So where are the other neighboring states on this? Has any gotten a conscience to follow Texas' lead for the sake of the refugees? Anyone heard of massive relief efforts being offered by other states?
I'll remind you that the two states east of Louisiana are wrestling with their own refugee problems.
Not ten miles from my house sw of Mobile, they're frantically building a tent city for 3,000 people from the small community of Bayou LaBatre. There are numerous small towns along the coast that were completely wiped out that are to small to be mentioned nationally.
Talk here in Grants Pass OR is that there is a convoy of buses being organized in Oregon to transport people here. Talk is 20k people over the next few months. Drivers are being lined up for the next few months.
Not sure on the destination of buses back to OR at this time. I would assume the larger cities with more jobs and housing available.
These people will be scattered all over the country eventually, it is just not workable to keep them all near their homes.
Actually, yes. It is just that Texas is the only one being reported, in much the same way that New Orleans is the focus of the hurricane coverage, when Mississippi was actually harder hit. There are a number of shelters being set up here in Arkansas and the numbers of refugees are growing by the day. We don't need any more blue staters here either, but Arkansas won't turn its back on people in need. Quite a few of my coworkers and associates have been busy with relief efforts.
I'm not a huge Perry fan but I am proud of him and all the locals for stepping up the plate.
Having said that Texas is probably the closest with the facilities needed to accommodate large groups. Nothing like that in other geographically local states at least none that I can think of off hand.
Here in Austin we just don't have large public buildings so our ability to accommodate anything more than a relative handful just isn't possible. We're not hosting two evacuees because of the overflow at the primary centers but obviously that's just a drop in the bucket.
Florida's taking some in. Not nearly as many as Texas has, but don't forget we have refugee problems of our own. Pensacola still has a number of homeless thanks to Ivan last year and Dennis this year, and ther's still a big "FEMA City" down in Charlotte County thanks to Charley wiping out Punta Gorda last year.