Katrina refugees come to Dallas (Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)
Days after one of the worst natural disasters in United States history, the city of Dallas became a safe haven for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Buses from the Superdome and other shelters in the New Orleans area began arriving last Thursday and dropped off refugees at Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center.
Survivors arrived with a mix of relief and sadness.
Ray Lee of New Orleans arrived in Dallas last Thursday. He and his family of seven rode out the hurricane in a hotel on the outskirts of New Orleans.
“Some people say that it sounds like a train, but to me it sounded like tornadoes with 200 to 300 mph winds,” Lee said.
Lee and his family got out of the city before the levee broke and went to a shelter in Baton Rouge. He considered going to the Superdome but heard that things were not going as planned at the stadium.
“There is no way there should have had that many people in there,” Lee said.
On his way out of the city, Lee was stunned at the damage around him.
“The roof of our hotel was gone . . . the tarp was hanging off the side of the building. Cars, trees, you name it — they were all destroyed.”
Lee stayed in Baton Rouge until last Friday, when he took his family to Dallas. They arrived at Reunion Arena and immediately began the search for missing relatives.
“My nerves are going crazy, I’m trying to keep cool,” Lee said.
Lee said he tried to make contact with his aunt, who had several family members staying with her. He has been unsuccessful in locating them.
For now, Lee and his family are going to stay at Reunion until they have a good idea of what their future holds for them.
“The city of New Orleans may recover, but I don’t think I’m going to go back. I could get settled and it could happen all over again. I’m going to try and make a home in Dallas,” Lee said.
Quail Rhea of New Orleans was already planning to move to Dallas before Katrina hit. Rhea was arrived at Reunion Arena with her four kids, ages 11, 6, 3 and 1, and her sister.
According to Rhea, it was “complete hell” trying to get out of New Orleans before the storm hit.
“A five-hour drive was taking 10 hours. It took forever to leave,” Rhea said. “They should have had a better evacuation plan, but I’m blessed. I could still be in the Superdome.”
Her home is underwater right now, and Rhea said that it was probably gone forever.
“I’m permanently staying in Dallas. I think there might be family to stay with soon,” Rhea said.
An unexpected reunion occurred when Aaron Hargrove ran into his good friend Cedric Jones. The two had lived in the same New Orleans neighborhood and both wound up in Dallas, seeking relief from the hurricane.
Jones had just gotten off a bus from New Orleans when he spotted Hargrove in front of the arena. Jones ran up and the two embraced each other while shedding tears mixed with relief and joy.
“It’s the only person I’ve seen that I know,” said Hargrove.
Both men say their homes are destroyed and neither know where they will be living.
Zahira Sims arrived at Reunion Arena for a different reason. She lives in Grand Prairie, but her father lives in New Orleans. He has been missing since Katrina hit. George Sims, Sr. lived three blocks from where the levee broke last Tuesday.
Sims was outside the arena with posters that had her father’s picture. She was asking refugees if they had seen him.
“He didn’t want to leave because there are so many kids in his neighborhood who he wanted to make sure were OK.”
Sims says she has relatives looking at shelters outside New Orleans and in Houston.
“We don’t have any leads yet, but we are hopeful,” Sims said.
The city of Dallas is currently housing 1,000 people inside Reunion Arena and 7,200 at the Dallas Convention Center. 14,000 people have registered to receive some sort of aid in the Dallas area.
Katrina refugees come to Dallas (Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)
Katrina refugees come to Dallas (Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)
