WDSU: Bus Convoy to move New Orleans survivors to Houston TX

[brooklynite]

...starting with Superdome refugees. Reporting that they will be housed at the Houston Astrodome (currently not in use).

Live coverage at: http://www.wdsu.com/video/4907831/detail.html

[HereSince1628]

1. Don't you think some universities could make dormitories available?

Suspending class for a month until there is better organization, seems like a possibility.

[Eloriel]

2. And what about military bases? Can't be THAT full with

everyone in Iraq.

[HereSince1628]

6. Really good point, although that requires the chimp to approve.

The southeast has a dozen or so really big bases.

[cyberpj]

23. Especially since they're getting ready to CLOSE SOME. nt.

[LostinVA]

26. Mu mom said this to me Monday early afternoon n/t

[MADem]

50. Reservists, who do the heavy lifting in Iraq, do NOT LIVE ON BASE nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

59. That's not such a bad idea

The reservist training faculties do have barracks. They also have a mess hall and latrines.

In a pinch these could work as interim housing, or so I would think.

[jean]

3. I doubt many colleges could bear the financial burden and since

this admin always promises big money and never coughs it up, colleges could take a huge financial blow.

Plus, there would be no guarantee that one month would cover the time needed to provide housing for these refugees.

[HereSince1628]

11. The issue is immediate relief, if you didn't put them up in the dorms

there still are literally dozens of huge arenas within the radius defined by the distance between Houston and New Orleans.

[brooklynite]

7. Actually, I just figured out the perfect location...

Bush's ranch has plenty of room, and he won't be using it for at least a month...

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

29. And all those empty steel sided buildings...

... they use as a backdrop for the press area.

[MADem]

51. Now THAT's a plan!!! nt

[LisaL]

20. Those students paid for their classes, and a lot, I might add, considering

tuition is rising everywhere.

[HereSince1628]

24. I was talking about post-poning the start of the semester not

stopping them. Most schools have long mid winter breaks and also long spring breaks, some have long fall breaks. All those could be shortened to make up the time.

But, as I responded to the comments above, I think that military bases make a tremendous amount of sense.

[pop goes the weasel]

32. schools in Texas started this week

putting refugees in the dorms would mean displacing the students, so that ain't gonna happen.

[LisaL]

46. Exactly. You have a lot of people involved in this, not just students.

Their teachers, etc. You can't just close a school because it will mean bad things for everybody working for the universities.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

58. Not to mention many of those students

Have no other place to go.

Not everyone is blessed with having a family to go home to.

[Zhade]

60. Self-delete

NT!

[cmd]

4. Unbelievable.

Can't we do better than this for our citizens?

[liberal N proud]

9. Not in Conservative Amerika

This is a cut throat nation when it comes down to it.
We would bend over backward to help other nations when disaster strikes, but If it happens in the US. the attitude is you are on your own.

[Delphinus]

30. You said it better than I could.

It's unbelievable what we've become as a nation.

[melody]

47. "We" haven't become anything bad as a nation

There are countless offers of free homes/food/clothing/money to Katrina victims on many web class ad boards. There are people all over the country extending help in other ways. My local Democrats organization (having just returned from a donations-of-water run to Crawford, Texas) is now gathering up donations for the southern relief effort.

What Bush and his "base" are doing is one thing...they are the minority...thank heavens.

[KoKo]

19. Will they all be forced to go? Some may have relatives somewhere

they can call if they ever get access to a phone. :-(

[demo dutch]

5. They have got to put them somewhere until they figure out what to do.

In Homestead, FL, a tent city sprung up after Andrew. Not a great solution especially during hurricane season, but it was the only thing they could do.

[KoKo]

22. These people haven't been able to shower or bathe in days...will it be

the same in the Astrodome? Are there enough showers to handle the 30,000 people who need to care care of themselves? Will they be allowed to leave the Astrodome or kept in some kind of detention? Will they be able to look for jobs in Huston?

[demo dutch]

56. At least people can venture out of the Astrodome, they can set

up facilities around the Astrodome they won't be surrounded by rising water. I think jobs will be the last thing on anyones mind. Some will be re-united with families elsewhere. Some will be able to back closer to home, into temporary housing etc. Many will not want to go back and will relocate. It will takes months but eventually the storm will create jobs in certain areas like construction, and the service industry etc. Kind of the same scenario as in So. Florida in 92.

