Reply #60: My friend in Opelousas, LA said her town sent boats [View All]

[vickitulsa]

down to NOLA yesterday and the day before. Local people in a Louisiana town 300 miles from New Orleans got together and gathered their boats, set off to try to help in rescues.

When they neared the city of New Orleans, they were turned around by the National Guard and sent back home.

More locals in Opelousas have been gathering up clothing and food and essentials for many -- MANY -- refugees from the Gulf Coast area who have come streaming into their town, desperate for help. My friend and her neighbors are opening their homes to these people, who have nothing but the shirts on their backs and are tired and in shock and absolutely at the end of their rope.

There are three shelters in Opelousas, all full to the brim but no one coming into town is being turned away. "We are managing," says my friend Annie. "We'll take care of any who find their way to our town."

The local motels are also full to bursting with refugees, and those who cannot pay are being taken care of anyway. Not sure how, if locals are paying or what.

From all I have seen so far, and I've been watching this horror unfold on television news since two days before Katrina came ashore, indicates that the ONLY relief reaching those who desperately need it has been brought in by individuals or small operations such as local churches who took up donations.

Some are saying, "Now is not the time" to be criticizing the relief effort or accusing those who failed miserably to prevent the unnecessary parts of this disaster, including loss of life, and failed as well to render aid and assistance in the time frame it was needed. This will be the hue and cry from those who fell on their face in front of all Americans and the entire world in this catastrophe.

Then they will figure out some other clever catch-phrase, some "good reason" WHY we should not examine what went wrong and why the resources needed and certainly available in this country were NOT allowed in to the people who were dying of something as basic as lack of water, food, and medical care.

~VV

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