I'm in Houston. Katrina victims have filled our shelters. Warnings ignored

[Mugsy]

I knew this would happen.

When they started evacuating a majority of Katrina's victims to Houston and filling up our shelters barely halfway through hurricane season, I said to people, "Who's the genius that came up with that idea???"

"Who moves hurricane victims from one gulf-coast city to another at-risk gulf-coast city with six more weeks of hurricane season left to go?"

Now our city is overrun with victims from Louisiana and Mississippi (you see them on street-corners with their children holding signs asking for help), and only now... within the past 48 hours... have they started re-evacuating the evacuees to higher ground... this time, some place in Arkansas.

I live in an apartment about 30 miles outside downtown Houston. I don't know anybody within driving distance to evacuate to, and our own shelters are maxed out. Looks like I'm riding this one out.

Two of the largest cities in the United states (N.O. and Houston combined into one, seeking shelter in a third city? Dallas perhaps?

This is going to be interesting.:dilemma:

[Boomer]

1. Conversely....

How much of the aid that is now being marshalled for the Texas coast is being taken away from the areas Katrina destroyed?

There are still large areas of Mississippi that haven't seen any FEMA, National Guard or Red Cross relief workers. If there's not enough to deal with the devastated coastal areas, where are we getting the resources to prepare for a Texas landfall?

[daninthemoon]

2. You're right. Hope the MSM makes note of this latest planning/lack

of planning disaster. I just hope we have enough time and enough sense to get out ahead on this one. They have until Friday to get everyone to safety. We all need to be praying on it.

[rodeodance]

5. I heard on the news last evening that the Astrodome LA folk were packing

up and were to be transported to ARK. very short blurp about this.

[qanda]

13. They're too busy bashing Mayor Nagin

For absolutely everything he does to notice that people are making bad decisions all around.

[rodeodance]

3. be safe

[ananda]

4. they're going to Arkansas

I agree. It was folly to move so many people to another hurricane prone area. The ones in shelters are being evacced, but I don't know about the 100k who got apartments, homes, and jobs. We'll see.

I'm outta here tomorrow. I'm just hoping against hope that my apartment doesn't get flooded. I'm at Memorial and Antoine in the 9900 Memorial apartments, on the first floor. Yikes.

Sue

[Pirate Smile]

14. I saw a family who had been evacuated out who had gotten an apartment

in Galveston. They were getting out of there but I assume they plan on returning to their apartment (hopefully) afterward.

One of the news channels said it had been 40 years since Texas suffered any major hurricane damage. I was surprised it had been that long.

[kcwayne]

6. But, but, but, your Governor was bragging on CNN this morning

about how well prepared Texas is for the hurricane, because they have a finely tuned machine of local first response providers, FEMA, and competent local authorities to handle the problem. So there is no need to worry.....

[Mugsy]

7. Our most competent leader is our Dem Mayor.

Our "most competent leader" here is our Democratic Mayor Bill White, who started moving the Katrina victims to Arkansas two days ago because he knew we might need the shelter space.

The storm was still over Florida Keys at the time.

If anyone thinks Governor "Good Hair" or somebody from FEMA told him to do it, they're sadly mistaken.

[KharmaTrain]

8. It Was A "Feel Good Thing"

Perry tried to ride in and bail his bosses asses out. It was a "win-win"...it gave a place for this regime to "dump the refugees" and make it look like a humanitarian move. Remember how all the cable news talking heads were saying how great Texas was for opening their doors and helping all these poor people?

I thought the Astrodome was only a temporary facility, but FEMA's fuck-ups have created a disaster in the making in Houston and other areas where NOLA evacuees have tried to take refuge.

Fortunately Houston isn't built on a soup-bowl like New Orleans and the destruction there won't be on that scale. But nonetheless, as we've seen with FEMA's previous screw-ups...which continue to go on...this storm is gonna compound existing problems and possibly make them worse.

It's not beyond this regime to over-react when the storm hits...divert tons of resources from MS and LA to Texas...get the camera time and go for the "feel good" thing again and then leave all these areas to fend for themselves.

[efhmc]

9. Wrong, those shelters are now mostly empty now. The arena is the only

one still housing evacuees.

[Mugsy]

10. There are more "shelters" than just Reliant Park

Uh, no. Sorry. The most talked about facility being used as a shelter, the Reliant Center buildings (the old Dome, the "Arena", etc...) are emptying out because of the re-evacuation, but the "George R. Brown" Convention Center is still in use, as is just about every tiny low-key facility in the city.

