Evacuees Won't Accept Home in North???!?

“OK, I just heard about this. Evacuees (is that spelled right??) don't want to come north to have a place of refuge.

I have two thoughts on this.
1. I can understand they don't want to leave the south.
2. At the same time, I can't believe they won't accept the help of states that are ready and willing to help and care for them!!!

wow.....

Here's a story:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/125/5602059.html

Evacuees may stay in South
Conrad Defiebre,  Star Tribune
September 8, 2005 RIPLEY0908

Thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina who had been expected to take refuge in Minnesota may not come in large numbers at all, state officials said Wednesday.

"There are no flights scheduled to Minnesota today or tomorrow, but that's all we know," said Kevin Smith, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. "This might take a little longer to play out as more personal decisions get made."

Smith added: "People are saying, 'I don't want to go that far away.' "

A news release from the state Emergency Operations Center said Minnesota "remains in the queue to receive survivors" and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "describes the situation as fluid."

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said late Wednesday that authorities are now signaling that the number of evacuees "could be significantly less" than the 3,000 for which the state had prepared.

"It may turn out to be much smaller, but it's still a go," Pawlenty added.

On Wednesday at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minn., more than 3,600 barracks beds ready for evacuees remained empty as state officials awaited word from federal emergency management authorities, said Lt. Shannon Purvis, spokeswoman for the Minnesota National Guard.

"We've got plenty of room and a pretty impressive operation up there," she said of the effort that had been dubbed Operation Northern Comfort.

Added Pawlenty: "It's better to be overprepared than not prepared."

Federal officials originally asked Minnesota to provide accommodations for hurricane victims as early as Tuesday, Smith said, but now "they're reassessing the movement of the evacuees."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told governors in a conference call Wednesday that plans to ship masses of evacuees in Texas to most states is being postponed in favor of moving them to other states in the Gulf region, officials said. Pawlenty was not part of the conference call because he was chairing a meeting of the State Board of Investment at the time, his spokesman said.

Late Wednesday, Pawlenty challenged members of the Minnesota Business Partnership to raise $75 million in cash, goods and services for hurricane-related relief efforts. "I'm particularly proud of Minnesota in these recent days in terms of response to Hurricane Katrina," he said at a partnership dinner in Minneapolis.

Staying in Texas
According to a news release from Wisconsin Emergency Management, a notice Wednesday from FEMA indicated that many evacuees are resisting being transferred far from their locations in Texas. "Many evacuees prefer to remain in the region as they resolve issues concerning the status of property, employment and the safety of loved ones," the release quoted the notice as saying.

Also on Wednesday, Minnesota and other northern states were not included in a FEMA announcement of federal disaster aid for affected counties in 10 states hosting evacuees. The 10 states are Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

Pawlenty said most of those states had already seen a large influx from the disaster zone. And his spokesman, Brian McClung, downplayed speculation that no hurricane victims would be airlifted to Minnesota.

"We're proceeding as we have been, and we're Number 1 in preparedness," McClung said. "FEMA has told us they will give us 24 hours' notice, and we're ready to welcome the hurricane survivors with open arms. We're still planning for that to happen by the end of the week."

Little Falls waits
Meanwhile, more than 100 leaders from communities and nonprofit and religious groups across central Minnesota gathered Wednesday morning in Little Falls to try to get a handle on who is doing what with mounting donations of goods, cash, housing, job openings and other offers of help.

"If the planes never start flying, this will have been a great community disaster drill," said Deb Radi, the American Red Cross community liaison for Operation Northern Comfort.

Radi and others indicated that at this point, cash is the best donation, with many organizations -- public and private -- forwarding gifts to helping agencies.

Also Wednesday, Ted Pfohl, executive director for the Morrison County United Way, said there could be a sense of letdown if large numbers of victims don't come to Minnesota.

"There's been such an overwhelming response, that if people can't give, they might be disappointed," he said. "This has energized a lot of people."

But the survivors will still need help over the long haul, and, Pfohl said, it is likely that donations will follow them.

About 100 health care workers were still preparing for the possible influx of patients at the makeshift clinics they have assembled at Camp Ripley.

Medical teams continued to arrive from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester on Wednesday, joining the contingents of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others from at least a half-dozen other Minnesota hospitals, said Deb Paul, spokeswoman for St. Cloud Hospital, which is coordinating the medical effort. effort.

"We are still gearing up for expecting people Friday morning," she said Wednesday afternoon.

Staff writers Maura Lerner and Bill McAuliffe and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Conrad deFiebre is at cdefiebre@startribune.com.”

“They may be afraid that if they move too far away, they will never be able to make it back. This is aside from a normal fear of change or being someplace new. Plus, given some of the stories I've heard of families being split up during the evacuation, this may also be on their minds.”

“bit - I wondered that too. They have to have enough money to get home.

