Continued aftermath from Katrina

For links on services available in Arkansas for hurricane victims, please see the post below.

I am now hearing that local shelters, ones that received huge amounts of food donations, are already running out of supplies. There are so many refugees that people are unable to keep up with even basic needs. The spokesperson for one of these shelters was interviewed this morning and stated that the situation, even this far north of Louisiana, is "dire". It is looking right now like deaths from hunger and easily preventable medical problems will be continuing throughout this next week.

I have been asked to help one evacuee find a home this week, let me tell you a bit of her story. She lived in New Orleans, drove up to Little Rock on the Sunday before the storm. Her plan was to stay with her sister for a night or two, then drive back home. Before arriving at her sisters, she stopped at a gas station (this was in Little Rock). The police suddenly arrived and began to question her. Someone had called 911 and reported a woman acting "suspicious." The officers made her walk in a straight line, touch her nose...a sobriety test. She failed and they arrested her. What the officers did not know is that this woman is schizophrenic. She had to spend a night in jail before someone finally realized she was mentally ill. She was released into her sisters care only to find out that her home was destroyed, her father missing. Can you imagine that? The policemen were extremely nice to her and apologetic, but can you imagine being thrown into jail during all of this? Anyway, like nearly all of these refugees she has nothing, no birth certificate, no social security card, no medication, no money or clothes. We have several psychiatric facilities in Northwest Arkansas for the mentally ill who are more functional (which apparently she is). Her sister is a neighbor of my parents, she heard I worked with schizophrenics and has asked if I can get something arranged. Not sure what's available, but hopefully the HUD managers in the area can help find a safe place for her and for anyone else in the same situation. She may have to be processed through Fort Chaffee to qualify for the benefits the state is offering, that is now what all refugees in Arkansas are being asked to do, so hopefully all of this can be done quickly. If she doesn't get medicine refills soon she will undoubtedly begin to deteriorate (it's hard to say...some schizophrenics can go weeks without meds and be fine, others can deteriorate in only a few days).