 By Nicholas J.C. Pistor
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 1, 2008
Missouri opened several shelters on Sunday for people fleeing Hurricane Gustav as the storm raced toward the Gulf Coast.
"Missouri wanted to help our neighbors to the south," Gov. Matt Blunt said.
The governor spoke at a shelter set up by the local chapter of the American Red Cross at the North County Recreation Complex on Redman Road.
About 200 red and green cots were laid out in neat rows on what was once an ice skating rink.
The Red Cross also had prepared care packages for its anticipated guests: soap and razor blades for adults, Mickey Mouse dolls and coloring books for children.
No one was using the St. Louis shelter as of Sunday afternoon, although officials said they expected some evacuees to arrive today.
Officials had expected evacuees to arrive on Sunday by airplane, but that didn't happen. Now, they're expecting most evacuees to arrive by ground transportation. Many, they said, will stay with friends or relatives in the area.
About 1.9 million people had fled south Louisiana as of Sunday, according to State Police. In New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin ordered everyone to leave before the "mother of all storms" hits landfall today.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency asked St. Louis officials to prepare for 2,000 evacuees arriving by plane. A shelter was set up at a Boeing hangar near Lambert Field. No one came, and the shelter was eventually shuttered. The Red Cross, however, estimated 6,000 people were processed through the ST. Louis area in Katrina's wake.
This time around, Red Cross officials say they want to be prepared from the start. They said they will gradually close the North County shelter based on use.
Similar shelters were being set up in St. Joseph, Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia, Hannibal and Springfield. The state has joined five others - Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee - in offering relief services to those fleeing Gustav.
Blunt also said 600 members of the Missouri National Guard will be in the Gulf Coast region by today to help with relief efforts there. Illinois National Guard helicopters and crews were also scheduled to head to the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, an eight-member team from the Humane Society of Missouri's Disaster Response Unit is in New Orleans helping evacuate pets. After the storm hits, the team will help with animal rescue.
Jessica Willingham, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross chapter in St. Louis, said St. Louis-area residents should use Hurricane Gustav as a reminder to assess their own disaster preparedness.
"There's no better time to ask: 'Are we ready?" Willingham said.
Coincidentally, today marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross. |