Since when does SS work for the Dept of Public Safety.

I'd avoid MN like the plague too.”

“PS - the article doesn't say they WON'T accept the north. Gotta have a headline don't cha?”

“DH, headline is a question, hence safe to say "won't"

And I also wondered about SS's apparent new job. No wonder he's been too busy to post on TT. ;-)”

“I see that exclaimation point in there.”

“Consider it an opinion piece. :-)

I just feel bad that we have the elements in place to help, albeit from our states and the victims physically being here. I don't know that what's out there now, ready, can be directly translated into monetary or other donations to victims.”

“I'd really had to see their generosity go to waste and possibly discourage a similar response (or better) the next time something bad happens.”

“I agree and am sorta teasing about avoiding MN. I hear it's beautiful. I'm just saying I can sympathise with someone from the coast going to an place where it get's -20* just before winter starts. Add to that you have folks making probably very little money that at some point would have to make a cross country move. Lots of folks are expecting a large percentage of the evacuees to stay put for the long haul.”

“Same thing in Philly. The converted a school and were willing to take up to 5,000. About 38 showed up. Guess it's just too cold up here for them.

My cousin's husband was griping about the northern cold one Thanksgiving. The temp was in the upper 50s. He went back to Dallas, and the temp dropped into the upper 30s. I emailed them and asked if he was happy to be back in the hot south. Heh Heh!”

“Change is difficult and for the most part, people don't like change unless absolutely forced to do so....

People who have grown up near the disaster area their whole lives have already been displaced--for them to come further north and further away from their families and friends must be quite traumatic--can you imagine if you found out that your neighborhood friends were 5 states away? Their comfort zone has been violated--and, yes, finding their way back must be something that is most worrisome for them, regardless of whether or not they have a roof over their heads and a warm bed. We watched on Nightline (or some other newscast) a family who didn't want to leave their home, dispite the fact that they would probably die there if they didn't go. It took a while before the newscaster and the rescue workers could coax them into the little boat to take them away. I'm assuming that their whole entire world--was in their house...the uncertainty must have terrified them....

Anyways, the people who have been moved to other areas will hopefully be received and welcomed into their new surroundings... in a way, Katrina is showing us that there is still some hope as to how we treat each other in this country....”

“Another issue is that the space may just be opening up down here quicker than expected. Fort McClellan in Anniston, AL is taking lots of evacuees. THis is a closed base where about half of the buildings are now in private hands. I'll bet this is happening all over the SE. Anniston is about 6.5-7 hrs from downtonw NO.”

“Guess it's just too cold up here for them.

Well Geo, I know quite a few people down here who don't own long pants or jackets.”

“HPM - I had a friend in college that was from south FL. Fall of freshman year we bump into each other going to 8am classes. It was the first frost of the year. He had this excited look on his face and asked my if it had snowed the previous night.

This is the sort of thing that truly amazes me about how your Scouts fared that one year you got nailed by the blizzard.”

“wussies, all of you.”

“and?”

“They offered spots at an abandoned air base up here in northern Montana. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I can just see some cajun freezing his gizzard off in Glasgow, MT!
last edited: 9/08/05 3:08:07 PM”

“Well Sacco, come january do you prefer ladies in parkas or bikinis?

Your choice.”

“In the interest of balance:


BATON ROUGE, La. -- Nicole Singleton smiled as she sat on a cot in this city's cavernous River Center convention arena, digging through boxes of her six children's belongings pulled from her flood-ravaged apartment.

"What do I really need?" Ms. Singleton asked herself as she debated consolidating several boxes into one. For all that she'd lost to Hurricane Katrina days earlier, on Tuesday, Ms. Singleton felt she had something to look forward to. She was about to board a flight to Minnesota and, she hoped, a new life.

"I don't know a thing about Minnesota," says the 33-year-old, a New Orleans native who worked on and off steaming sheets and styling hair. "There's nothing here for me, and this is my chance to start again."

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB112615030037935001-IBjeoNglaV4nZuvbICGa62Am4,00.html”

“Good for her. That's the neat thing about this. You have folks who maybe have never had anyone do much nice for them in their entire life and now they get a fresh start.”

“You are right dayhiker.
It is amazing how the kindness of a stranger can change someone's life... I often think of the US as a large, inpersonal, uncaring country... However, when disasters like this happen, it is refreshing to see that there is still some hope-- people who care about others and who will open their homes and hearts to others.

Hopefully, once the victims of Katrina are on their feet, they will remember the kindness shown to them and will change demonstrate the same acts of kindness in the future towards others...

In the end, this disaster might be the perfect fresh start for someone who has been afraid to try something new..”

“She needs a course at the Minnesota Language Institute first! Ya, you betcha dare!”

“If and when the day comes for people to move back to Nawlins, it will be interesting to see how many forego the trip and stay in their new homes.”

