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."
I have received about 10 replies to my inquiry...
All were consistent but yours was succinct and to the point...
RHINO with a RAT tail...
Thanks TX
LOL!
OH! I saw that earlier! I can't believe he really said that!
Our boss sent out an e-mail today that our newly renovated hanger is to be used as a shelter. Outside of a 1.5 million dollars spent on construction, another $400,000 was spent to install the latest electronic equipment in the classrooms. I have a feeling that building is going to be destroyed within a week. Texas A&M is already turning their arena into a shelter and now they're using our hanger as well. They're nuts if they think both buildings aren't going to be destroyed.
It isn't being reported. We live in a small town south of Houston and no reporting of surrounding cities/towns helping. We are from Louisiana and you'd never know Louisiana was doing a thing. Relatives are telling us. MSM is focusing on what they want to... shock.
They're here in East Texas. I understand a local motel owner has offered them the weekly rate to reduce their cost. Tonight I was asked directions by a Red Cross worker where to get to a small city up the road. They are everywhere. The problem is that these people are going to be here and elsewhere for a year or more. What then? New Orleans is a doomed city and should never have been built in the first place. This is going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and in the long run probably down a huge rathole. Fill it up and make it a national memorial park and relocate "New" New Orleans about 75 miles to the north. Bring in temporary housing and eventually get people relocated properly.
I can't even imagine how this is going to be handled. Just visiting a relative for more than two days gets to be an ordeal. Imagine living with complete strangers for a year or more. Impossible situation.
Maybe V. Fox could take a few thousand, Free trade and all.
Well, that's your decision, but things just aren't that black and white (or blue and red) to me.
I live in Minnesota and I have not voted for any of the liberals here, and I know that there are people in need in N.O. who haven't voted for the government they have right now.
I've made some bad decisions at different points in my life, politics being the least of it. I have received compassion from different types of people and have friends with different political leanings.
If my money can help someone in that horrible situation down there, I'm overjoyed.
We are working on X3 by next weekend.
Someone needs to ask where the eff is
BONO
SIR BOB GELDHOFF
and the assorted asshole hiphop/rappers that helped to create the gangsta/preadator mindset that enhanced the experience of those trapped in NO. Not to worry, Snoop be coming.
This is real:
Warwick Dunn has challenged each NFL player to donate 5K to hurricane relief; however you can-hold those you cheer to the challenge.
AFAIK, Bush the Elder is Episcopalian??? But Southern Methodist University (SMU) seems to hold claim to the Prez, perhaps through Laura.
V. Fox needs to take a few hundred thousand of his own back... leave the tax paying citizens here where they belong.
Move them to Detroit.
It's pretty empty up there.
I lived in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis. My ex and her family have their houses reduced to concrete slabs on the North side of Back Bay. I've been trying to find them. I would gladly open my house to them. Having been to NO countless times, worked with people from there, I have little sympathy. The mentality is so very different from MS...
Every decent sized town in central Texas has a shelter open and is collecting massive amounts of food, clothing, and money for the victims of Katrina. Our school district is ready for a large influx of kids. Texans will take care of our neighbors. If they want to work here we have plenty of jobs. If they don't, they'll soon find out our social safety net isn't quite like some other states and move on.
Aint that just grand. Patience for those that presume to know whether a person is an American by the color of their skin, and the manner of their speech, is running very thin. The Hmong, Somali, and even some of the evil Mexicans are here at the request and pleasure of the US state department. More is the pity that these folks are an inconvenience to the established community. There is an adage about folks not really knowing what they are made of until they have nothing. We will continue to welcome our fellow Americans into Texas. And even the evil Mexicans that YOU allow to come here. Simply because they are our neighbors, and ignorant pinheads tell us Texans to shoot them. Either you fix ICE, or try to come down here and shoot our neighbors yourself. Otherwise, please STFU.
And try to have a nice day:)
Maybe they should just rebuild New Orleans on Matagorda Bay where Indianola used to be?
We should have saved all that dirt from the Panama Canal.
Can you believe this mess?
Great Point. And Point taken.
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find them. :(
I'll remind you that the two states east of Louisiana are wrestling with their own refugee problems.
Not ten miles from my house sw of Mobile, they're frantically building a tent city for 3,000 people from the small community of Bayou LaBatre. There are numerous small towns along the coast that were completely wiped out that are to small to be mentioned nationally.
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