Huricane Shelters

[Joe Pelonio]

My son (17) is a volunteer with the Red Cross, he's been with the Seattle area First Aid Service Team for two years. Anyway, he's currently taking a lot of evening classes and getting ready to fly down to the gulf coast to
help at a shelter for 3 weeks on the 29th, won't know where until right before he leaves. We're not getting the news here we did right after the storms, so anyone closer to that area, what are you hearing about what's going on at the shelters and in the areas around them? It seems like those people could be pretty frustrated and hopeless by now if they're still in shelters. We're not going to discourage him, just wanted to know how much we should worry.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Joe, a couple of my co-workers returned about a week ago from the Gulf Coast area (Louisiana and Alabama) after working as relief volunteers for several weeks. Other than the fact that they worked harder and more hours than they thought they could, they didn't mention any negatives about the trip or the duties. They did, however, tell many stories of people being very thankful for the help and assistance. They saw some pretty heartbreaking stuff, and some encouraging stuff as well.

Hope this helps, and a tip o' the hat to your son -

- Vaughn

[Cecil Arnold]

Joe, it's my understanding that the people who are still in the shelters are becoming rather dejected over the bureaucratic snafus that have developed in some of the centers. I think that since your son will be in a Red Cross shelter things may be better, since the RC seems to be a little better orgainzed. We see reports here of people going to the temp. FEMA offices before sun up and waiting until 2 pm in the heat, then being told to go home since they have procecssed all they can for the day.

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks guys. He's used to helping people that are really happy he's there, doing first aid at events. His only negative experience has been a car/motorcyle accident where he attempted CPR on the biker who
as it turned out was already dead. Hopefully he'll find this to be
an experience that he will never forget and will help him in the
future as he hopes to become a paramedic.

http://members.aol.com/bisjoe/rcmm.gif

[Carl Eyman]

First, thank your son for his generosity. We are about 1/2 mile from the University gymnasium at Nicholls State Univ. A newspaper article yesterday said the shelter population is down to about 200 from a peak of 1200 plus another several hundred at the triage. The community has been kind to the evacuees, but some of our citizens have been less than gracious in their remarks and rumors. Pack people into a place like sardines and the reaction may not be pleasant. But there has been no trouble. My friends that have volunteered to cook and serve breakfasts report the evacuees grateful and appreciative.

[Carl Eyman]

Joe: For further information go to www.dailycomet.com Better do this soon while the Oct. 14 issue is still up. There is a front page story on the attitude of some evacuees still there, and if you click on the "opinion" button and then letters you will find some thankyou's from people now home from the shelter.

[Rob Bourgeois]

Most of the shelters in this area have shuffled people off to temporay and permanent housing. HE might not get to be in a shelter really filled with people but instead those who havent been processed out. My wife and I are involved with "Project Backpack" and the people in the shelters are truly grateful and in general good people. It only takes one bad egg( or a person to have a bad day) for the press to use them as the "typical" shelter person.

Dont believe half of the negative things that they report.
Tell you son thanks and he will definitely get something out of this, that can not be put in words...

[Joe Pelonio]

Thanks for all your help and kind words. I did check that Comet article,
and printed it off for him.

[Joe Pelonio]

Just to update, my son Josh flies out this evening to Miami. The Red Cross has assigned him to work in "shelter logistics" and he reports to their operation at the Sheritan Miami Mart. He has been told that where he will be working there is no power, and that he will sleep in the staff shelter in the ballroom at the hotel. Other than that he'll find out when he gets there. Since he just turned 18 and has never been to Miami, if any member(s) are willing to pm me with a phone number that I could give him to call in case he gets lost or something, my wife and I would be very grateful.