Chaos at Red Cross aid centers in Mississippi

[DoYouEverWonder]

Sept 14

Frustrated and angry victims of Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed Red Cross assistance centers Tuesday in Petal and Hattiesburg.

Victims waiting to receive one of 500 appointment tickets given out in Hattiesburg said some in the crowd pushed and shoved others while waiting in a parking lot across the street from the Sigler Center assistance site.

"They just didn't have no kind of control this morning," said David Moore, a disabled veteran from Hattiesburg who arrived at about 5:30 a.m. to stand in line for assistance - which could include checks for $360 or more written on the spot.

"There was a few law enforcements here when I got here. They were directing traffic at that time," he siad.

No more appointments will be made in Hattiesburg, Petal, Purvis or Wiggins.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050914/NEWS05/509140303


Gee and I thought things were going great in Mississippi?

BTW: How the hell are you supposed to make an appointment when you no house, electric or telephone?

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. More Red Cross chaos in Mississippi

McComb Red Cross chief fired
Ernest Herndon
Enterprise-Journal

Published Wednesday, September 14, 2005 12:52 PM CDT

An American Red Cross official said she fired McComb branch manager Zandra Hamilton on Tuesday due to rudeness and insubordination.

Hamilton said she was fired because she complained too loudly that the Red Cross has not set up a service center in Pike County.

“I think they got rid of me for the simple fact that I was stepping up for Pike County,” Hamilton said when contacted by the Enterprise-Journal on Tuesday afternoon. “I refused to back down and let Lincoln County rule the show when I knew I had evacuees and local residents needed the assistance.”

Currently only Lincoln County has a Red Cross service center, which this morning was swamped by thousands of people including Pike countians.

http://www.enterprise-journal.com/NF/omf/ejournal/ssiuname=WebOSTTN/ssipwd=TTN9DB1B8D5/news/news_story.html?rkey=0039459+sid=20050914125207.AF7F6+cat=news


Crowds swamp Red Cross
Ernest Herndon
Enterprise-Journal

Published Wednesday, September 14, 2005 12:51 PM CDT

Thousands of people mobbed an American Red Cross service center in Lincoln County this morning, along with National Guardsmen, law enforcement officials and television camera crews.

Lincoln County Sheriff Wiley Calcote said there were “7,000 to 8,000 people and maybe more. That’s a conservative number. It’s been all night. We’ve been rolling all night trying to keep control.”

Other estimates said as many as 15,000 people were there, greater than the population of Brookhaven.

People began massing Tuesday night at the Lincoln County Multi-Use Facility on Belt Line Road outside Brookhaven in hopes of getting Red Cross assistance.

“I’ve been here since 10 o’clock last night,” said Sybil Smith of McComb, whose home sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina and whose mother has cancer.

Smith said law enforcement officers from Tennessee turned people around at the exit on Interstate 55 Tuesday night, saying the Red Cross caseload was already full for today. Smith took another route to the building and found “cars from everywhere.”

http://www.enterprise-journal.com/NF/omf/ejournal/ssiuname=WebOSTTN/ssipwd=TTN9DB1B8D5/news/news_story.html?rkey=0039458+sid=20050914125119.38E8B+cat=news


Folks this is two weeks now and the Red Cross seems to be having a real hard time getting their act together. I can't imagine what the situaton must be like in Louisiana.

[OneBlueSky]

2. sounds like the Red Cross and FEMA are competing . . .

to see who can fuck things up more . . . and to think that Americans in distress have to rely on these organizations . . .

[Sgent]

3. My family

are among the lucky ones -- financially secure (retirement) and well insured.

That being said, dealing with the red cross has been like pulling teeth. At least here in Tupelo they are accepting walkins still.

[txindy]

4. Okay, this is truly sick

Why is it that none of the 'professional' relief groups have
any kind of organization/coordination to handle what they are
supposedly created to provide? The Veterans for Peace group
can decamp from Camp Casey, drive to the Gulf Coast, and organize
on the ground there (:applause:), yet a massive org. such as the
Red Cross can't get itself together nearly as well. I'm stunned
and more than a bit angry.

[cry baby]

5. I heard Trent Lott say last night that everything was going well

in Miss. Could he have been exaggerating(lying)?

[trof]

6. Same in Alabama.

They changed the location of the Baldwin County center (by several miles) 3 times in three days.
No "walk ins", you must call for an appointment.
Phone line is always busy.
When you do get an appointment, it's for 2 weeks from now for "immediate assistance".
bah

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. That's how it is in Florida too

Except of course during election years and even then only when the cameras are around. The rest of the time you are on your own.

Funny, the NG finally showed up with ice at one point but all the local supermarkets had already reopened. You could go stand in line for 2 hours to get a free bag or drive down the road and get one for $1.00 with no wait.