“I suspect a good many will stay put Geo.

aero - A cajun and and a Minnesotan walk in a bar.....

PB - I watched Pay It Forward a day or two before the storm hit. It's been on my mind thru the whole thing.”

“I once watched a Texan and Canadian in a bar... had to be somewhat similar.

Aero, I watched Fargo last week on Twin Cities Public TV. It was followed by some '60s-looking, half-hour humorous show titled, "How to Talk Minnesotan." It was almost too hokey, since it was old, but they were right on about the Lutheran hot dishes....”

“That's awesome. I love her positive attitude. : )”

“I haven't seen Pay it forward, but the concept is a good one-- basically the do unto others as you would have them do unto you kind of thing...

I agree--once some of these people have lived in their new location, I think many will stay-- The thought of being uprooted again and having to start again might not appeal to them. (of course, living up north after your whole live in NO will be a big adjustment in weather alone... I understand that some people are being taken to Lansing, Michigan as well)

If they were originally living in an area of little opportunity, now they have been given a little money and a fresh start-- they may find better opportunities in the places they are going....”

“Our SS class found out about a lady staying in a local hotel. She has two young kids and her husband died in Dec. She has two classes left for her BSN. UAB School of Nursing is accepting her and letting her go for free. She just needed the money for 2 months rent for the apartment in Hoover (S of Bham and 45 min from me) so that she could easily commute. Presto, an email campaignn went around and she's moving in this weekend. People really are good.”

“The same thing is happening in Cleveland Lizs. My g/f and I volunteered to help as many as 3,000 people relocate up here, but the program was stopped almost as quickly as it began.”

“dh, didn't you just hate the way that movie ended. I have watched it a few times. It really moves you.”

“so what's with that movie? Was it ever popular in theatres? I saw the video and had no idea that it had ever been released on the big screen.

Yes the ending sucks. AND HERE COMES A BIG TIPOFF, SO SHIELD YOUR EYES!!!
















Movies/stories like that always need a martyr. The innocent who dies. Someone to be sacrificed. It's formula movie making. It's everywhere.”

“I remember hiking with my sister in Big Bend NP a few years ago. Another hiker walked up to us after hearing my accent and told us he was from Kitchener, ONT. We told him we were from Michigan. That's maybe a few hours drive apart.

And there I was, in the United States of America, but it took a Canadian to make me feel a connection to home.

BTW, I heard Frank McKenna, the Canadian ambassador on the radio the other day talking about how Canada would stand with us to the end on the hurricane thing.

It's good to have friends.”

“why don't they keep them in the state they came from. why would they want to go to the north anyways. why would this be a hard thing to do. seems like there are unloading there problems on others. i have went and looked at some of these, not a real cozy bunch of people, don't seem gratefull at all.”

“Evacuees Won't Accept Home in North???!?

Yuck! I hear their are yankees up North! ;-)”

“Holy Crap!
He emerges from the maelstrom!”

“Hee Hee”

“Back 1994 while I was traveling through Minnesota with my family, we met a guy from southern Louisiana. He looked like Santa Claus and my kids were thrilled. He was sitting outside a laundry mat in Redwing MN waiting for his clothes to dry.

We struck up a conversation and he told me that he was a Cajun from Louisiana who had gone to a public HS where everything was in French. He said he never spoke English until he entered the Marine Corps in the early 50s.

He had worked as a bus driver in Baltimore and met a woman from Redwing, hence his being "stuck" in Redwing.”

“Hell SS, you wouldn't accept a paying job and moving expenses up there and back. Dang sure not gonna take a free trip there.”

“I heard FEMA was thinking of giving evacuees their aid money in the form of a debit card so they can spend their money the way they see fit and to empower them. Like $2,000 each.”

“All I know is that damn FEMA has not shown up at MY house.”

“IN A NEW CITY : 'WE CAN'T GO BACK'
HURRICANE EVACUEES IN PHILLY SPEAK OUT ABOUT THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE CITY OF DEATH
By BARBARA LAKER
lakerb@phillynews.com

UNDER A BLAZING sun, a skinny and weary Henry Wyman squinted when he left the Wanamaker School in North Philadelphia and inched up the sidewalk to buy a pack of cigarettes.

It was a different kind of day for 46-year-old Wyman.

He didn't have to stay awake in darkness surrounded by murky flood water, not knowing the day or time. Yesterday, after escaping the city of death, he knew where he would sleep at night.

He arrived from New Orleans on Wednesday and is one of 58 Hurricane Katrina evacuees, ranging in age from 2 to 73, housed at the Wanamaker School, which the city and volunteers have transformed into a shelter. There are 144 evacuees now living on or around Philadelphia.

Wyman, a roofer and a married father of three boys, didn't know he was coming to Philadelphia until it was announced on the plane shortly before landing.

