Katrina - The shelters in Baton Rouge |
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September 14th, 2005 - 09:54AM |
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Thomas, an evacuee from Hurricane Katrina, at the shelter at Southern University in Baton Rouge. Photo courtesy Robert Terrell, ratterrell at Flickr.com Louisiana native Lisa David, now the IRC's regional refugee resettlement director in Dallas, traveled back to her home state to join an IRC team supporting local relief efforts for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Day 1 Day 2 Saturday, September 3 This morning my parents ask me to talk with Anita, given my experience working with refugees. I feel a little helpless; I’ve worked with refugees who have endured unspeakable horrors. The difference is that by the time most refugees arrive in the United States, they are somewhat separated from the persecution they have fled. Anita and her family have likely lost everything in just the last few days. What can you say to someone at a time like this? I end up telling her what I tell many of the refugees I work with – that you have to take it one day at a time, and that as hard as things may seem the resilience of the human spirit is amazing. There is a lot of hugging and crying. Around mid-morning, I begin the journey to Baton Rouge. Given what I see on television and hear on the radio, I am a bit uncertain about just what I’m heading into, but the drive is uneventful. I take Highway 190, which is not as well traveled as Interstate 10. Aside from a few military convoys along the way, there is almost nothing to indicate that anything is amiss. Even as I enter into Baton Rouge itself, traffic seems only a little busier than normal on this Saturday morning. After an initial meeting with Baton Rouge Area Foundation staff, I have an opportunity to get out and visit some of the larger shelter sites. First is the River Center, the main Red Cross shelter site in Baton Rouge. I am extremely impressed with how well run it is – the evacuees’ basic needs (food, water, shelter and medical care) are being addressed. There is a strong security presence (both police and military), but the shelter is essentially a city unto itself with approximately 6,000 residents. It is definitely a busy place, but not one I would describe as chaotic. I also get to visit the two medical shelters on the Louisiana State University campus – as well as the Istrouma Baptist Church that is operating as a 600-bed Red Cross shelter. Again, I am struck by how well run the shelters are – whether they are overseen by the Red Cross or the Louisiana Department of Social Services. At the sites I visit, basic needs are being met. It is still hard to wrap my mind around the number of displaced as I know the shelters I’ve visited only represent a fraction of the evacuees that are now in temporary living situations – in shelters, hotels or staying with family, friends or strangers – across Louisiana and neighboring states. It becomes clear that the evacuees have a lot of questions that aren’t being answered yet, simply because no one has the answers for them. First responders are operating by Mazlow’s “hierarchy of needs” and, in what is still very much a rescue effort in New Orleans, the focus is on ensuring everyone has the absolute basics. While evacuees say that things in New Orleans itself were “very bad,” those I’ve observed today appear to be well cared for once they enter the shelter system. At the end of the day, there are subtler reminders of the “growth pains” that Baton Rouge has endured over the last week – estimates are that the city has doubled, if not tripled its size in the last week. Numerous gas stations have no gas, and many businesses are operating on a “cash only” basis because the phone system is either down or overwhelmed, so using credit or debit cards is impossible. I am staying with a former IRC staff member who has joined our assessment team and has a home in Baton Rouge. Because so many people fled New Orleans before the hurricane and cannot return home, there are no available hotel or motel rooms available. This will present a challenge to organizations and volunteers who want to come in to help – they will either need to have a connection they can stay with, or be prepared to camp out. Posted By: Kathleen Sands | Hurricane Katrina Permalink |
