POLL: Houstonions are "weary" of Katrina evacuees

[Bluebear]

HOUSTON (Reuters) - People in Houston welcomed tens of thousands of New Orleans evacuees in the days after Hurricane Katrina but now sound as if they would like to see the newcomers go home, according to a poll published on Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060324/ts_nm/hurricanes_poll_dc

[MADem]

1. So much for overwhelming hospitality, I reckon! n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Those "weary" people should be thankful that it is not some other city's

people who are weary of the Houstonians taking advantage of their hospitality.
Talk about graciousness. I never knew compassion came with an expiration date.
:puke:

[Bluebear]

3. "I never knew compassion came with an expiration date."

Well said. "OK, buh-bye now, the camera's aren't rolling anymore..."

[Marie26]

9. They've gotten a massive

influx of people in a very short time. Since this was an emergency, the city's social & educational systems probably weren't prepared at all for all the new residents. It's understandable that resentments & rivalries are going to arise.

[Igel]

11. The school system (already in trouble because of

funding problems) is strained, and the murder rate's up. Cause and effect? Certainly, for the school system. Arguably--but only arguably--for the murder rate. It'll take somebody looking at the arrest/convictions over the course of a few years to establish the accuracy or falseness of the claim.

But since we're in the market soon for a house, my first thought with 150k new residents was, "Housing prices will rise." And they have. The apt. owners mostly love having the evacuees here; not all, esp. those with the lowest income residents. They came with vouchers, and evacuees got free furniture. The apt. vacancy rate plummeted.

The problem isn't that its evacuees that are staying; it's that it's the least wealthy segment that's preferentially staying. Those than can afford to go back or push on have or will (or have already found decent jobs and bought houses). It's those that can't move back or move on that will stay, and that population will inevitably be weighted towards those needing more services, and with higher criminality.

And, if the OP reads this, it's "Houstonian". "Houstonion" sounds like some oddball variety of onion.

[Marie26]

16. It's too bad that FEMA can't help

It's an issue. I'm not going to criticize Houston, because that city helped out when almost no one else would. And they've also had to bear the costs alone, w/o much help from the federal government. Maybe the solution is for FEMA to reimburse Houston for some of the costs, & create some programs to help evacuees transition into their new lives. (Yeah, dream on, I know).

[Igel]

17. They're coughing up some funds for Houston.

But it's still awkward, mucking about with the budget in hopes of getting reimbursed.

I guess one of the problems is that the property tax funds the schools, and most of the evacuees are in apartments. They've bumped up school enrollment, but not the tax rolls. FEMA will help out for a while, but after that, not.

One thing the school district is concerned about is standardized testing; they've applied for exemptions and waivers. The evacuees, the fears are, will screw with the results. Some weren't placed in the right grade; the test is geared to the curriculum, and you don't make up for that in 6 months; and many of NOLA schools were failing--the school district on the whole was on the ropes.

The system's just not good for handling 150k people moving in with no warning. It shows the stresses.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. And this all traces back to *s lack of response to the original emergency

If the proper steps had been taken at the start of Katrina, these people would not have been forced to abandon their homes and take shelter in other cities, thus straining the goodheartedness of strangers.

[Selatius]

4. Racism + a few criminals and assholes ruining it for everyone = this mess

I can't sum it up any other way without feeling that I'm trying to come up with some bullshit rationalization. If they were a bunch of rich white people, would Houstonians be bitching as much if 1 or 2 percent of the evacuees were rich white mobsters?

[Minnesota Libra]

5. I'm somewhat torn about this story - I understand and applaud.......

......people of Houston welcoming "tens of thousands of New Orleans evacuees". They indeed stepped up to the plate when their services were needed.

On the other hand, if some of the Katrina evacuees are repaying those those good will efforts by transporting their crime with them then I certainly understand Houston's frustration and evaporating good will.

[SoCalDem]

10. People come with baggage..everywhere

My community was "the fastest growing town in the US" a while back.. Housing was cheap and plentiful as it boomed, BUT what happened was that a lot of parents in the scuzzier areas of LA decided to sell their houses there for big profits (most probably were torn down for the land)..and bought out here .. Their thinking was that it would be good for their kids. The problem? Their kids were already IN gangs and we just had gang activity imported to our town.. It was not long before we started having big-city problems we never had before..and it all happened in a 1-2 yr period, so our law enforcement was not up to it..

Every society has its share of unsavories, and when a large group moves, they go too..hurricane or no hurricane./.

[Minnesota Libra]

14. You've got a good point but that doesn't mean.................

........we should welcome or condone those "unsavories" in the name of being neighborly or helpful.

Example: If I welcome someone into my home "to help them out in a time of need" do I have the right to expect them to "mind their manners", or am I subject to all their ill manners forever more? Same concept.

[jedicord]

6. It's the friggin' local teevee news' fault.

Every time an evacuee does something illegal, he/she is always described as an evacuee. As with the Bush* Admin's repetition propaganda, one can't help but think to oneself "Oh, those BAD evacuees!".

