Dallas seeks housing help, finds little (FEMA **not** helping)

[rainbow4321]

Uh-oh.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/katrina/stories/090305dnmetkatchaos.1cccdfd6.html



Caravans of buses hauling Hurricane Katrina evacuees are headed for Dallas, where officials are desperately scrambling to find shelter for all of them. But questions remained Friday about where the displaced would end up, as some suburbs balked at receiving them and questions were raised about the Red Cross' ability to provide food and other urgent needs.

<snip>

She said the relief agency has requested more cots from the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA did not return several phone calls Friday.

As Dallas officials struggled to prepare for the onslaught of evacuees, Mayor Laura Miller blasted Gov. Rick Perry for visiting Dallas on Thursday but not informing her or Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm personally that 25,000 evacuees would soon be on their way to Dallas. The state has also failed to make good on its promise of cots and blankets for the city's shelters, Ms. Miller said.

Ms. Miller also panned other state and federal officials for a lack of communication with Dallas officials. The mayor said she learned from Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher, not FEMA or the governor's office, that the federal agency ordered Dallas to accept 25,000 evacuees.

[girl gone mad]

1. I hat eto say it, but I am not surprised that the suburbs..

aren't doing more to help or that there is no communication from the governor's office with the Democrat mayor Miller.

[kestrel91316]

3. Can we say "NIMBY", children?

[girl gone mad]

6. Yep.

I had neighbors that fought tooth and nail to keep low income housing out of their suburb. The arguments they made against it were GROTESQUE. And of course, they turned out to be entirely inaccurate. We got the housing and crime did not go up, property values did not plummet, the world did not come to a halt just because they had to see poor people in their community.

[alarimer]

11. Heaven forbid it might reduce property values

I swear poor people are so much more giving and nice than suburbanites.

[Retrograde]

15. yeah, you know what *those* kind of people do

I saw these so-called refugees on the TV - they look to be a lot of old people, old ladies especially, and you know what those granny ladies get up to. In no time the neighborhood will be filled with the smells of home cooking, and they'll be telling all the kids to wipe their feet before coming in and to mind their elders. They may even get some sewing circles - sorry, gangs of needle-users - started!

[rainbow4321]

4. The Dallas Police chief already insulting the arriving refugees

Someone needs to take his badge away...like now. And then have cameras rolling downtown to keep the cops from murdering the refugees.

From same article:


Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said, "We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," about the security situation caused by thousands of beleaguered people flocking downtown. "We don't know what kinds of populations we'll be getting on the buses. New Orleans has historically been a violent city. But we will keep the residents of Dallas safe."

[Scooter24]

5. It's horrible

The situation in Dallas isn't so good right now. Here in Highland Park, there are families talking about hiring private security firms to patrol their property and neighborhoods for fear that they could be looted. Everyone is quick to offer cash but when the call for housing assistance arrives, many are quick to slam the door.

[justabob]

12. Why am I not surprised?

I say that as a longtime resident.... raised in the Park Cities, I would expect nothing less from them. I wonder if HPISD will have to accept the kids? In fairness though, I know a lot of people who are volunteering downtown and doing a little more than cutting checks.

[krkaufman]

8. Oh, eff him! I haven't felt much more relief in my life than when...

... my sister's family moved out of the Dallas area after a 4-year sentence there. I'm a big fan of Austin, but am severely underwhelmed by the Dallas metro area -- and was worried that my nephews would be growing up in an area with a SEVERE teen drug abuse problem.

[asjr]

2. My sister and her husband are putting up 6

students from Tulane. She wanted to take more but did not have room. One student had to leave because he was allergic to cats. My sister has two. I wish I could do the same but I don't have room either.

[kodi]

7. this could have a cascading affect all over the south

as city after city takes in the survivors of New Orleans, it will put increasing strains on these municipalities. and they had better get aid from the federal government or there will be large scale violence in numerous cities in the south.

this is the way the nation could crumble as it widens the violence and strains governments hundreds of miles away from new orleans.

[rainbow4321]

10. And with all of the refugees eventually dispersed,

Will the media follow up on their care/treatment when they leave New Orleans. Or will they simply make it sound like the victims have all reached a safe, welcoming destination?

Once these people are spread around the country and there is not the media hovering around them, chimp and his fellow fundies in these cities could make life hell for the refugees..while the rest of the US thinks the displaced people are doing just fine.

[CrazyForKucinich]

9. Is this the same Dallas that just passed a law that hurts the homeless

by not allowing people to feed them?

Don't look for any help there.

[Tanuki]

13. "Megachurches"

Dallas has some huge churches with thousands of members and their own private gyms and recreation facilities, kitchens, etc. that would be suitable for emergency housing. It will be interesting to see if these are offered.

[Miss Chybil]

14. Israel has offered temporary housing.

Maybe, one of these days, Bush and Condi will finish "sifting through" the offers of help to accept it.

(On edit: I'm assuming Israel is offering mobile homes, or "containers" like they use in the military.)

[natrat]

16. abandoned military bases should be used

it's so obvious---gop looks forward to refugees pissing off the south and encourages even more racism