Hurricane Rita Survivor - Beaumont Texas

[drakethib]

Just getting back online after a 3 week departure for Hurricane Rita.

My newborn daughter was not yet one week old and we had to evacuate Beaumont. Family and home are well (we were one of the lucky ones) Life in Beaumont is as normal as can be expected considering the circumstances.

My thoughts and my thoughts only on how things were handled. Other may disgaree.

FEMA. Took longer to get out here then they should have but in the end they have came through in helping people as best they can. There job is to manage a disaster, but I truly do not think they are as organized as they have been in the past. I am still not happy abut how New Orleans was handled but that is another time and another place.

American Red Cross. I will never give them another dime again. As far as I am concerned they are one of the most disappointing agencies in existence. I am saying this after my company donated over $10,000 to them (we are a small company so it was a lot of money for us) for the Katrina Victims. They could not tell anyone where to get to get help, refused to speak on the local radio to answer questions on how to get help (they may have had one person on for 5 minutes). Total dysfunction. It aggravates me to see links to their web site while on the web.

Military. Big Thumbs up. They helped with all kinds of task from security to picking up debris off of roads. Anyone who thinks the military should not be involved in a natural disaster is insane IMHO. This is coming from a former soldier.

Police, EMS, etc: Big Thumbs up. We had men and women from around the US helping us. Hero’s in my book

Electrical & Power Company. Again, Big Thumbs up. We had men and women from around the US working day and night to get power restored. Again, hero’s in my book.

News Media. The local news did a great job of covering everything. The National and World media was down here until the day after the storm and left. This area got hit very badly and it seems that Beaumont / Lake Chares /golden Triangle have been forgotten. All I keep hearing about is Hurricane Katrina.

Local & Out of state church groups. I had to edit to add this. More hero's. I think their were many non-believers who now know that there is a higher power thanks to these people.

Our Neighbors. This was our biggest allies in this battle. Everyone helped each other. If you are currently arguing with a neighbor right now, please bury the hatchet. One day you may need each other.


God Bless

 

[dis4me]

Glad to hear you survived and are well. It must have been scary for you with a newborn.At least now you are home and can enjoy your time with the baby.
Thanks for the perspective on the agencies.I personally had a problem with the red cross because of the overhead cost of salaries.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Welcome back! Glad to hear that everything is OK with you and your family. We are in a small town in MS that survived Katrina and I agree with you on all the issues you posted, especially the forgotten part. Our area was neglected for a long time and only survived with the help of private groups and neighbors helping each other. We are slowly getting back to normal with the help of so many. However our little town has had a huge population explosion! Our population has tripled and that makes it really hard to get around and go grocery shop. The stores are having a tough time keeping everything in stock. It will be a long time before things are truely back to normal but until then we have just been taking everything one day at a time.

 

[Pin Wizard]

So glad you and your family are all right! Glad your home was spared anything worse also. Interesting to read your thoughts on different organizations.

I have friends who lived in Beaumont a few years back. They're counting their blessings for not being there at this point.

Hope life gets back to normal completely as soon as possible!

 

[ADisneygirl]

I hope your life gets back to normal soon.

 

[drakethib]

Thanks All

 

[heart4pooh]

This past week I massaged a husband and wife team that went to the Lake Charles area with a Salvation Army group to help with the recovery. They told me that the Red Cross was a joke, also. They said they would be seen driving by in their new, nicely painted trucks, but weren't seen actually helping anybody. They are planning on going back in a couple of weeks, as there is so much work to be done.

 

[Dan Murphy]

...........One day you may need each other.


God Bless

And that really says it all.

So good to see you back.

 

[bettyann29]

Welcome back.. Glad to hear that you and your family is safe..
interesting to hear your take on it.. I would agree that all mentioned are heros..

 

[nativetxn]

Welcome back. I'm glad that your house fared well and that your family is safe. Our cousins are back home in Beaumont, too. Things are alright with them, as good as could be expected.

I made my donations to the Salvation Army. My family has not had good dealings with the Red Cross, dating back to pre WWII and during the war itself.

Frustrating situation for all concerned. I hope that you get the help you need.

Katholyn

 

[Planogirl]

My cousin has been back home for a week or so and was relieved to find no damage. I've been wondering about Port Arthur and how bad the damage was down there but the media doesn't say much.

We'll have to see about the Red Cross. They seem inconsistent nowadays.

 

[drakethib]

My cousin has been back home for a week or so and was relieved to find no damage. I've been wondering about Port Arthur and how bad the damage was down there but the media doesn't say much.

We'll have to see about the Red Cross. They seem inconsistent nowadays.

Port Arthur was hit pretty bad as well. Some flooding but they are getting back on thier feet.

 

[Hillbeans]

Glad to hear you're doing alright after being away for a few weeks. How scary to be displaced with a newborn - I couldn't imagine how hard that must have been.

What you said about the Red Cross doesn't surprise me as i've heard many others saying similar things now - it's a shame really, especially with the tens of millions they've received in donations over the past few weeks.

 

[Planogirl]

The Red Cross has had an awful lot of disasters, one right after the other. I wonder if that's been at least a part of the problem?

I'd hate to think that we couldn't count on them. They've always been the first ones into an affected area and traditionally there for everyone.

 

[momsgoofy]

So glad to hear that you and yours are doing well in spite of everything! And a big congrats on the new baby...such a joy that is!!!

I'd heard from friends in Lumberton and Houston the same thing you said about the Red Cross...like you makes me hesitant to give any more money to them.

I wish you the best as you and your family try to get things back to normal!

 

[Rajah]

Welcome back!