Just because the "largest two facilities" are being cleared out, doesn't mean we have plenty of room to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Houstonians and newly transplanted New Orleanians.

:dunce:

[efhmc]

11. Was there and worked from the beginnning. Have been told that the GRB

is empty and the other large areas are empty. Houston has plenty of room.

[Mugsy]

15. Then what was Pickles visiting on Monday?

On Monday, there were still 300 Katrina victims in th GRB.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050919_ac_firstlady.720aa8dc.html

Hopefully, they've been evacuated by now, though I have not heard anything on the news if they have, nor have I heard anyone say they are prep'ing it for Rita evacuees.

PS: A Google News search reports, as of today, there are still 1,100 Katrina evacuees between the Reliant and GRB.

[efhmc]

21. Are you aware that there were over 24,000 people in those shelters at

one time? There is lots and lots of space available. Your numbers are about what my contact gave me last night. Although he said that GRB was mostly empty. Why are you so worried? There are lots of schools churches, firestations and other areas that are now not being used either.

[Mugsy]

24. You don't get it.

You just don't seem to get it.

Houston went from a city with a population of 1.9 million to 2.3 million LITTERALLY over night, and most of them are still here.

Our facilities did not grow capacity as quickly as our population just did.

And there is a second point you seem to have missed... that all of these Katrina victims are about to be uprooted again, and are none too happy about it.

[Pirate Smile]

12. Well, it sounds like your Dem Mayor had a big heart and helped

out NOLA when they needed it most. Why didn't Dallas or any other big cities further in?

Houston should be blessed for helping so many people in need. The fact that a Cat 4-5 is headed toward you guys just sucks.

How close is Houston to the coast - 20-30 miles or is it more?

I have a cousin who lives in Sugarland. We are trying to find out what she is doing.

[Bridget Burke]

17. Some evacuees went to other cities.

Houston was a staging area for many. I have NOT seen evacuees on the street corners. Most Houstonians don't regret helping NOLA.

Some parts of Houston are vulnerable to storm surge because of the bayous. But the "Greater Houston/Galveston area" includes low-lying coastline & a big Island.

Here' the link for Sugarland's City Govt. They aren't expecting devastation, but lots of "minor" damage.

www.sugarlandtx.gov/

[Pirate Smile]

19. Thanks. Best of luck.

:)

[Mugsy]

23. Four weeks later they're still "staging"?

Katrina's victims started arriving en masse in Houston on September 1st. It is now three weeks later.

That some lousy "staging".

No one said we *regret* helping the victims of Katrina, but they never should have been moved "laterally" to another at-risk city. That was just stupid.

Sugar Land (note correct spelling)'s Republican Mayor Wallace can expect "only minor damage". He's farther inland that East-Houston.

As for "people on street-corners with children, holding signs", maybe you're not in the same part of town as I am... ya'think that's a possibility?

[ProfessorGAC]

16. I Thought The Exact Same Thing

I was wondering why someone would think it was a good idea, no matter how convenient, to move people displaced by a horrible natural event, to a location that is almost as susceptible, DURING HURRICANE SEASON!

This was not the best planning, and now the most obvious reason is becoming manifest.
The Professor

[Bridget Burke]

18. Houston took them in because nobody else volunteered.

We're still not as vulnerable as NOLA.

Local authorities have plans underway. (Not expecting help from Austin or DC.) Evacuees from the Coast are being sent farther north.

[ProfessorGAC]

20. I'm Not Blaming You Folks

You did the right thing. But, the evac plan should have included an IMMEDIATE decision to move these people to somewhere safe where they wouldn't have to be re-evacuated.

I know you're not as vulnerable as NOLA, but still pretty vulnerable. And, these folks have been through enough.
The Professor

[rainbow4321]

22. Corpus Christi and Port Aransas:Evac large vehicles/special needs people

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_4097387,00.html

Corpus Christi and Port Aransas officials late Tuesday called for a mandatory evacuation of all high-profile vehicles from Mustang Island, Padre Island and Flour Bluff.

City and area officials expect to decide this afternoon whether to call for additional evacuations for Hurricane Rita, which is expected to become a Category 4 storm.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett said while the National Weather Service is predicting the storm to make landfall near Matagorda Bay, more than 100 miles northeast of the city, officials are not taking any chances.

Corpus Christi Independent School District officials also are working in coordination with the city to determine whether schools will remain open for the remainder of the week. Both Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University-Kingsville are waiting until today to make decisions about canceling classes and evacuating students. A&M-Kingsville officials said the university has made arrangements to transport students who do not have vehicles to Texas A&M University-International in Laredo.