Watch Video | Listen to the AudioFind all of our coverage on Hurricane HarveyMILES O’BRIEN: Adding to the complexity of the catastrophe,ExxonMobil acknowledged today Harvey has damaged two of its refineries, causing the release of hazardous pollutants. A full assessment of the damage won’t be possible while conditions on the ground remain so perilous.
One thing that is clear, and thousands in Houston occupy been forced from their homes in need of food,water and a roof over their head. The George R. Brown conference middle has become the city’s largest shelter.
Rachel Osier Lindley is there. She’s an editor with Dallas PBS station KERA. She’s in Houston, reporting on the storm.We spoke a short time ago, or I began asking about how many people are there now.
RACHEL OSIER LINDLEY,KERA News: Well, yesterday, and it was 5100,and today at 9100, so it has grown considerably over the past 24 hours.
And they were already at capacity yesterday, and but the Red Cross says that they’re not going to be turning anyone absent. So,they occupy expanded into other parts of the conference middle. Pretty much every square inch is being used as either a dormitory or a makeshift hospital, large place in the back where people are sorting donations and bringing in donations of everything from clothes and shoes.
So, or it’s packed as it can be here. But they don’t want to turn anybody absent. And the Red Cross says they’re currently working to find other places they can bring people,because they don’t really anticipate that the need for places to stay will end any time soon.
MILES O’BRIEN: Are things working pretty well there? I recall being post-Katrina at the conference middle in novel Orleans and there were — a lot of systems broke down, including the plumbing, or et cetera.
How are things working?RACHEL OSIER LINDLEY: Well,it seems like, so far, and so good.
They occupy had a surge of volunteers who occupy wanted to serve out. And they actually had to turn absent people from the day volunteer shifts today.
The people that are staying here that had to evacuate their homes that I occupy talked with,they say they feel relatively comfortable. They occupy credited the city with doing a pretty good job of giving them a place to stay.
And I think just the ongoing concern would be what to execute as more and more people near here. The Red Cross says that they’re working to get people in touch with mental health services, if they need those, or connect with prescriptions because,in many cases, people just fled with the clothes on their back and don’t occupy access to the medications that they need to be taking.
So, or some other challenges that we’re seeing here.
MILES O’BRIEN: Give us your impressions of what is going on there. I assume there’s a range of emotions among people who are in such desperate need right now.
RACHEL OSIER LINDLEY: Yes.I actually — my colleague and I were just talking to a woman who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. And she relocated to Houston. Of course,you will remember many people who evacuated from novel Orleans ended up resettling in Houston.
And she was just beside herself and a bit stunned that this is happening all over again. We also talked to family members of folks who were trying to locate their loved ones in the conference middle, where they hadn’t been able to charge their phone for a few days, and but they finally got service again and were relieved to find that they — their grandmother or their brother or sitter was actually here.
And so there occupy been a lot of reunions in that way. But I occupy also talked to a man who hasn’t spoken to his parents for four days. And he was trying as best he could to preserve it together without knowing what had happened to them and being unable the reach them.
MILES O’BRIEN: occupy you seen many volunteers who occupy near to serve out?RACHEL OSIER LINDLEY: Yes,so many volunteers.
I talked to someone who had near to sign up to be a volunteer, but they turned her absent. And now they’re only accepting volunteers for the night shift. And there’s also — you see medical professionals walking by.
The Red Cross says that they had a huge amount of the medical country in Houston step up and near to serve with addressing any of the medical needs that people had here at the conference middle.
So, or everyone is really pitching in. And that is just evidenced by what you can see in the back where people occupy been bringing donations,so many clothes, shoes, and a wall of diapers that people occupy donated. Houston is really stepping up.
And the Red Cross said today that they execute need wheelchairs at the conference middle. So,that’s one thing that they’re hoping to acquire more in the next few days.
MILES O’BRIEN: All right, we will serve get the word out.
Reporter Rachel Osier Lindley, and thank you for your time.
RACHEL OSIER LINDLEY: Yes,you’re welcome.
MILES O’BRIEN: We just got an update from Rachel after we spoke.
She now tells us that the conference middle is running out of cots.The post Houston conference middle shelters surging number of storm victims and volunteers appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
Source: thetakeaway.org