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09/01/2005 09:59:03 AM · #1 |
I posted this in another thread but thought I would start a new thread in hopes anyone here who needs a place to stay might see it.
Originally posted by BrenB:
Originally posted by laurielblack:
My superintendent of schools sent out a staff email this afternoon...our small town, about 25 miles east of Dallas, has now taken in approximately 300 families from New Orleans. |
Laurielblack, we have been trying to find out how we can open our home to a family. We have searched every where but no luck. We debated on driving that direction on 20 because we were told their were thousands of families just at rest stops. We live down by Corsicana but also have a home for sale in Arlington we can open up till it sells. If you or anyone else has any idea who we could contact please let me know.
I wanted to add, we live by Richland Chambers lake and most of our neighbors are just weekenders. Our next door neighbor has 2 travel trailers that he too has offered if we find familes needing them. I feel sure their are several others around here that would willingly open their lake homes to victims. |
We live right off highway south 45 right between Houston and Dallas. We are about 3 hours from houston and 2 hours from Dallas. If need be we can come pick you up. |
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09/01/2005 10:13:10 AM · #2 |
In the Nottingham UK Evening post Newspaper today is a report of a family who has been affected with this tragady from the UK,
I now realise that this is affecting more than the surrounding areas in the US.
The gesture that you and your community have done is very generous and I hope that those that are affected find a safe haven in the very near future.
The news reports on Tv and in the papers are terrible, heard today that alligators and sharks are now swimming the streets, sounds kind of funny but it isn't in reality.
Hope all are OK.
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09/01/2005 10:45:21 AM · #3 |
| BrenB, this is awesome and I just have to tell you how heartwarming it is to hear about kind people like you in that area of need. I applaud your extreme kindness and generousity. |
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09/01/2005 10:46:22 AM · #4 |
| We are in Arizona, but could help if needed as well. |
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09/01/2005 11:01:40 AM · #5 |
Bren, I pm'd you some info on how to get in contact with the coordinators of our town's refugee camp if you haven't had any takers yet. Our superintendent met with the families last night, and he said that the sheer desperation and shock on their faces is just heartbreaking. I will be volunteering this weekend over there with the families, in whatever capacity the coordinators need. I'm trying to coordinate a group that might get to work directly with the children over the weekend. Surely there is something we can do to help these kiddos feel just the tiniest bit more normal and the tiniest bit less afraid.
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09/01/2005 11:25:32 AM · #6 |
Laurie thanks for sending me the contact info. We haven't had any takers yet so maybe this might help us connect with some families.
I got the Pm and again thanks for sending me the phone numbers. Off to call now.
Message edited by author 2005-09-01 11:28:13. |
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09/01/2005 11:55:50 AM · #7 |
I ended up calling the local red cross and our chamber of commerce and both took my name but said they have had no request. I called the number you gave me Laurie and they took my name and said they will call me back and get a count of how many homes might be open and if need be they will bus some people down here.
I think what is bothering me so much is the fact we have 2 homes for now and so many have nothing right now. Most of these homes at the lake are second homes so I hope many will open them up. |
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09/01/2005 12:53:58 PM · #8 |
I'm probably too far away to be of any "physical" assistance.
Laurie, you mentioned the little guys. Last week, our area had a earthquake (a whopping 3.7, 1.42 seconds, but enough to scare hte bejeebies out of me), and I know that my 3 1/2 yo son was shaken up (pardon the pun) for a couple of days. I hate to think what these little guys are going through. :( |
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09/01/2005 12:57:30 PM · #9 |
We have some space as well, although we are up in Atlanta. But if anyone headed north, we're up this way, just keep coming. We have a spare guest room and a full finished basement that we hardly use. If you need time to get a plan together, get some rest, recoup and just get on your feet we are here.
Message edited by author 2005-09-01 13:44:42.
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09/01/2005 01:08:41 PM · #10 |
i don't have much but i'll happily share what i have with anyone who needs help.
