Per MSNBC:
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said everyone still in the city, now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers, needs to leave. She said she wanted the Superdome evacuated within two days.
"We need to evacuate the people in the Superdome and other shelters and in the hospitals," she told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday. "Those are our basic missions today."
Houston officials later said those evacuees would be sent via 475 buses to the city's Astrodome. The stadium's schedule was cleared through December to make it available.
I have a bad feeling about this plan. There is the obvious issue of busing people from one stadium to another (albeit, an airconditioned, functioning one). I saw a few pictures of (what MSNBC told me were) Superdome evacuees. Tired, holding on to multiple kids and a few bags of belongings. Having no clue of the fate of their homes or relatives. And now they're going to be placed on a bus for 6 hours to camp out at another football stadium.
Is there truly no alternative to this? Is there no possibility of creating a refugee camp somewhere closer to home? And what happens in the interim? Is a permanent refugee camp being constructed as close to NO as possible? This smells like bullshit to me.
UPDATE
Several commenters have pointed out the relative merits of this plan:
1. This is a relatively short-term solution
2. Prevention of disease and access to an intact medical infrastructure in Houston
3. Better conditions in the Astrodome (air conditioning, running water) than could possibly be constructed in a refugee camp
4. Better communications from Astrodome so that refugees may contact friends and relatives
I pray that you guys are right.
[UPDATE II, food for thought from commenter Zergle]
From a Houston Perspective (4.00 / 2)
Personally, I work just down the street from the Astrodome complex, so I know a thing or two about the situation from a Houston perspective.
First, moving these folks to the Astrodome is an excellent solution. It will be a bit of a burden on Houston, but we are a city of people with open arms. We will find a way to take care of these people. Houstonians join together in ways people have trouble imagining. After Allison flooded out the majority of the city we ALL came together to help those less fortunate. Houston is truly the heart of Texas.
Second, the dome is just outside the main medical center area. This is significant because they can bring people to the dome for triage, then take them to one or more of the many hospitals just down the road. Getting medical supplies and equipment to the dome would be simple and quick.
Third, the area around the dome has tons of retail outlets such as grocery stores, car dealerships, wal marts, you name it. All of these things within a mile of the facility so many of these poor folks will be within walking distance of some of their basic needs. There are also numerous hotels and apartments in the immediate area for people that can connect to their money.
Fourth, the dome isn't being used for anything right now. An occasional motocross rally is about all. On top of that you have a huge parking area that can be used for landing helicopters and Life Flight. Why not use it to house a few thousand people for a while?
Fifth, the new Texans stadium (Reliant Arena) is right next door to the dome. So in worst case scenario they can even move the people over into the brand new facility if the need arises.
All in all, this is an excellent solution. In some ways I would like to see people split up into different areas, but that just complicates the logisitcs. I personally don't look forward to the increase in traffic and overall activity. Not just from the people but from the huge numbers of media outlets that will likely take over this part of the city. But those are pretty minor inconviences to help people that can't find their families, their homes, or their feet.