"I'm glad I'm here. I think the people are very friendly. Everyone's got a smile on their face," Wyman said.

"I don't know what we're going to do, but we can't go back. There's nothing to go back to. We lost everything."

He said his two-story house filled with 12 feet of water within five minutes. "I ran upstairs with Boo, my German shepherd," he said.

Wyman stayed upstairs for two days with cases of water and a hamper of canned goods. "The water was up to the edge of my roof. I had no lights, no phone, no nothing."

He went downstairs after the water subsided to about six feet.

"I wandered around trying to straighten stuff out so my wife wouldn't see it like that," he said with a sad smile. His wife, Doris, was on a military base with one of their sons. His other sons are safe too.

One day, he sat on a chair in the front doorway with Boo, then two other days, wandered around the muddy, flooded streets. The Navy rescued him and took him to the USS Tortuga, an amphibious-landing ship docked on the Mississippi River.

That's where he was asked if he wanted to leave the area and be taken to a shelter. The Navy took Boo to the SPCA in New Orleans and Wyman plans to pick him up.

Those who came to the school yesterday arrived on their own and showed ID to prove they were from the areas ruined by Hurricane Katrina.

The evacuees, those who stayed at the school and those who were passing through, received help with everything from finding relatives to getting Social Security benefits.

There are so many services offered at Wanamaker that the Red Cross named the school as a regional recovery site, Hess said.

To prevent boredom, the city invited a jazz band to the school Wednesday night and plans are being made to take the evacuees on a trolley tour of the city.

"We want them to get a sense of the city they are in," Hess said.

Christian Bauer, 31, who was a court clerk in New Orleans, said he appreciates Philadelphia's generosity after waiting so long for help after the hurricane.

"I had radio contact and all the time we heard they were sending troops. I never saw it. The first people I saw were volunteer police officers from Texas... I saw choppers, but I never saw them drop anything."

But Bauer saw bloated bodies, and some took their own lives instead of waiting to drown, he said.

"I heard from neighbors that people jumped off bridges. That was the hardest part. The government turned their back on us," he said.

Evacuees said it came down to everyday people saving everyday people.

Richard Binder, 30, was trapped in an attic before using a neighbor's fiberglass paddle boat and fence boards as oars to take his family and 22 people to dry ground.

He made five one-mile trips, paddling past neighbors' floating furniture, computers and dead animals. He rescued a family of six, a 97-year-old man and a couple who were expecting a baby.

"There's one family that still really bothers me," he said, his voice cracking. He took a couple with an 18-year-old severely mentally disabled son and an 86-year-old woman to a porch on drier ground.

"I knew they weren't going to drown," he said. "But I went by there later and I didn't see them.

"I just don't know," he said, his voice trailing off.”

“Maybe some will go back, maybe others won't. All I know is that the north is loaded with tons of folks who have no clue what a hurricane really is and are just about willing to do anything to escape these northern winters...

Rebuild the city, throw in some tax incentives, and I tell you, half the Northeast will move in...”

“STOVE STOMPER LIVES!!

And here we read in that story that you were running things in MN! phhhht!!! lol

Good to hear from you!! :-)”

“If I were them I'd stay away from MI too. There are NO JOBS! Forget about the Yankees, you've gotta be able to get work to rebuild your life.”

“Rebuild the city, throw in some tax incentives, and I tell you, half the Northeast will move in...”
PhantomSoul
5:55:18 PM
9/09/05


Phantom you must be kidding have you ever been there in the summer?

my God if you think it is sticky here from the humidity wait until you get there.

As a local NE'er I for one won't be moving there, my snow blower and I will be staying behind thank you vewry much.....

As for all those displaced from the hurricane I hope the find a place to call home as soon as possible no matter where it is so they can back to living”

“sirpete, I don't keep up with you, but am I recalling correctly that you mentioned on here that you were looking at moving to near Atlanta or somewhere in GA a year of so ago?”

“I heard FEMA was thinking of giving evacuees their aid money in the form of a debit card so they can spend their money the way they see fit and to empower them. Like $2,000 each
Nigal
2:58:12 PM
9/09/05

I don't know about FEMA giving out money but last night at Wal Mart the store was packed. I have never seen it that busy even during Christmas. I asked the clerk what was going on. She said it was all the people from La, Ms and Al who have Red Cross debit cards.
Clothes, bedding, toiletries and food were the main items.”

“I had a co-worker who was very upset that people were given debit cards. He said that food and water were okay but they should be able to drive to a whse and pick up what they needed. I reminded him that they dont have cars or anything else, his response was if they are getting food and clothing why do they need money...unbeleivable.”

“I can't even imagine trying to buy everything you need (necessity wise) with 2000.00. When you look at what everything cost today it doesn't go far.”