[watercolors]

8. Now how stupid is that!!

From one hell hole to another. There has to be some better places, military base that could provide, hotels, tents. Where is the logic of this move?

[prolesunited]

12. It won't be nearly as bad

At least they'll have running water, toilets that work and AC as well as access to set up water and food distribution.

I don't think they should be there for any length of time, but this will work short-term.

If people had access to communications, some could probably find friends or relatives to help them. They can triage people who are ill or with chronic illnesses. Those who are left, they can then start finding suitable accomodations.

It's a great first step. Those people need to be out of there NOW.

[demo dutch]

15. You got to get them all into one place feed them etc. and then sort

through the mess. Re-connect people with their loved ones some people may have family, some people will be housed in yes tents, (similar to Andrew), temporary housing etc. Logistically, it's probably the best place to start. Similar to WWII when millions were displaced.

[Zhade]

61. If they don't move them, they DIE.

Either from rising flood waters, a collapsing Superdome, or soon-to-be-increasing disease. That's aside from the food and water situation.

It may or may not be ideal, but it HAS to happen, and fast.

[noonwitch]

10. We've got lots of empty houses in Detroit, if they can get here!

They may be abandoned homes, but many are structurally sound, and just need new electrical wiring and plumbing.

[catmandu57]

13. Even a tent city

would probably be better, I'd want to be where I could get outside, not cooped up with 25,000 people.

[htuttle]

14. Not to mention that it would be nice to sleep lying down...

...instead of trying to sleep in a stadium seat (which aren't generally known for their comfort).

Lying on a blanket on the flat ground in a tent would be a hell of a lot more comfortable.

In addition to everything else, they are going to have to provide emergency chiropractic treatment to tens of thousands of people if they are kept sleeping in chairs every night...

[mccoyn]

34. They can lie down on the benches. -nt

[gkhouston]

38. they could set up cots on the field or the concourses (which

are fairly roomy.) They could set up tents in the one of the parking lots, although the fall rainy season is almost upon us, so that wouldn't be a very good idea, IMHO. They could put trailers in the parking lot.

It's not an ideal solution, but it's somewhere to put thousands of people, quickly, with working toilets, electricity, and air conditioning, and it's in a city where a lot of Red Cross relief effort is already positioned. Doesn't hurt that this location is minutes from the Texas Medical Center, either, with public transportation that could take patients with minor needs from the Dome to the Medical Center without calling an ambulance. This buys everyone some time to stabilize the situation and plan what to do next. It's not normal for a hurricane to disrupt this many people's lives for this long and it's going to take a while to get everything sorted.

[brooklynite]

16. More details from Houston Chronicle

... snip ...

Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the refugees being bused to Houston would not necessarily be on the road at the same time. He said specifics of the transport and housing for the refugees were still being worked out with the Red Cross and state government officials.

...snip...

The governor's office has been told the Astrodome's events schedule has been cleared through December, and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said the county would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Texas officials also have been talking with Jefferson County officials about using the Ford Center in Beaumont for longterm shelter for refugees stranded in campgrounds, hotels and other temporary quarters, Walt said. Additional shelters could also figure into the plan.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/3332869

[demo dutch]

17. Looks as though Americans are getting real live view of what Bagdad

might be like.

[Tracer]

18. Cruise ships?

Maybe it's a stupid idea, but New Orleans is a port, right?

[cyberpj]

21. That was a thought they discussed this morning on Today show

said they only hold 5,000 at a time - said it was suggested but no bites yet. Bet no company wants it's ships 'donated' for that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

40. not anymore

Too much damage.

[saigon68]

41. They could eat unlimited portions at the "Midnite Buffet"

[Binka]

53. How's About A Fecking Air Craft Carrier Like The Connie

These mother are huge. Got mess halls, lots of fecking room, and working toilets, and sick bays. Bring in a fucking air craft carrier. The US has plenty of them. Let's use them properly. We citizens paid for them for FUCT sake. Bring them in *Blivet Vapid Ass clown one.

Fuct yer fly overs buddy. That don't mean shit to the poor folks stuck in NO.

[gate of the sun]

25. do you think they will be allowed out?

I'm serious.......Houston might not want 30,000 poor people wandering around there city.....creepy....I hope we can figure something better out and quickly. When the Israeli's were told to leave the West Bank recently they were each given 350,000 dollars (funded mostly from our money we have given Israel) Do you think anything even close to this sort of aid will be offered to the victims of Katrina?????

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. Bussing people over 6 hours from their home is nuts!

