Published: September 03, 2008 10:16 am            

Some evacuees air complaints, others compliments

By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Here in Jacksonville to avoid Hurricane Gustav, some of the evacuees being housed inside the Red Cross shelter at Central Baptist Church are creating a storm of their own.

While numerous evacuees were incredibly appreciative of the shelter and its volunteer workers, several of Jacksonville’s temporary residents have come forward alleging poor conditions and misconduct on the part of the shelter staff.

Tammie Baltrip of Beaumont said she has feels like she is in prison.

“The food they have been giving us here is the same food we got yesterday; they just re-warmed it. We were here for two days before we could even take a shower. They are freezing us in here and they only gave us one blanket — and then the lady came through again and took all our blankets from us,” Baltrip said. “They make us go to bed at 10 p.m. like we are little kids, then the police stand over us and make us feel real uncomfortable. It’s been like this the whole time, and we are just ready to go home.”

According to Kristi Leday, they are being fed “slop,” and treated like children. Several of the dissatisfied evacuees complained about one volunteer in particular who treated them like “dogs” and like they “weren’t human.”

Addie Hughes, a black woman, even went so far as to say the poor treatment they claim to have received was racially motivated. She said she has felt disrespected by the shelter volunteers.

“We have been handled in a way that I have only heard about from my grandmother and read about in the history books. I know they treated my people bad in the 1930s, but this is 2008. The people who still think like its the 1930s need to start changing how they think,” she said. “We thank God that He provided us with a shelter, but don’t come in here and treat us like we are on a plantation.”

However, several evacuees, resting just a few cots away, say they have had an entirely different experience. Sheketa Haynes, also a black woman, had nothing but praise for the shelter and its operators.

“These people have fed us, given us a place to live and have even gotten us an entertainment room. The shelter has been very kind to us. Last time, during Rita, there were small towns with shotguns that wouldn’t even accept people like us,” Haynes said. “We just have a bunch of ungrateful people here. It’s like these people thought they were going to be staying at the Elegante Hotel (an expensive hotel in Beaumont). This is a shelter in a time of crisis; they are doing the best they can.”

Edward E. Zachary Sr. and Charles Brashear both felt the shelter had done a fine job, considering the circumstances — although both were less than enthused about the quality of the food provided.

“For something that was put together as fast as this was, I’d rate it a 95. The people who have volunteered their time were excellent; they went out of their way to try and help everybody,” Brashear said.

“There was one woman who was rude, but other than that everybody else has been nice. These people are volunteering their time and getting attitude from the people they are trying to help; I’d probably be a little rude, too,” Zachary said. “When me and my fiancée fled from Rita, we spent $7,000 of our own money in two weeks. This time we didn’t spend a penny. They gave us food, clothes and shelter — what is there to complain about?”

Shelter Manager Nancy Roper acknowledged having a problem with one female volunteer, but she said that several of the complaints leveled at the shelter are simply untrue.

“There was one woman who was speaking to the evacuees in an impatient and overbearing way, and she was sent home and she hasn’t come back. She was here for one day and we took care of it,” Roper said. “No old food had been re-heated and served again. Meals on Wheels has brought the lunches and the East Texas Food Bank has brought breakfast and dinner. It has not been excellent food, but it is the same thing that is being served at every Red Cross shelter in the area.”

Roper also said incidents where blankets were taken from evacuees only occurred when one person was using more than two blankets. The shelter was given only 280 blankets for 167 evacuees. All things considered, she said it has run “as smoothly as it can.”

She said she believes part of the reason why some people are growing frustrated is because, unlike during Rita, the residents of Beaumont did not choose Jacksonville.

“The people who came here last time wanted to be here; they were all drive-ups in their own vehicles. This time they didn’t have any choice. The emergency management coordinator of Beaumont just told them to get on the bus and go,” Roper said.

Steve Edwards, director of education at Central Baptist Church, said it is only natural that people facing the stress of a crowded and noisy emergency shelter for days on end would have some gripes to air.

“These people are tired and bored, so there are naturally going to be some frustrations. We realize that sometimes we are going to get the brunt of that, and that’s OK because sometimes they just have to have someone to vent to,” he said. “But I think for the most part, about 95 percent of the people I have observed have had a good experience while here.”

Jacksonville’s director of emergency management and fire chief, Rodney Kelley, said the evacuees would be leaving for Beaumont about 10:30 a.m. today.

        

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