Gulf Coast evacuees flood MTSU campus on The Murfreesboro Post

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Gulf Coast evacuees flood MTSU campus

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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer

Posted: Tuesday, September 2, 2008 2:30 pm

More than 1,700 Gulf Coast evacuees made their way into Middle Tennessee over the weekend in advance of Hurricane Gustav’s landfall.

The newly renovated Recreation Center on MTSU’s campus is the temporary home of 445 evacuees with another 100 housed in off site locations.

The airbase in Smyrna is home to 195 and 144 more are in Tullahoma, as well as even more in nine additional shelters in and around Nashville.

More than 2 million people evacuated from Lousiana before Gustav landed Monday west of New Orleans as a Category 2 Hurricane, which was weaker than expected.

Some evacuees, like Zine Shannon, are happy they evacuated even though Gustav was weaker than expected.

“I’m happy I evacuated, because Hurricane Katrina was very, very bad and I didn’t want to take any chances,” Shannon said.

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans three years ago, killing 1,600, causing $100 billion in damage and displacing thousands.

But Shannon, like New Orleans, may not be out of the woods yet. She is one of 25,000 who live on the West Bank of the city, whose levees were considered to be the weakest in the entire city.

“By the grace of God, I hope I didn’t lose it (her house) or anything,” Shannon said.

However, the levees held and the city only experienced minor flooding, when Gustav’s storm surge over topped the barriers.

Shannon’s friends Kermit Dawson and his wife Nicole also evacuated and arrived in Murfreesboro Sunday night.

“Normally, I just would have stayed,” Dawson said, adding he left because of his family, Nicole and their two kids Kerneilus, 1, and Kerneisha, 2.

Dawson said he stayed in New Orleans for a week during Katrina and then evacuated.

“It was better prepared this time,” he said.

Both Dawson and Shannon said the shelter at MTSU was nice, and the Red Cross is taking care of the evacuees well.

MTSU students are stepping up and volunteering their time to help at the shelter.

“I think there are times when a crisis brings out the best in us as human beings,” MTSU President Sidney McPhee said after touring the Red Cross shelter. “It’s been an incredible sight to see. I think we’re easing the crisis these people are experiencing.”

But not all the evacuees are grateful for the help from MTSU. New Orleans native Pancho Nelson said he wishes he stayed at home.

“This ain’t no vacation,” he said.

To donate to the Red Cross, call Beth Ferguson at 615-893-4272 ext.7 or visit the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross Web site at www.midtnredcross.org.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.

Tagged under MTSU, WEATHER

Member Opinions:

By: deb on 9/2/08
Maybe Pancho will choose to enjoy the next hurricane from the comfort of his own home. For now he should be grateful he's alive and will be able to take another vacation. We should all be thanking God it wasn't another Katrina.

By: ItsGood on 9/2/08
What will the MT Rec Center look like when they leave?

By: Oli on 9/2/08
They have already kicked in some of the lockers and have trashed the place. Also, they have gangs there that are causing trouble. All they have to do is sign in when they get to the rec center and after that they can go where they like. There are dorms right there at the rec center. This is just asking for someone to get killed or robbed. This is ridiculous.

By: lightchick on 9/3/08
They are not allowed to go where they wish. My husband was swimming at the rec center last night. He said there were police officers everywhere. Those using the rec center and those "living" at the rec center are not allowed to be in the same areas at the same time.

By: justdance on 9/3/08

Oli, how can you think MTSU would not have taken security issues into consideration before they even became a Red Cross Emergency Center?

Besides, your information is not correct. Please do not just put information out in order to create more "drama". What if you had been an evacuee? Would you have wanted someone to put out this type of negative information about you? You should be ashamed.

Thanks lightchick for your response.

By: prorutherford321 on 9/3/08
Oli, where did you get your information, or did you just make that up? This is a community of giving, caring people, and aren't we fortunate to be have the facilities and volunteers that are able to lend a helping hand to those in need. Let's pitch in and see that these people, and thier children are cared for in the manner they deserve.