Certainly there is room further north in their home states to set up temporary housing.

[lastliberalintexas]

28. Not for that many people

We're talking about at least 25,000 to 30,000 people and the room for all the necessities for taking care of that many people. There just isn't any place closer (other than the also mentioned Ford Park Arena which still wouldn't hold everyone) to hold that many people in one place. And one place makes it easier for the Red Cross to care for the evacuees as well as for their relatives to find them. The shelters set up in Houston, Beaumont and Lake Charles are already mostly at capacity, so the Astrodome makes the most sense for now.

Plus, the bonus is that the Astrodome is rarely used anymore since the Astros got their new stadium. And unfortunately, I think that is also a driving force in this. From the reports we're receiving in SE Texas, these people are going to be here for *months*, not just the weeks that temporary shelters can provide. And SE Texas and Louisiana's rainy season is approaching, since our fall is usually very wet. I'd rather them be in a safe, climate controlled arena with running water, etc. than dealing with the elements in a tent. And of course it should be up to them what they want, so if they choose tents, more power to them.

And by and large, the people of this area are happy to help, since we know that could just as easily have been us. My hometown of Beaumont would be off the map if a class 4 or 5 hit us, and Galveston and south Houston would likely be largely gone too.

In fact, there are plenty of places in Houston or Beaumont offering free or reduced admission to the evacuees- the zoo, museums, the Comets, etc. All they need is a valid id from one of the 3 affected states and they can likley get in for free! Pass the word, please. :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

31. will do..thanks

[mccoyn]

35. What homes?

These people don't have homes, they have insurance claims.

[Megahurtz]

43. I can't believe I heard Bush on TV last night,

cutting his precious vacation time short,
commenting about getting the New Orleans people "back on their feet"
and how those people "want to get back to their homes".
I couldn't fucking believe hearing him talk!

What a Fucking Dumbass!!!

There are no more homes left Dipshit!!! And it's awfully hard to stand up in deep water, Dimwad!!!

I can hardly stand another day of this fucking Administration......:banghead:

[Zhade]

62. "want to get back to their homes"

They're not FISH, you fucking idiot!

(Him, not you. :D)

[Dudley_DUright]

48. They don't even have insurance claims

if they did not take out special flood insurance for their homes. :-(

[NNN0LHI]

33. What a nightmare n/t

[leftofthedial]

36. then, during the second week of the NFL season

they'll bus them to the Silver Dome in Detroit

[yellowcanine]

37. They should rename the Astrodome "Bushville".

It is his shortsightedness that turned a glancing blow by a weakened hurricane into a full fledged catastrophe.

Tax cuts and Iraq = no money to strengthen levees, national guard and rescue equipment in Iraq.
Hurricane come.
Levees break.
WDGD (What does George do) while the disaster is unfolding?

Eat cake with John McCain and strum guitar with some country music dude.

[Zhade]

63. Maybe some survivors will start that meme.

The fucker certainly deserves the "fame".

[ChairmanAgnostic]

39. Thank you Texas. WHERE THE HELL IS FEMA?

What a royal fukkup.

[raccoon]

42. Given this administration's record, we should expect anything else? nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

44. not really, no.

one can only hope that some semblence of humanity emerges from these jerks.

[mod mom]

45. How much you want to bet rich friends of W will bilk government out of $

in this deal? My husband tells me that the Astrodome is empty, so this must be a way of W's former investors of making a mint while housing those w/o homes.

[Justitia]

49. Why not Lakewood MEGA CHURCH? It's empty 6 days/week!

It would be the Christian thing to do!!!

It can accommodate 16,000, it's a brand new, state-of-the-art facility and even has a bookstore and cafe.

Shouldn't all those Christians at the largest church in the United States be offering up their brand new, underused, empty most of the time, building for these people??????

[Megahurtz]

55. Yeah and how about 'ole Pat Robertson donating some of his billions?

:puke:

[DoYouEverWonder]

52. Too bad they didn't send the buses on Sunday

when everyone was lined up waiting to get into the Astrodome. It would have been a lot easier then, when there were still roads and bridges out of town.

[TrogL]

54. Why not take them on through to Crawford

Let Dubya put them up at the "ranch".

[anitar1]

57. Walter Reed Hospital Hurry up and move the patients and house

a lot of people there. Tons of bathrooms --huge kitchens ect. And they could serve as a reminder to the Chimpster as they would be in his territory.