I'm watching the coverage on WWL, the CBS station out New Orleans, which is being aired on channel 76 on Time Warner. They just read a report that the Astrodome may be able to close it's doors in a week because so many evacuees are finding alternate, more permanent housing here and in other cities. Great news.
Here is the story from the chronicle. The Astrodome went from 16,000 to 2930 overnight Must be a typo or someones miscounting. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3342643 Tally of evacuees in Houston shelters drops dramatically By BECKY BOWMAN and SALATHEIA BRYANT Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle HURRICANE KATRINA The number of Katrina evacuees counted at Houston's largest shelters is dropping dramatically as people leave for new accommodations, new jobs and new lives. According to the latest headcount, considered the most reliable to date, 8,066 hurricane victims are still stranded at the three Reliant Park shelters and the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center, down from an estimate of 25,400 just Tuesday. It's evident at a glance that evacuees have more breathing room than they did last weekend, but it's hard to track how many people are simply switching shelters, moving in with relatives or actually finding more permanent housing. In fact, it's hard to arrive at any accurate numbers at all. After Reliant Park imposed a curfew for the first time last night, authorities were able to do their most accurate headcount so far. But during the day, no one stands guard at the gates to ask evacuees whether they're going out for groceries or leaving for good, so even the latest numbers are fluid. People are free to pack up and go without notifying anyone, and they do just that. "I wouldn't say there was a large exodus in the last 24 hours," said Coast Guard Lt. Joe Leonard, who's in charge of Houston's megashelters. Although no one's fighting over cots anymore, there are still plenty of people in need of help. This morning's tally of evacuees came to 2,930 in the Astrodome, down from 16,000 on Tuesday; 1,800 in the Reliant Arena, down from 4,500; 2,000 in Reliant Center, down from 2,400; and 1,336 in the George R. Brown Convention Center, down from 2,500. Gregory Smith of the Red Cross warned that the constantly changing numbers should be regarded as "a living thing." "People should be prepared to be flexible with these shelter figures," he said. The opportunities to leave are growing by the day. Continental Airlines, for instance, has set up stations at each of the shelters, and Houston's largest airline is offering free tickets to any shelter resident seeking to relocate to one of 48 states. Meanwhile, friends and relatives are arriving to whisk evacuees away, empty rent houses and government-subsidized apartments are becoming available, and today's decision by the federal government to pass out $2,000 debit cards will pay for gasoline or bus tickets that were out of reach before. Wanda Payton, 44, said she was expecting to leave tomorrow for a three-bedroom house offered by a Channelview resident and she sees a lot of people making similar plans. "It has died down. There are getting people out," she said. But for some of those who've arrived from New Orleans, the prospect of venturing out into Houston is intimidating. Eighteen-year-old Marcus Poole, a community college student who worked at a rental car agency back home in Louisiana, is finding that looking for a job is no easy task in a city so sprawling. Houston's even bigger than he remembers it as a child visiting AstroWorld. "I feel like I'm in another country, being in a city so big," he said. Many of those who choose to stay are still trying to connect with loved ones. Still sitting on her cot with some of her family today, Alisha Bush, 33, is anxious to reach her 15-year-old daughter, who was taken to shelter in Arkansas. Bush thinks she has the best chance of a reunion if she stays put. She has been in the Astrodome since last Wednesday, when the overcrowded floor forced people to sleep in the stands. "The lines are getting shorter and shorter," Bush said. "It is clearing out." With so many people looking for jobs and permanent housing, plans to move as many as 4,000 evacuees to cruise ships in Galveston have been put on hold. Some of those still holed up in Houston's giant inner-Loop shelters are fed up with moving, and by today only 100 people had expressed interested on moving to a ship. "I don't want to be on no water," said James Givens, 48, a longshoreman who is trying to find a place other than the Astrodome to live. "I've seen enough water to last me a long time." When she heard about the offer to live on a cruise ship, Bobbie Williams, 44, rose from her cot, shaking her head emphatically. "No, no, no, no more water," she said. "I don't want to see no more water. I've been there, done that. Not right now."
So what does this mean for the Astrodome? Hypothetically, would it be back to hosting events, perhaps even the Saints?
Don't the Jets and Giants play in the same stadium? Wouldn't that just chap the New Yorkers if Houston had two NFL teams too?
You know there's going to be a couple of people like your fat Uncle Walter that just won't leave no matter how many hints you give them...
The real reason is that all along they've been wanting to boot everyone out before the Texans' opener. Things are falling into place that they can do that without it being a PR nightmare. Evan
I was at George R. Brown yesterday enrolling kids in school. My bus leaves in an hour to head out to Reliant, where I will be doing the same thing until 9PM tonight and tomorrow. It kind of hit me hard after I got home yesterday. The kids all playful and acting like kids, and the adults with hopeless looks on their faces. Imagine having your entire life taken from you, only being able to get out with what you could carry. It's an American refugee camp, unlike anything I've ever seen. The number of evacuees dropping is a damn good sign that people are getting their lives back in order, and I'm glad I can help in a small way.
I live in Omaha and we were getting ready for 500 evacuees but at the last minute they decided it was to far to travel. The city really went all out and even had job placement assistance and housing assistance. The Civic was set up with cots and showers and alot of people donated material. Oh well at least they tried.
Ya know, you might be right, lol. I thought it was crazy when Judge Echols said the dome will only be open for a few days or maybe 2 weeks. I guess he knew what he was talking about. Either way, glad to see the survivors are living in houses, apartments, other shelters or atleast a place where they have some privacy. I have to imagine even at another shelter, you have more privacy than sharing your bedroom with 10k people.
