Day 3 in Houston 9/6/05 - by Patti & Jaya

Today we went through the orientation and were told they didn't need anyone and to wait for instructions. Since we love listening to directions we went off to survey the area ourselves to find what was needed. In the Astrodome and Reliant Buildings all the cots were spread out and there were areas sectioned off by families, women, lost children, deaf people, and elderly. There were nurses walking throughout the sleeping quarters taking care of people. People throughout the day were sleeping, eating, braiding hair, listening to music, looking for loved ones on various walls taped up with names and messages written on cards. Kids were running around in groups playing jump rope, football, catch, tag, and just having fun. Many older kids played with and watched out for the younger ones, many young fathers were playing with their babies. Some people played dominoes, and amongst it all people were trying to get medical care and information on family, jobs,  school, and places to stay. People were keeping their belongings in garbage bags next to their cots. We were very surprised and concerned to see that we were easily able to come in and out of all the sleeping areas and childcare areas without being questioned or searched. We were able to walk through the Control Center and see all the officials discussing work but all we saw were people in uniform eating. We checked all the bathrooms in the different arenas and they were all clean, the custodians we talked to are getting extra hours and working very hard. We saw FEMA, child support services, Section 8 services, Consulates, and Food Stamps and WIC offices in the Reliant Center.

Jaya was able to get into the medical clinic with her UCSF School of Nursing ID and was approved to take vital signs and was able to work in the pharmacy giving people their prescriptions, getting medical charts, track down lost medications, advocate for pharmacists and doctor¡¦s to rewrite prescriptions that hadn't been filled although they had been processed days before, and help people who were confused that the meds they ordered were replaced with different medications because a specific brand was not available (i.e. birthcontrol pills, generic versions of drugs etc.) Some sick people had to wait in line for long periods of time, some could not wait and just left. The pharmacy had wonderful people working but they were incredibly understaffed and the lines were long, often a pharmacist or doctor was needed but was difficult and time consuming to track down. There were different sections of the makeshift hospital including adult care, OB-gyn, pediatrics, surgery,  quarantined, and isolation areas for people with contagious illnesses.

We decided to return to the Reliant Arena. We saw families just arriving from Louisiana looking for shelter, as well as people just needing services but were staying elsewhere. Many with small children did not want to stay at the Astrodome because they did not feel safe. One family with three young girls told Patty that they would sleep in their car until FEMA could place them in an apartment, no word on how long that could be. Others came in clusters of friends and wanted to stay together to stay safe and Patty registered them as one family as brothers and sisters in the hopes they would not be separated. Patty and Jaya had to advocate many times to keep families and friends together. Some children came in with rashes, vomiting, and asthma. Patty and Jaya registered a young woman less than 22 years who was 7 months pregnant and all alone at the Astrodome. She was forced to separate from her family upon reaching the evacuation buses after walking  through the floods carrying their belongings. She was able to contact her boyfriend who was placed in an apartment in Dallas, Jaya gave her $100 and she took a shuttle to the Greyhound station to take a bus to Dallas. She was very upset and afraid at certain moments and cried because of her experience to make it to Houston. She is extremely strong to have made it out of the floods and still have the energy to travel and search for her family alone. She plans to name her son Sincere like in the movie Belly. She has not seen a doctor since the emergency and left without receiving medical care.

Patty witnessed a lot of drama and inconsistencies between the officials about paperwork, bracelets people had to wear, where to place people, and whether we had space. By the time we left they said there were altogether 2,000 vacant beds, though throughout the day we heard people were getting sent away because supposedly there was no space.

There was a family of 12 including 7 small children who had just came in from New Orleans on a bus and amongst the chaos the police found one pound of marijuana in the grandmother's bag and tried to place her under arrest. An officer said they had to check with the DA if they were to detain her because too many police witnessed what they found in her bag. Her family was extremely upset and crying and said their bags were handled by other people in the evacuation process and that they could point out who put the marijuana in their mother's bag. After having survived the hurricane and floods and long travel, they had to deal with almost being separated at the shelter. After about 30 minutes they let the grandmother in and we made sure the family was not separated and they all got beds together and medical care.

Jaya was able to help a young man of 23 find his mother and family and neighbors who he did not know were alive before getting to the Astrodome. He was planning on leaving to Baton Rouge if he did not find them in one day. They now have beds next to each other.

There was an elderly woman in a wheelchair looking for her lost husband who was a diabetic and didn't have legs and was also in a wheelchair. Patty sent two volunteers to go through all the facilities to look for him as there is no centralized data base for evacuees, and the volunteers were able to reunite the couple.

A custodian woman at the medical center told Jaya a four year old girl was almost raped behind the medical center but the man was caught and sent to jail today. She said people express fear of sleeping and keep waking up at night to make sure they are not under water. She also said that many people have discussions about the politics of the whole situation and that many feel that the flood was caused on purpose by the police who were retaliating after a white police officer was shot in New Orleans the night before. She also said many people expressed that right after the hurricane the store owners were opening their stores and letting people get supplies but in the news it was all only depicted as pure looting. Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Jaime Fox, and Sean Penn all came for tours today and yesterday and are donating money. She also said she sees the police sitting around all day eating the food and not helping the people.

An old man in a wheelchair's arm was broken last night because someone beat him because he was accused of urinating on him. The man got medical treatment, and the other guy got sent to jail.

There is definitely an alarming lack of organization but we have found that if you direct people to needed positions and tasks they will do it, even those in uniform. Everyone seems to be looking for a leader. We both feel blessed, guided, helped, and empowered by our creator to have taken a part in constructing the reception area and being able to talk with people about their experiences before getting to the shelter, and being able to make sure they don't fall through the cracks upon arrival. We are now working on keeping in contact with individuals we've connected with to determine future needs, rather than organizations soliciting donations. We have found local churches and community organizations doing good work, but we feel the money needs to be in people's hands rather then in red tape. Although much of what we report is negative, the overall feel of the area is mellow, people are reforming communities, helping themselves and each other, and the place is clean  enough, vibrant, and full of hope. People's different faiths have been strengthened and tested, faith has been a common topic of conversation, and has been a unifying force here. We thank everyone who helps us and many people thank and bless us for the smallest things. Many people inside the dome just want to feel safe and are actively working to rebuild their lives, and many people from all places and professions really care about everyone there.

This is what happens step by step at the Astrodome¡KIf you were a person arriving for shelter

1. Get searched by at least 30 state and federal police with 10 gallon cowboy hats and boots, fatigues, bright badges, sunglasses, and guns.
2.  DMAT squirts hand sanitizer on your hands and bombards you with questions for emergency medical care
3. Volunteers register you and ask more questions to place you in one of the stadiums by a color coded bracelet
4. Walk through supply area and get food, clothes, and baby products
5. Wait in area to be taken to shelter, while different people squabble about where to take you
6. This is where things get chaotic. There is not system for making sure people get led to the clinic or sleeping area, but next stop should be to medical area.
7. Once medical is cleared you are either left to figure out on your own where to sleep or a volunteer or Red Cross person helps you find an empty cot and some blankets. Last night tetanus shots were mandatory, today they weren't, tomorrow no se.
8. Then you are free to search for loved ones and other services, or leave the dome and come back, but it is all on your own initiative to figure out what's going on and what's available for you.

From Houston Texas and the Astrodome, much love, Patty and Jaya

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