Reply #12: Lufkin, TX Pop Tripled from 35M to 100,000 due to Rita Evacuees [View All]

[GOPAgainstGW]

LUFKIN, Texas (AP) _ Officials said they believe the population of Lufkin has nearly tripled to about 100,000 with Hurricane Rita evacuees in the city. The city's normal population is around 35,000.

Officials estimate that as many as 10,000 people are taking shelter in the city, with the rest staying in private homes or parking lots. U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, said he was worried about East Texas evacuees being in the path of the storm.

"The state successfully evacuated a lot of people off the coast and out of Houston. The problem is a good number of them are stuck in East Texas, right in the direct path of the hurricane," Brady said. He said evacuees are stuck in cities such as Livingston, Jasper, Woodville, Newton and Cold Springs, 70-80 miles inland, that were originally east of the projected hurricane path.

"We have thousands of people with no fuel or food, no shelters, no cots, no security ... When the winds start hitting tonight those people are going to be stuck," Brady said. Brady decided to ride out the storm from his home, about 25 miles north of downtown Houston. He said he had planned to evacuate with his wife and two young children, but "the roads were too much and I'm glad we didn't."

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