Published: September 03, 2008 10:27 am            

Progress editorial: Kudos to local evac efforts

From all reports, the evacuation of the Gulf Coast in advance of Hurricane Gustav went smoothly — thanks in no small part to the towns like those in Cherokee County who gave shelter.

Jacksonville contributed four evacuation centers — First United Methodist Church, Central Baptist Church, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and Trinity Episcopal Church. Rusk sheltered people at Rusk Church of Christ. Many volunteers worked tirelessly to help keep our visitors as comfortable as possible. Organizations such as HOPE Inc., Meals on Wheels and the East Texas Food Bank also leant a hand.

The Jacksonville emergency management team, including firefighters and police officers, worked pretty much around the clock.

And, store clerks, wait staff and others could be seen and heard giving directions, advice on where to go and what to do and offering a smile and words of encouragement.

When you get right down to it, it’s the grassroots efforts of local communities that make these types of undetakings work. It’s not all up to the federal government.

We hope you will join us in thanking those who were part of this very successful sheltering effort.

        

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