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09/01/2005 01:14:38 PM · #11 |
| I also had this post on another thread...........Here's a different open challenge to DPCr's: My wife and I don't have any expendable cash,but we do have a nice home with a spare bedroom...Our hearts were wrenched yesterday when a CNN reporter showed a young mother and child walking on the Interstate,because they had nothing and nowhere to go...Here's the challenge:..if any of you have the resources to get a bus ticket to ANYONE in that area with a similar situation,we will provide a loving home for them here in the Greenville,SC area for as long as they need it.. |
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09/01/2005 01:18:35 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by elderell:
I also had this post on another thread...........Here's a different open challenge to DPCr's: My wife and I don't have any expendable cash,but we do have a nice home with a spare bedroom...Our hearts were wrenched yesterday when a CNN reporter showed a young mother and child walking on the Interstate,because they had nothing and nowhere to go...Here's the challenge:..if any of you have the resources to get a bus ticket to ANYONE in that area with a similar situation,we will provide a loving home for them here in the Greenville,SC area for as long as they need it.. |
I would echo that as well. I'm in western NC, about 1.5 hours northwest of elderell. We also have a spare room for a single/couple/small family, if needed. We can't pay to get them here, but if anyone can and reads this, pass it on. |
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09/01/2005 02:07:21 PM · #13 |
CNN article about Americans opening their homes to the victims of Katrina... a suggestion is to post your home/spare room/trailer/RV on //www.craigslist.com or other community boards to try to get the local word out. The problem right now is that the refugees likely have little-to-no internet access at the moment so information that can be spread locally is best. You might try calling your local chamber of commerce, or visitor/tourism board, or your local Red Cross or Salvation Army chapter to let people know you have the room to take in a family. :)
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09/01/2005 02:40:53 PM · #14 |
Thank you for that link and the info. Laurie. :-)
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09/02/2005 07:35:36 AM · #15 |
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09/02/2005 08:56:07 AM · #16 |
| JUST the info I have been waiting for. I just sent my last child to college and I have THREE extra bedrooms. I could take in a family, kids, school system, etc. However I am in Boston and it is so far away. I need either a word of mouth recommendation or an orgainzation. Thanks for the links. Ellen |
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09/02/2005 09:26:00 AM · #17 |
I got some more info yesterday about a large church in New Orleans that set up a blogg for it's members to communicate with each other. I made a post on there yesterday letting them know my home was open.
(He has set up a Blog site-www.xanga.com, user- FBCNO Password- Katrina
There was also an email address to send in info if you have a home to open for others. Even though you are in Boston there very well may be a family who would like to start a new life there.
(House victims. Email cathy.lawrence@bgct.org and let her know how many people you can house and for how long.)
This is the actual email my daughter sent me...
Hello, my paster at First Baptist here in Cleburne kind of paints a picture of what's going on in New Orleans. The severity of it really only hit me yesterday.
Dear Friends,
I know many of our church families have loved ones in the Katrina damage zone. I have had a hard time trying to write in response to the many inquiries about my brother, David, who pastors FBC, New Orleans. I just spoke with him, and he and a former staff member of FBCNO are taking two buses THIS AFTERNOON into the French Quarter to evacuate a Nursing Home there. Please pray for their safety from the marauding bands who are reportedly terrorizing the city. I spoke with him by phone yesterday, and he was not sure what to do next. You can read more at //www.firstbaptistneworleans.com. Some local New Orleans media sites are //www.nola.com and //www.wwltv.com. David is pretty sure that his house is under about 7 feet of water (judging by pictures of a local mall) and that everything will be a total loss, including the car they left in the garage. They have enough insurance to pay off the mortgage, but all of their belongings are gone except for the few things they took with them when they evacuated. He is homeless and a refugee. The new church facility was in a picture on the front of the Times-Picayune yesterday, and I'm attaching that picture. It looks like water is in that structure also. Their staff is in 6 different states, and their congregation is scattered all over the south. They have a $7,000,000 debt payment on their new building. He has set up a Blog site-www.xanga.com, user FBCNO P/W Katrina for their members to check in, and they have heard from perhaps 100 of their people, who are scattered all over. He knew of several members who stayed in the city, and no one has heard from them since the hurricane. It may be January before they can get back in the city, and most families are already in a financial strain. He spoke to one member whom he baptized last year who works construction and whose wife worked at Home Depot. They have no savings, and everything they owned is lost. All the families are displaced for an indeterminate amount of time. They will have to get jobs, put their kids in school, and make housing arrangements in other cities or states. One member was going to try to get back into the city to his house, but they won't let him in. If they did, the infrastructure is gone. If their homes were not flooded, they have been broken into and looted. There is no safe drinking water or any stores where one could buy food or other necessities. There are no jobs there and no way to earn income. Gangs and thugs are looting everything, and the city is unsafe with ever-increasing contamination and disease. It is a disaster zone. When they get the water out, the property may be almost worthless. The soil is ruined by the salt water, and the vegetation is all dead or dying. The church has a damaged building, but no one knows when the church family will be able to gather for worship or what will become of the congregation that is FBC, New Orleans. Many families will stay in other cities where they have put their kids in school, found a place to live, and found new jobs. Will they want to uproot their family and return to New Orleans to start from nothing again? So the future of the congregation is very uncertain. As I said, David is unsure what to do next.
