Houston and the Astrodome will become a refugee center to relieve the unsustainable Superdome in New Oleans.
As Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans' breached levees with sandbags and water continued to rise, Texas officials have worked out a plan to bring more than 23,000 refugees from the Superdome to Houston's Astrodome.Posted by Alan at August 31, 2005 08:12 AMThe Houston Chronicle has learned refugees huddled in the Superdome will be bused to the Astrodome in Houston under plans being put together by state and local officials, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry said today.
Kathy Walt said Texas still hasn't received a formal request from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who also could be seeking alternatives to the Astrodome. But, Walt added, the Louisiana secretary of state requested Texas's help in a phone call late last night or early this morning.
Walt said arrangements were being made for more than 400 buses to transport the refugees, who have been without power or adequate sanitary facilities since the hurricane struck New Orleans on Monday.
Officials from both states and Harris County were discussing logistics in a conference call early this morning, Walt said. She said that the governor's office has been told the Astrodome's events schedule has been cleared through December.
Texas officials also have been talking with Jefferson County officials about using the Ford Center in Beaumont for longterm shelter for refugees, Walt said.
Meanwhile, Louisiana's governor said today the situation was worsening and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.