O.K. Texas, What’s Next?

Since I have decided to abandon my goody two-shoes approach to my blog I am really going to jump in with both feet today and discuss something that is bothering me. On the one hand I am very proud of the way Texas has stepped up to the plate and welcomed almost a quarter of a million people from the hurricane stricken areas. On the other hand I am concerned about how our officials plan to handle the situation as time goes on and the evacuees become increasingly angry and dissatisfied with their plight as reality sets in. The evacuees are not here for a just a few days. It will be months before they are able to return home. I suspect that many of them will choose to remain in Texas. One problem is that a small fraction of the evacuees are the same lawless thugs that were creating havoc in New Orleans. New Orleans has always been a dangerous place with a high crime rate. Mayor Nagin stated that many of the thugs who were roaming the streets of New Orleans were dope addicts who were without a fix and were attempting to break into hospitals and drugstores in order to find something to relieve their drug withdrawal. Is our law enforcement capable of handling this problem? I do not know.

I have already heard reports that the Houston Astrodome stinks. People cannot be expected to live in such close quarters and have any sense of dignity. Many of the people left New Orleans without any form of identification. Many are illiterate and are unable to understand and cooperate with the officials who are trying to assist them. This pot is getting ready to boil.

In a way Beaumont is rather fortunate in this situation. Since Beaumont is the first sizable community close to the Louisiana border, it filled with evacuees who had the intelligence and financial means to evacuate before the storm hit. It sounds good that the children are being enrolled in Beaumont schools, but Beaumont schools just received a failing grade from the state. It also sounds good that the Texas Employment Commission is going to assist the evacuees to find employment. That ignores the fact that the area’s unemployment rate is in the 8 percent range which is one of the highest in the state. Jefferson County has been cash strapped for a considerable amount of time. How will we pay for the services that the evacuees require?

I am afraid our state officials while filled with good intentions have not thought out the consequences of their generosity. All of the states must share the burden and the federal government has to come through with tangible assistance instead of just spin.

Already I have heard on the news and read in the papers that many of my concerns are being addressed. Gov. Perry has told FEMA that Texas cannot take any more evacuees. Other states are volunteering to take them. The three major Texas based airlines, American, Continental and Southwest are providing planes with FEMA paying for the fuel to transport the evacuees to other states.