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Stories of Fear and Hope from the Ground
Written by
Bradley Hague
, Special to Redcross.org
Wednesday, September 07, 2005 — HOUSTON – Looking down from the ninth floor of the Astrodome, all you see is a checkerboard of cots and motion.
Perched high atop the Astrodome, one can survey the Red Cross workers, cots, relief supplies and the thousands of New Orleans residents taking shelter within the Houston ballpark, Sept. 1, 2005.
(Photo Source: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross) |
The Astrodome is a mega shelter, and a concept never realized by the American Red Cross until yesterday. It was set up and operational in less than 24 hours with an ability to house tens of thousands of evacuees fleeing the Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath.
From the rafters of the Astrodome, the shelter’s people and the difficulties they face are unknown. On the ground is a different story. Each story is painful, personal and above all real.
Stories, like the one told by James Maloney and Beth Martin, were harrowing. Unable to leave New Orleans they had sheltered in a hotel since Sunday. They told of looting and violence – fear and depravation. They were terrified to take pictures of anyone for fear of being shot and spoke of people “burning buildings just so they could sit back and watch.” They also talked about marine life traveling up Interstate 10 and alligators swimming across from the hotel balcony.
Four days after they moved into the hotel to allude Katrina, they were forced to escape New Orleans altogether. They piled into a bus for the Astrodome with a few belongings – minimal clothes, Maloney’s professional chef’s knives, a supply of diapers and some pants.
Maloney and Martin’s story was not just about the violence and fear, it was a tale of hope and strength of community. Around 30 adults were gathered together, food was rationed, children were taken care of and supplies were doled out. In the end, what this make-shift family needed from the Red Cross were phone numbers and transportation. That would be enough. After four days trapped in a flooded hotel they would go to meet family in Birmingham.
Denise Peters had another story. Unaware of the true danger of Hurricane Katrina, she stuck it out with one of her children and five grandchildren. She and her family had to be airlifted off their apartment building. They were taken one by one and placed on the causeway with nothing more than the clothes on their back and some food. Their only possession not directly related to survival was her grandson Sam’s stuffed Mickey Mouse. She’s a New Orleans native – lived there all her life. This is the first time she’s ever been chased out.
“Katrina’s a bad one,” she said. “She’s the first. The first that ran us out of our homes; the first that ran us out of New Orleans period.”
Others told tales too brief to capture. A woman ran up to a broadcaster pleading to share information about a boyfriend she feared died in New Orleans. Another was separated from his wife and infant son – taken to Houston hundreds of miles from his family – who were placed on a bus to Baton Rouge. Another was worried about her brother, an officer trying to secure Jefferson Parish Louisiana.
These stories were told with variant moods. Some spoke in tears, some in the dull monotone of shock, and some with quiet resignation. Each spoke about uncertainty towards the future but all echoed a basic thought: “At least we’re alive, and there’s always tomorrow thanks to people who care.”
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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