 | Hi Adam,
I was listening to your show as you were talking about the "instant relief" we expect in America. You played a promo by Chris Rockwell and in it he said " these people are not getting the help they need to survive". I'm sorry, but that's not the case. What Chris is seeing on TV is only a small amount of the people who are just now getting help. Why? Because some have been hiding in their homes not wanting to leave. They simply thought the water would go down quickly or because they wanted to protect what little they have left. One person told me he had plenty of food and water but was afraid to leave because of the "bad element" that was shooting at the rescuers and evacuees. I know this because I've spoken with many of the evacuees at the Red Cross shelter here in Shreveport. Yesterday I spent 4 hours just talking to Red Cross volunteers and refugees that just got out of New Orleans in the past 24 hours. You played one of my interviews on your show last Friday. ( ZIP 71101 with Ron Stroope) I spoke to a girl named Tammy. She had no idea if her father and mother was safe because they stayed behind. Yesterday, as I was leaving I spotted her. She told me that the Red Cross found her father and he was working with FEMA and they got him a place to live for his family in Lafayette, LA. He will pick up her and her twin brother today. I searched for the other people I spoke to on my first visit and they were not there. I was told that they probably found a place to live or maybe a family took them in. Many have gone back to south Louisiana to stay with family and friends. Yesterday many of the local companies held a job fair and many found employment. In fact, I saw one lady jumping for joy as she was telling her fellow refugees that she had a job. This shelter is housing over 1200 people. I know of another one housing about the same. On the LSU campus in Shreveport another shelter has been opened. Many of the local volunteers are taking people home with them or finding them places to live. I visited a church that bought out a mall. In the old Dillard's area there were hundreds of boxes stacked 6 feet high full of clothing, furniture and supplies like bottled water. This area must have been over 75,000 square feet or more and it was nearly full. Another church took another building about the same size and they are filling it up and giving it out. I'll tell these stories and more on my next podcast. I can tell you first hand, it's happening through the efforts and generosity of the people. We should never wait or depend on the government to take the first step in something like this. There will always be some folks that get missed or overlooked and that's a shame. Of course, I'm only seeing what's happening in my city but I'm 100 percent sure that in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Baton Rouge, Jackson, Atlanta, or anywhere there are shelters and concerned citizens getting involved, help will be available. It's a slow process and will be even slower and harder for many of the elderly and handicapped but I believe this country will pull together and find a solution, because together, we can make a difference.
Ron Stroope
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