Nick Todaro, Reporter
08-29-2008
Cots and bedding are on the way to Ruston via the Louisiana Red Cross today, and shelters could open as soon as tonight or Saturday morning.
A second meeting of emergency officials in Lincoln Parish today at the parish courthouse outlined more expected needs and possible weather in our area as Tropical Storm Gustav bears down on Louisiana. Projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have the storm still headed on a bee-line for the Louisiana coast, said Parish Administrator Dennis Woodward.
“It looks like it’s going to scrape the coast on its projected path, which could be a real disaster,” Woodward said. “It also looks like our area will be on the northeast side of the storm, which is the worst side for tornados and heavy rain.”
Questions about whether the Louisiana Red Cross would begin opening local shelters today or Saturday can’t be answered yet, according to Red Cross official Laurie Dilulio, reached in a conference call this morning. However, Civic Center Director Judy Burt said the organization has 650 cots on the way to the area, with more to follow, and a contingent of 32 Red Cross volunteers who will be based at Grace United Methodist Church.
“We’re going to be ready,” Burt said. “The Red Cross has brought cots, Aramark (food service) has been contacted, there are lots of people calling to volunteer.”
Ten of those are Hurricane Katrina evacuees who planted roots in the Ruston area and wanted to help in the effort to ride out Gustav, Burt said. She said she is worried that people will be eager to get out of south Louisiana as the day wears on, and the city could see its first influx of evacuees by Saturday. A family reunion planned for the weekend at the center has been cancelled.
“I think people will be standing at the door Saturday morning,” Burt said.
Dilulio said current projections call for simultaneous contraflow — turning all lanes to direct traffic north — on south Louisiana interstate highways in the southeast and southwest parts of the state at some point during the weekend. That could lead to heavy congestion and some evacuees will likely try to beat the gridlock, she said.
Burt and others at the meeting today discussed the need for computer and phone access
in the Civic Center, and Capt. Jim Hilton with Ruston Police discussed having I.D. badges made for evacuees quickly after their arrival at the center.
Xavier University has opted not to house its students at GSU, officials said, but as of now, Louisiana Tech is still set to take on evacuee students from Nicholls State University.
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