What can we do?
1) Pray for the people.
2) Give through a trusted channel. Texas Baptist Men are already giving disaster relief to victims. You can send donations marked for Katrina to
Texas Baptist Men
333 N. Washington
Dallas, TX 75246.
3) House victims. Email cathy.lawrence@bgct.org and let her know how many people you can house and for how long.
4) Go. There is a need in Houston, where some 25,000 refugees will stay. Email cathy.lawrence@bgct.org and let her know whether you have disaster relief training, how long you can stay and work, and if you can provide transportation.
5) If you are a doc (medical, dental, eye, etc), call Julie at 817-645-1015 to help with refugee medical needs here in Cleburne (Cleburne ISD enrolled 20 refugee children yesterday).
6) David is setting up a channel that will allow us to connect directly with FBC, New Orleans families to give financial assistance. I am working with him on a date when he can come and share with us personally how this church family can partner with that church family in this crisis.
Danny
Daniel E. Crosby, Ph. D.
Pastor
FBC, Cleburne
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 09:28:47. |
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09/02/2005 12:18:03 PM · #18 |
I found this site for anyone who is willing to open their home. Thought I'd share it.
I'd like to say more but this is too overwhelming for words. I'm going to do whatever I can, and I hope you will, too.
Housing for Katrina Victims
EDIT: Please checkout the following links, as well.
//www.hurricanekatrinahelpline.com/
//beenthere.typepad.com/been_there/
//www.openyourhome.com/
//www.nola.com/forums/homesavailable//www.homeflood.org/
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 12:26:50. |
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09/02/2005 12:44:59 PM · #19 |
For all of the horror, despair, desperation, looting, and vandalism reported, it is still amazing to me how much people are willing to give and sacrifice when disasters of this magnitude come to pass - even those with essentially nothing material to give. Not to take anything away from the daily devotionals, donations, and gifts people volunteer every day, but it honestly moves me to tears when I witness the honest, heartfelt, and sincere generosity that humans have the capacity for. Thank you ALL for the kindness and warmth you are providing for those in need. I feel that I'm too far removed from the actual disaster to give relief of this sort (and am actually not in a position to offer a place to stay), but I have donated to the Red Cross specifically for this tragedy. I guess I just wanted to say thank you for helping me believe in the goodness of mankind when it's so easy to believe the opposite.
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09/02/2005 12:51:18 PM · #20 |
On FOX news last night they showed a clip of an alligator in the waters lurking so that is true. I fear some bodies may never be recovered.
There was one family they featured, the Rocha? family with 3 or 4 kids and the mother was 7 months pregnant, they have lost their home, the father was to start a new job on Monday as a computer technician, but now that's gone. It would be nice if a place could be found for them. They are currently living in their SUV. This is only one of the many stories in a similar situation. |
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09/02/2005 06:13:16 PM · #21 |
Thanks so much for the links. I added my name to those. It is so hard to hear about all the homeless people. Hopefully they will start placing them in some of the homes that people are offering. I have even thought about just driving to Houston and grabbing a family, but would rather go though this type of placement. |
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09/02/2005 06:16:02 PM · #22 |
KatrinaHousing.org is getting the most play of everything I've seen. I got an email from them that they are in talks with FEMA to get even more info about the refugees and if I was going to put my name on a list, that is where I'd start.
M
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09/02/2005 06:22:13 PM · #23 |
The town where my school district is located has now seen a major increase in the number of evacuees...we had 512 as of Thursday morning, now we have 2200 and more are expected. The state hospital has opened up some housing for folks in the transitional living cottages they used to use for families of patients, and two other buildings are being considered. A closed nursing home is also on the table as possible housing.
The town in which I live is now hosting 90 evacuees, but expects to see that number rise significantly over the weekend and in the weeks to come. Several local realtors have donated single family houses that they had been offering as rental units to the families, with six months free rent and paid utilities. The university nearest here (my alma mater) is hosting displaced college students and assisting them with transfers so that they can continue to go to school. An orphanage located about 12 miles from here is also hosting families for long-term placement, and several shelters have been set up within a 30-mile radius.
I feel so proud to be a Texan right now, knowing that my children are witnessing such humanity and compassion towards people, even when times are at their absolute worst.
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09/05/2005 09:28:46 PM · #24 |
A new site is KatrinaHousing.org
If anyone hosts a displaced individual or family please post it here. I'm curious to see how it goes. We put our name on the list.
Edit: Nevermind, I just saw someone already posted that site. As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. :-)
Message edited by author 2005-09-05 21:30:00. |
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