Your city and New Orleans?

[NOcityrox]

What is your city doing to try and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina? I know Charlotte has opened up the Charlotte Colliseum (Old Hornets) and is taking in refugees. They are also sending doctors and portable hospitals that seat 120 (Carolinas Medical Center)!! I also know that Charlotte residents are putting their houses up for free or cheap rent? Cities nearby (southern) should do their best to help. Cities far away can't really provide homes, but they can help in other ways.

[goodbye]

Greenville has been incredibly active in its storm victim support efforts. There have been major fund raisers and donation drives all over town, and Our Red Cross chapter has mounted and left on their largest mission ever. One of our medical helicopters left to help with the rescue of stranded victims there. We're with you all and you're all in our thoughts and prayers!

The City of Greenville is planning to open the Palmetto Expo Center up to the homeless along the Gulf coast.

[qwertycc]

Memphis has been a major haven with over 10,000 Gulf evacuees in town and more on the way. Some people are already looking for jobs, enrolling kids in school, and looking for places to rent. The Mid-South Colisseum has been opened to victims as have many city-owned buildings. They have turned visitors centers into aid headquarters. Colleges and universities around town are accepting transfers. Attractions, museums, the Redbirds AAA baseball, and some restaurants are offering free admission/meals. Hospitals are accepting transfers from Gulf hospitals. Hotels in and around the city are packed. And like most cities, businesses, non-profit groups, the Red Cross, and churches are sending relief in various forms. Also many citizens are providing direct help (food, shelter, money) to those who have fled to Memphis. It is wonderful to see the collective city of Memphis helping as it is--as well as all the other cities helping. There is still so much more to be done.

[VA2SA 05]

In San Antonio today we started getting thousands who were on buses for the Astrodome before it was deemed to have way too many people. Were expected to get around 25,000. They are being kept at Kelly USA which use to be Kelly AFB. I work on Lackland AFB which is connected. So I decided to go over and give em some water my squadron pitched in on. Kelly will be alot better then the Astrodome it has many buildings to where the people can be kept safel with A'C and plenty of other amenties. San Antonio has also started allowing children from New Orleans to attend our public schools. It really is crazy over there tons of Fire trucks, Cops, supplys etc and its all happening very fast. The flightline is full of C130's and charter flights bringing folks in. Im really proud to live in this great city and hopefully can get over there this weekend and help out the best I can.

[rocket9561]

Nashville and Tennessee have opened up their schools and colleges to displaced Gulf students at no charge.

[NOcityrox]

European countries apparently care as well

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050902/ap_on_.../katrina_europe

[waccamatt]

The schools in Columbia are taking in students and individuals are inviting refugees into their homes.

[jmanhsv]

The first refugee students began enrolling in Huntsville schools today. Many of the churches in the city have opened up their massive auditoriums and gyms to the evacuees. Many of the TV and radio stations have held or are holding fundraising drives. I don't think that the Von Braun Center (Convention Center/Arena) has been opened up yet, though.

[Viper]

Some of Jacksonville's relief efforts.

Images courtesy of http://urbanjacksonville.blogspot.com/

[krazeeboi]

Rock Hill's Piedmont Medical Center has received 2 patients airlifted from New Orleans. The city, along with my school, Winthrop University, is raising funds for the American Red Cross. The Midlands region of South Carolina is working out the logistics to receive as many as 5,000 refugees from Mississippi. The University of South Carolina and Clemson University have opened their doors to displaced students along the Gulf Coast.

[krazeeboi]

Way to go, Jacksonville. Any idea how many refugees are located there?

Do you guys think that many of these refugees will become permanent citizens of the places where they are temporarily being housed? I really wonder what N.O.'s population will look like once the city is habitable again.

[kayman]

Way to go, Jacksonville. Any idea how many refugees are located there?

Do you guys think that many of these refugees will become permanent citizens of the places where they are temporarily being housed? I really wonder what N.O.'s population will look like once the city is habitable again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know for a fact that Greater New Orleans may never have a metropolitan area population of 1.34 million ever again. Most likely many of the former residents will either move to Baton Rouge and inland parts of the state or to the Inland Southern states like Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, or Tennessee.

