Texas facing new challenges as displaced leave shelters
HOUSTON -- Carrying large plastic bags of donated clothes, the last of the evacuees are leaving the city's largest shelters, including the Astrodome and Reliant Park, for temporary or permanent housing, marking a new phase in an unprecedented resettlement operation.
As thousands of evacuees move from emergency shelters and spread across the city in search of jobs, financial help, and housing, state and local officials overseeing this recovery phase face a different set of challenges.
Displaced Louisianans now in Texas have had an impact on everything from housing and the hiring of teachers to the way police officers do their jobs.
''So far things are going smoothly," said Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, who was recently named by Governor Rick Perry to lead the effort to help evacuees rebuild their lives. ''Some people are starting to look for jobs, and we know we will have some challenges down the line."
So far, 23,000 evacuees have been removed from the largest shelters by the weekend while officials are trying to find housing for an additional 50,000 people in hotels or with family, according to Frank Michel, a spokesman for Mayor Bill White.
The Astrodome, which held 17,000 evacuees shortly after survivors of Hurricane Katrina poured into the state's largest city, is now empty. Reliant Park -- the sports complex that includes the dome and had quickly turned into a virtual city of 27,000 evacuees, with a large makeshift medical unit and dozens of social service agencies -- is nearly empty, with 1,400 evacuees left.
The question facing local and state officials is, how does a state with 25 million residents of its own deal with about 300,000 new residents -- many of whom are staying in hotels, short-term rentals, or with friends and relatives -- but may end up staying in the Lone Star state permanently?
Williams said Texas can handle the influx because of its large size, but he said it needs the help of faith-based organizations, businesses, volunteers, and the federal government.
''Texans have been enormously generous, and I think that is possibly why the state has attracted so many people," Williams said.
''We can handle it because we chose to handle it. Of course, we are going to make the argument that our generosity should not be punished. We are looking for reimbursement."
President Bush promised in a prime-time speech last Thursday that the federal government would repay states for sheltering some of the hundreds of thousands of people displaced.
''A number of states have taken in evacuees and show them great compassion -- admitting children to school and providing healthcare. So I will work with Congress to ensure that states are reimbursed for these extra expenses," Bush said.
Because no city or state has ever accepted so many displaced residents so quickly, Houston officials say they are dealing with challenges as they arise. For example, the Houston Police Department created a task force last week to investigate misuse of debit cards handed out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Red Cross.
Also, several faith-based and city organizations created a mentoring program that allows neighbors to help overwhelmed evacuees adjust to their new lives.
With thousands of people still in hotels, the Red Cross said it is extending evacuees' hotel stays by 30 days. And, the state is planning to create a disaster-relief center that will provide evacuees with information on housing and financial aid.
''What we are seeing across the state is that each city is handling the situation differently," Williams said. ''The largest city is Houston, which probably has 100,000 to 200,000 new friends and new Texans. They are handling it and they are doing it day by day."
Guy Rankin, CEO for Harris County Housing Authority, said officials are also trying to determine how to move evacuees to the top of public housing and shelter lists without pushing back needy Houston residents who have been on waiting lists for years.
That issue will become especially important as many evacuees decide to stay in Houston. According to a
State, local, and county officials say they are unable to estimate the cost of caring for so many displaced residents.
Michel, the mayor's spokesman, said that last week, city and county officials instructed all employees to save receipts and note all cost related to the relief effort. He said officials plan to seek $39 million from the federal government this week, the first of a number of requests for reimbursement.
Last week, US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who toured Houston schools, proposed that the federal government reimburse Texas schools for 90 percent of the instructional cost related to educating new Louisiana students. Officials say they believe FEMA will pay the remaining 10 percent.
So far, Texas schools have already opened its doors to 41,000 new students, with half of them in Houston area schools. The Houston Independent School District, one of the largest systems in the nation, saw its enrollment grow by 4,700 new students in less than two weeks.
The district has hired 180 teachers, ordered nearly 40 new bus routes, and 10,000 textbooks to handle the population boom.
Louisiana residents say Texans have shown great compassion, but some worry the hospitality may wear thin as evacuees become permanent fixtures in the city.
So far, tension between evacuees and residents have been minimal and isolated.
