All buses that have arrived at Astrodome are now being accepted.

[Zen Democrat]

They just announced that they have "reevaluated" and will be processing and accepting all the people that have arrived at the Astrodome. About 30 buses waiting outside now being let in.

They must have booted the fire marshall!

[jsamuel]

1. well considering the stadium can hold over 30000 people without being

a fire hazard for a game...

[TahitiNut]

23. To be fair, they don't all bring cots.

Not only are there far more flammable materials when used this way, those cots and personal belongings can trip a lot of people up if there's any panic.

[incapsulated]

2. .

[kansasblue]

3. I don't fault him. It's just going to be another hell hole.

They need 20 Astrodomes. Take them futher north.

[ocd liberal]

5. Take them to Washington DC

[rumpel]

7. WH lawn? Let's send some tents.

[fob]

12. *cough* CRAWFORD *cough* 1600 ACRE "RANCH" *cough*

OK, throat's clear now.

[pop goes the weasel]

31. If you don't have something useful to say

It's not just you, it's the several dozen on DU who think that it's cute to suggest Crawford as a destination. Seriously, people, pull out a freaking map. The evacuees are already traumatized enough, and you want them to spend a few extra hours being delivered to a location in the middle of fucking no where? Hey, why don't we bring back the internment camps while we're at it? Those were in the middle of fucking nowhere, too. Yeah, put all those poor, non-white people in an isolated area with no jobs, no toilets, no showers, no nothing--but I can guarantee you there will be barbed wire.

So stop with the Crawford suggestion already. It wasn't funny the first time.

[fob]

37. Calm down and take a break. My typing a joke that refers to the boy kings

extravagant lifestyle in contrast to his* "fuck those New Orleans democrats" attitude ain't doing no one no harm. It's NOT a suggestion of Crawford as a destination, it's social commentary. And I assure you bush*s "ranch" has plenty of toilets, showers and things to do in that high-tech eco-friendly compound. Chill. And it WAS funny the first time.

:toast:

[pop goes the weasel]

38. I know what the joke is

and I know you aren't meaning to be mean. But, no, the pig farm on the outskirts of Rinkydinkville is not adequate to hold 20,000 displaced urbanites.

I'll pretend to agree with you that it was funny the first time. (Insert the part here where I laugh ironically.) But continuing to make the same joke starts dehumanizing the refugees as much as it sneers at *.

Thanks for the brew. Cheers.

[Not_Giving_Up]

4. What about the ones they had already turned away?

Did they bring them back?

[babylonsister]

6. To me, that's messed up because I thought the Astrodome

was already overloaded. Sigh... Now I don't know what to think, whether it's good or bad. 30 buses at about 50 ppl per bus += 150 more people. ???

[Der Blaue Engel]

13. 1500 n/t

[babylonsister]

17. Derrrrr. I used to be better in language, lousy in math,

obviously. :)

[Der Blaue Engel]

20. :)

Hey, I can see My Posts again! :7

[Zen Democrat]

15. No. Now they say 150 buses - about 6,000 more people.

No buses actually left because the bus drivers couldn't drive more further without sleep.

[Zen Democrat]

8. The Astrodome looks full. Houston TV is on live tonight - it's incredible.

I think that TV news here must have shamed the authorities at the Dome because after about a dozen families were interviewed and told of the sickness and the hungry babies -- all of a sudden it was announced that the decision not to accept any more people had been reversed. THANK GOD.

These people need help now. Not 5 hours from now in Dallas -- but NOW. So many people were getting off the buses to stay on their own because they already had family inside the Astrodome.

One family that had been inside the Superdome told of the wretched conditions there -- rapes, beatings, feces. Unbelievable.

[WiseButAngrySara]

9. Thank God...these people have been through so much, I'm exhausted

by just trying to keep up with it! (Since Sunday night...)

[Skink]

10. They are also arriving in San Antonio...

I think it is a good move. There is plenty of room at Kelly USA, a former airstation, with easy access to the medical center.

[Zen Democrat]

11. A newsman who went inside one of the buses said people are sick.

He said most of these people need medical attention now. Most of the bus drivers had been on the road for 10 hours and weren't allowed by law to drive any further. So the buses couldn't go anywhere and they had to do something with the people.

The news just showed Houstonians showing up at the Dome to help. People who were watching the news have gotten up out of their beds to go to the Dome to help these people with clothes and food and to volunteer inside the Dome.

[jobycom]

14. I overheard several people at Costco tonight, in Austin,

preparing to go to the Astrodome and San Antonio tomorrow. Costco was selling pallets of water, and they were clearing quickly. A lot of the water wound up just outside the door, on large pallets marked "Katrina Donations." One woman and her daughter told me they were going to San Antonio. They didn't even know where the refugees were, but they were buying crates of water to bring to them.

We have a beautiful nation. If we could just cleanse it of the filth that has taken over, we'd be in good shape.

[Skink]

18. Bring donations to HEB Marketplace 9900 Wurtzbach in San Antonio..

That is Interstate 10 and Wurtzbach. They have a fleet of trucks that will take it to Kelly USA in San Antonio and the Astrodome in Houston. You can also purchase supplies right there to be sent.