[krazeeboi]

I guess Baton Rouge will have the title of largest city in Louisiana for a little while now. But what a way to claim it.

[csmurphy8885]

Tallahassee, like most of FLA, is realing steping up the food drives. Also, all refugees in town who got out to the "downtown getdown" (outdoor festival/pep rally for our college football games in town) were fed for free thanks to our local red cross. Also, several auctions for FSU/Miami tickets raised money aswell as the collection planning on taking place in the stadium for the monday night match-up. there are alot of churches organizing volunteer houshold for families needing a place for a couple of weeks. That is not to mention the TPD and National Guardsmen. Never enough, but some help for the ones who always help us out.

[goodbye]

Here are a few great articles describing the amount of support from Greenville and the State of South Carolina. EXCELLENT READING on this subject!

Upstate Heeds Cries of Storm Victims

Palmetto Expo Center to Open for Refugees

More Help Coming From the Upstate

Largest Upstate Hospital On Alert for New Orleans' Patients

Largest Upstate Gas Retailer to Donate All Profit to Relief

Expectant Couple Takes Refuge In The Upstate

South Carolina Relief Efforts

[cheeriokid61]

Nashville is doing a lot, like taking in many people to churches, the Universities are taking in students for free, and there have been many many food drives. Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville has become the headquarters for the sick and wounded, along with Baptist Hostpital and many others in the city.

[ATLBrain]

What is your city doing to try and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina? I know Charlotte has opened up the Charlotte Colliseum (Old Hornets) and is taking in refugees. They are also sending doctors and portable hospitals that seat 120 (Carolinas Medical Center)!! I also know that Charlotte residents are putting their houses up for free or cheap rent? Cities nearby (southern) should do their best to help. Cities far away can't really provide homes, but they can help in other ways.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I understand the spirit of your question. However, the subheading - "Helping or Watching" - is the kind of overly simplistic view that is spun by too many finger pointers out there.

First let's get something straight: It's not just New Orleans residents who need assistance. In total, there are over 1.5 million people directly affected by this disaster. These are citizens from Mississippi, Alabama, and the rest of Louisiana. Also, keep in mind that these people are not only the people who decided to ride-out the storm (for whatever reasons), but those who evacuated prior to it. They have no homes now.

Next thing. A "city" can't do a thing without the people who live there. Having said that, there are people throughout the country (and the world) who are taking action, even if it's in the form of a check to the Red Cross. These are people who live in Kansas City, Seattle, Toronto, and Rio de Janiero, etc.. To get even more specific, I venture that more churches will end up taking on more people than any city or state government ever can, especially in the long run. And these churches are everywhere in the USA.

On that note, I appeal to everyone on this forum to figure out what you can afford to send to a charity and double it!!

Quickly about cities: For purely geographical reasons, the larger cities close to the Delta are taking on a tremendous amount of evacuees. Baton Rouge: 300K+, Houston 100K+, Shreveport 70K+, San Antonio 50K+, Little Rock and Birmingham 30K+, Memphis 20K+, Nashville 10K+. Even Chattanooga is taking in 3000 evacuees. So in this respect, those cities are definitely not just watching. The evacuees will no doubt be a strain on those (and other) cities's services. I know that an overwhelming majority of their citizens aren't even inclined to think about those costs.

Thankfully, people -- and city and state governments -- everywhere (Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, etc.) are offering refuge. Over the next six months, the churches will be relied upon increasingly for their support. So please keep that in mind.

[Aporkalypse]

I understand the spirit of your question.  However, the subheading - "Helping or Watching" - is the kind of overly simplistic view that is spun by too many finger pointers out there. 

First let's get something straight: It's not just New Orleans residents who need assistance.  In total, there are over 1.5 million people directly affected by this disaster.  These are citizens from Mississippi, Alabama, and the rest of Louisiana.  Also, keep in mind that these people are not only the people who decided to ride-out the storm (for whatever reasons), but those who evacuated prior to it.  They have no homes now.