Personally, I now know several evacuees, and they are good decent people, simply trying to get a fresh start, after an extremely devastating event.

[Blaze Diem]

7. yes, cameras stopped rolling and gov't funding is drying up..

..medical, housing, employment, etc. has been shoveled from gov. grants (handpicked contractors made out like bandits)..to churches and help agencies. No funds left so its time you "underpriviledged" move on...

Babs is a freakin wicked hag.

Bush family profits from every disaster..natural and handmade.

[SoCalDem]

8. Yup.. Poor people are such a "drag"..

They just KEEP ON needing to eat & have a roof over their heads, and all that whining about how they have nothing..:sarcasm:

[VOX]

13. Houstonian compassion: Why can't "people like that" just stay home!

(With apologies to Lily Tomlin.)

Guess Red State "good will" has a brief shelf life. :grr:

[Texasgal]

21. Oh please...

You red-state comment is bullshit!

Austin took in a huge amount of Katrina victims too, and you don't hear how things are bad here!

Screw that red-state crap... it gets old.

[ladjf]

15. I imagine that the evacuees are tired of Houstonians as well.

[Bridget Burke]

18. A few more details in the Houston Chronicle's story.

"People are of two minds on this issue," (Mayor Bill) White said. "They are proud of the competence that Houston showed in responding to Americans in need. But they are also aware that it's not a disaster for nothing. There's a big job that the evacuees and the host community have in getting people on their feet, employed and looking to the future."....

"These results reflect what I'm hearing from my constituents," said U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston. "I think the percentage of people unhappy with the deadbeats from New Orleans would be larger but for the big hearts of Houstonians who want these folks to get back on their feet, as I do.".....

(From the Researcher) "Houston has always been for individualism," he said. "After Katrina we had this moment of extraordinary civic engagement, and I think that's what's going to remain with us. I may be overly optimistic, but that's what I really believe.".....

(Harris County Tax Assessor Paul) Bettencourt is optimistic for another reason — tax receipts are up. Sales taxes have averaged double-digit increases, he said, housing prices are up, and evacuees have attracted some $150 million in loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The evacuees who crowded into the Reliant Astrodome may have been more visible, he said, but there have been just as many residents from New Orleans who bought homes and are actively contributing to the economy.

Crimes committed by evacuees have been featured in the news; evacuees have also been crime victims. How much has the crime rate gone up? Houston was not exactly crime-free before Katrina. As the tax assessor said, a great many evacuees are settling in--so they are NOT in the news.

(These are preliminary results of the study.)

www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/05/katrina/3745006.html

[TahitiNut]

19. Human beings as commodities - "Katrina evacuee, per dozen"

We human beings are individuals, each unique on the planet if not the universe. There's nothing ethically legitimate in treating us as commodities, either for our labor or for our needs. The application of "factory method" systems to human needs and abilities serve only to simplify, not comprehend. Thus, only the simple-minded apply the mythical "average" to the individual, either as a particle of thought or as a social value.

[AnneD]

20. Houston....

has taken in many. It has strained all our services. Imagine you have a 3 bedroom 2 bath house for your wife and 4 kids. It's nice and you are doing ok. Now, imagine that 3 families lose their home and you let them in for what you think will be a time until they get on their feet. Now imagine your Uncle Sam says he'll help you with some of the costs, but you only get a 1/4th of what you need to clothe, feed, educate, take to the Doc, etc...It starts adding up. You love them, you're glad to try to help, but it wears on you.


We have had to fight FEMA for every penny they promised us. Working in the schools, I can say that in the month of Nov, FEMA had only paid the equivalent of one day (let me repeat ONE DAY) of the money that they promised to pay to educate these kids. School districts are going in the hole to provide for these kids. And I have been appalled at how poorly the education was for these kids. Teachers have been busting their asses tutoring these kid to bring them up to grade level (some are 1-2 years below grade level). Some have gone without Special Ed services as required by federal law.

We have seen crime increases and we are slowly getting those criminals back behind bars. I don't think the crime increase is as bad because if it was proportional to the number of residents we took in, it would be higher.

We are trying to mix 2 different cultures. Houston is not New Orleans so adjustments and allowances have to be made. But I will say this....it could have gone very badly. I don't know too many other places that could have taken 150k people (250k initially). Many have decided to stay permanently-and that speak volumns. We have a great Mayor that really cares and a population that understands that there by the grace of God. I recall that they did a study on Good Samaritan cities of the world (pre Katrina). In the US, Rochester NY was 1st and a close 2nd was Houston. I think that is pretty darn good for one of the largest cities in the US.

[Bluebear]

22. The biggest problem is GWBush's lack of leadership

No one metro area should have this burden. He shows up for a photo-op in Mississippi every 4 months and calls it "doing something".

Also. The poll itself is in bad taste. "Are you weary of Katrina evacuees?" . . .who would write that sort of question?