realistic scenario for their families.
I sense a net good coming out of this. Somehow.
bingo, you hit the nail right on the head!!!
I dunno, think of American adopting Chinese babies?
Give transformation a chance. Remember, people are product of their environment, and if these guys can be extracted to a safe, serene environment, good things might happen.
Even if 1/2 are moved into prosperity, that's an amazing change.
San Francisco is taking 300.
California really stepped up.
Yes indeedy, they specified 300 rainbow flag wavers.
Dr. FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S CALL FOR CHURCHES TO ADOPT TEN KATRINA VICTIMS FAMILIES
From: tpoffice@kyol.net
[TPM = Theophostic Prayer Ministry]
Subject: A Special Message from TPM founder Ed Smith
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005
... No matter the "reason" for this event [Hurricane Katrina], I believe God expects His people to make themselves available to be used of Him so that He might be glorified in and through it.
... Even more than offering financial support, I believe that the Lord has put in place many people in the TPM community with the tools to come along side of these deeply traumatized people with effective ministry. …
I encourage each of you to pray and listen to what the Lord would have you do. I encourage Churches to consider revamping your ministry structure to reach out to these dislocated families. I heard Dr. Franklin Graham on television make an appeal to the denominational and church leaders encouraging every church to adopt ten families and offer complete assistance to sheltering them, proving job opportunity and to overall care to help them relocate. If every church took in only a few families we the Body of Christ could put a huge dent into what appears to be an insurmountable crisis.
Also, there is a good chance that every family that is loved and embraced by the Body of Christ would eventually come to know the Lord through salvation. The numbers of people coming to Christ as a result of the Church coming along side of these people could be unimaginable.
I encourage you to pass this email on to others and especially your pastors and church leaders. I do believe that the Body of Christ, not the US government, holds the true answer to this terrible situation. This is a great opportunity to express the reality of the living Lord to a nation and world that has moved so far in another direction. For "they will know we are Christians by our love."
Let us agree to pray that God will inspire His Church to rise up to this challenge and fulfill the commission in a very needed and practical manner.
In Him
Ed Smith
Founder of Theophostic Prayer Ministry
http://www.theophostic.com
North American Mission Board Disaster Relief Fund One hundred percent of gifts to the North American Mission Board's fund for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief are used to meet disaster needs. Currently all gifts are supporting the response to Hurricane Katrina - the largest effort in the history of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. To contribute online: http://www.namb.net/disasterrelief
BUMP
How about giving a few thousand illegals the boot to make room? Just a thought.
Ya know you are as bad as the damned liberals.
Actually, yes. It is just that Texas is the only one being reported, in much the same way that New Orleans is the focus of the hurricane coverage, when Mississippi was actually harder hit. There are a number of shelters being set up here in Arkansas and the numbers of refugees are growing by the day. We don't need any more blue staters here either, but Arkansas won't turn its back on people in need. Quite a few of my coworkers and associates have been busy with relief efforts.
Send rest of the refugees to Marin County, California, the richest county in the US. They have plenty of open space for building homes for the folks from New Orleans.
Glad to hear it.
I live near Seattle and saw the deputy mayor of that city on television discussing efforts to take some of the refugees.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.