Next thing.  A "city" can't do a thing without the people who live there.  Having said that, there are people throughout the country (and the world) who are taking action, even if it's in the form of a check to the Red Cross.  These are people who live in Kansas City, Seattle, Toronto, and Rio de Janiero, etc..  To get even more specific, I venture that more churches will end up taking on more people than any city or state government ever can, especially in the long run.  And these churches are everywhere in the USA. 

On that note, I appeal to everyone on this forum to figure out what you can afford to send to a charity and double it!!

Quickly about cities:  For purely geographical reasons, the larger cities close to the Delta are taking on a tremendous amount of evacuees.  Baton Rouge: 300K+, Houston 100K+, Shreveport 70K+, San Antonio 50K+, Little Rock and Birmingham 30K+, Memphis 20K+, Nashville 10K+.  Even Chattanooga is taking in 3000 evacuees.  So in this respect, those cities are definitely not just watching.  The evacuees will no doubt be a strain on those (and other) cities's services.  I know that an overwhelming majority of their citizens aren't even inclined to think about  those costs.

Thankfully, people -- and city and state governments -- everywhere (Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, etc.) are offering refuge.  Over the next six months, the churches will be relied upon increasingly for their support.  So please keep that in mind.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dallas has taken 25k of the refugees from the dome and elsewhere in NO that had nowhere else to go. 10k are in Reunion Arena, 6k each in the Dallas and Tarrant Co (Fort Worth) Convention centers and some smaller shelters are open as well. After Houston we took the largest number of the hospital evacuees simply because of the number of large hospitals. Most of the nurses doing so were called in to work. However, I would bet there are 3-5 times this number in hotels around town or staying with relatives. They estimated on the news last night we'll end up with 200k total. You see Louisiana plates all over town now, most people looking lost and dazed. Last night I went to Sam's and people were stocking up on food and infant supplies to give to the Red Cross for the refugees - the lines were long.

I'm going to be working some in Reunion Arena this week providing medical care for those with no other place to go. They asked the Dallas County Med Society for help and 3 times as many physicians responded as they needed.

[ATLBrain]

Thanks, Aporkalypse.... And Thank You, Texas!!

[NOcityrox]

Dude chill! It's just the name of the topic?!? Don't take it so literally. I know NO isn't the only city, it's just the talked about one. Sorry, I didn't mean no offense towards other victims. Thats why in my first post I said "Victims of Hurricane Katrina". I didn't say "Victims of Hurricane Katrina who live in New Orleans". New Orleans was damaged most ($$ dollar wise $$) and they have the most residents, so that is where most of the money is going anyways. But I know other cities were hit hard as well. On one of my replies, I posted a website about European countries helping, so I do recognize other cities helping. I never said anything bad about Toronto and whatever else. All I said was that people who live near the gulf probably are going to go to a fellow southern state?? They probably aren't going to Rio de Jeneiro to find a place to stay. As for "a city can't do anything without the people who live there". I know that a city is not a living thing. When I say city I mean residents. Everyone else understood that. You don't see me getting mad that you only included Atlanta, Miami, and Dallas when a lot more cities are helping. My post also said "they can help in other ways" so I didn't leave others out. So before you think that I'm dissing other cities, read my post again. So you can "point your finger" at that.

[NOcityrox]

Charlotte has opened up Eastland Mall for donations to the Red Cross!!

[bsutter2]

Tampa is flying in a major ammount of refugees that need medical attention to TIA, and in turn over 60 TB area hospitals and clinics will be meeting the needs of the most severly injured victims.

[krazeeboi]

Charlotte has opened up Eastland Mall for donations to the Red Cross!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes they have, and I donated (for a 2nd time).

[willacoochee]

Throughout our county we have drop-off stations for food, clothes, etc. My Church, First Baptist of Willacooochee, is donating money and the youth is raising there on money, the high school is having a fundraiser. However, by being such a small town (1,500 people), we really aren't hosting refugees yet, but if it came to it the churches would come together and open up, as they have before.

[krazeeboi]

Seems as though South Carolina is gearing up to take upwards of 18,000 hurricane refugees into the state over the next few weeks. They will be sheltered in the Midlands and the Upstate regions of the state, since hurricane season is still active and we don't want to put them in the Lowcountry or along the coast.