Just a thought
With Ike heading toward the opening of the Gulf as a very powerful storm, why didn’t we wait to see what it would do before bringing everyone back?
Just sayin…
With Ike heading toward the opening of the Gulf as a very powerful storm, why didn’t we wait to see what it would do before bringing everyone back?
Just sayin…
September 4th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
From what I hear, the evacuees in Shreveport were more than ready to go home. I doubt they would have stayed longer without putting up a pretty serious fight. Apparently, some of our state-contracted shelters were not nearly ready to accomodate the evacuees. The City of Shreveport apparently spent some of its own money to put in showers and bring portable restroom facilities to the shelters.
I hope somebody in state government evaluates the shelter contracts and either 1) holds the owners to account or 2) renegotiates the contracts to include needed services.
If the facilities were as bad as the evacuees led us to believe (and I don’t doubt it), we will have a hard time getting folks to evacuate if the “big one” does hit. I also fear that “evacuation fatigue” could set in, causing folks not to evacuate if a dangerous storm approaches any time soon.
Everyone be safe!
September 4th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
That really concerns me and you raise a great point. What happens if Ike does come into the gulf and requires another evacuation? Will those people at the shelters be less likely to evacuate because of the lack of showers and toilets?
I will have to search for more information about the lack of facilities at the shelters.
September 5th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I have now heard from someone who visited the two state-run shelters in Shreveport. This person is a reliable narrator whose opinion I trust and value.
Her description included the terms “hell hole” and “squalor.” Here are some quotes from her email:
“There were two entities authorized to open shelters in Shreveport - the Red Cross and the Louisiana Department of Social Services. Because of the influx (approximately 40,000,) the city opened three shelters. The Red Cross and the City’s shelters are well run and safe. The state’s shelters are hell holes. The state is renting a former Sam’s club for $40,000/month according to the paper this am. There is also a state run outlet mall.
* * *
There were 3,900 people with 3 portolets; no place to wash your hands or take a shower, no security. There were elderly who needed depends - none available. There was a man threatening to kill people but there was no one available to take him to the psych unit.”
* * *
Because the conditions were so deplorable at the state shelters, the mayor ordered many, many portolets. He tried to get showers but the state said it would be at least three days. He also got security over there. Last night, among other times, there were fights where folks were arrested.
You get the idea.