[jobycom]

35. Thanks. I'm bringing mine straight to Gulfport, Mississippi

That's where my parents are, and they need supplies, and help getting their house repaired. They are in the forgotten zone. So that's where I'm heading, to see what I can do for my old home town.

[Pallas180]

26. Is Costco selling water or donaating?

thanks

[jobycom]

36. From what I understand, both

They were selling water to customers, and asking the customers to donate the water back to the relief effort. But I've seen stories that Costco is also donating, and handling efforts to distribute supplies.

I hope that's the case. Businesses have been a lot quicker to respond than BushCo to this crisis. Costco and Whole Foods both seem to have started collecting and donating from the very beginning.

[Autumn Colors]

16. I believe

THIS would be a fine opportunity for all those good christians who spout the importance of family values to step forward and offer to give these people shelter in their homes.

If I don't see massive amounts of clergy on Sunday asking their congregation to step forward and "adopt" families, I'm going to be really pissed off.

The RW'ers have always been big on adoption. Here's a chance for them to open up their homes to families with children and walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.

[Zen Democrat]

19. Somebody needs to do something about bureaucratic red tape.

Apparently they are running out of food at the Astrodome. And ... people have been going to the Dome all day taking massive amounts of food and water and have been turned away. Apparently the Red Cross is only using food from a contractor -- Aramack or something. But Aramack doesn't have any more food there tonight and people bringing food aren't allowed to go in! What the hell is going on????

[Not_Giving_Up]

22. My mom said she saw on the Houston news yesterday

People who were taking food and supplies to the Astrodome and the Red Cross was turning them away, saying they needed money, not food. :wtf:

[thethinker]

32. On the Houston news last night

Last night on TV one man showed up with a truck load of diapers for babies and the Red Cross at the Astronomer would not take them

They said on TV tonight they have been turning away volunteers all day and now they are short of volunteers at the Astronomer.

They are out of clean towels and food at the Astronomer tonight. People have been trying to donate food and they won't take it.

There is a doctor on TV that has been working at the Astronomer saying they needs more doctors. Some people are arriving in critical condition.

They have been separating families on these buses. So the people are desperate to find their families.

[anitar1]

40. Red Cross is big on bucks, always has been. n/t

[tedzbear]

39. Does Elizabeth Dole still run the Red Cross?

I know she once did, but now she's a senator I think.

[Pallas180]

21. Texas fire marshall not liking black people in his astrodome?

look out for white sheets and burning crosses

[Zen Democrat]

30. No. The Astrodome is wall to wall with 12,000 people now.

They were never able to take 25,000 because they don't want people to just sit in seats, they want everyone to have a bed to sleep in.

Houston isn't a racist city. We had a black mayor and black police chief for the last two terms. The current mayor is a Democrat.

Houston has Tom DeLay representing the rich folks in Sugar Land, but we also have Sheila Jackson Lee.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

42. man...just f**k off

i have had enough of this bullshit jumping on everyone and screaming racism. Did it ever occur to you that maybe 11,000 cots for people to sleep in might take up a little more space than 11,000 people siting in plastic chairs?

You know, I bet you are one of those that jumps on a person no matter what they do. So, the fire marshall sets a number of 11,000 for safety reasons and so that people can sleep on a cot rather than allow the place to go 'standing room only' ...you scream racism. But, if he had let 50,000 people in there to sit in the seats and the conditions deteriorated into something like went on at the Superdome you would be screaming that he was a racist for packing those poor people in there like that.

'White sheets and burning crosses' from the town that didn't HAVE TO DO A DAMNED THING??? F**k off...

[Zen Democrat]

24. Okay. Now Houston is opening up Reliant Center for shelter.

[Not_Giving_Up]

27. Good for them

The Texans can go play somewhere else.

[Bouncy Ball]

28. Good.

They need somewhere to go RIGHT NOW, not a few hours from now when it's 4 am.

Tomorrow they can get them to other major cities in Texas, if they need to.

[Not_Giving_Up]

25. Someone should tell CNN

They're still saying "The No Vacancy sign is up in the Astrodome".

[annagull]

29. Is that guy Brown from FEMA a total idiot?

I've heard him lying all over the tv all day, and I am sure the fire marshall may have had some truly valid concerns about getting everyone out in case of fire, but at every turn there is nothing less than complete incompetance on the Federal level. Homeland Security is a joke.

[Zen Democrat]

33. They said they initially decided to cut it off for the comfort level

of the people inside. They didn't want the Astrodome to become overcrowded and make it another miserable experience for these people. But the basic human need overruled that decision.

A doctor is currently on the air from the parking lot of the Astrodome appealing to physicians to come to the aid of these people. People with heart problems, open wounds, infections, cancer patients, seizures. This is massive.

[nonconformist]

34. Baghdad Brown. nt

[NuttyFluffers]

41. but what about hotels/motels?

just make astrodome a big processing center for houston area hotels/motels to house the refugees. do the same for each major city and their sporting arena. every hotel/motel generally has space available
(unless there's a major convention) and would cream at the chance at federally guaranteed payment, for a full house, for several weeks, possibly months. but we live in 3rd world america, and the administration likes to light money in a big bonfire in the middle east...

shit, this isn't hard to figure out -- you just need federal leadership. and therein lies the rub. criminal negligence at the very least here.