Since this is the first hurricane in the history of the country it’s not unusual no one has thought of possible evacuation solutions.
Here’s one - churches’ could set up ‘sister city’ agreement WITH OTHER CHURCHES WITHIN THEIR OWN DENOMINATION.
A middle class church could set up a swap with a middle class church in a similar city. An inner city black church with an inner city black church... Same with Catholics, Unitarians, etc. The idea would be to decrease the stress of evacuees by creating a safe and comfortable evacuation option.
I think church reach-out is an idea, but I would suggest that since the George W Bush administration, there has been a systematic attack on "faith-based services." Many of the so-called "soup kitchens" were shut down by liberals over fears of subjecting the poor to proselytizing, religious hospitals were losing funding over "church-state" separation, parochial schools were losing enrollments, etc.
I can't imagine what the outcry would be if a liberal Democrat mayor suggested church solutions. Don't get me wrong... Houston is a very religious city, but I'd think that church outreach would not be top-of-mind for many of today's politicians over fears of being called biased. For example, suggesting that the city is showing preference for Baptist churches over mosques or synagogues, or suggesting that only the religious would be allowed to take advantage of the sheltering service, or being told that they must hide their religious symbols so as not to offend stranded non-believers.
It's sad to think this way, but maybe people will be open to new ideas after this is over.
-PJ