Councilman Michael Berry was just on with KTRK-13’s Miya Shay saying that many vehicles that had been abandoned on Houston freeways and streets, because they had run out of gas, were given five gallons of gas by MAP trucks, and a note was put on each car’s windshield letting them know that the city of Houston/Harris County had provided a bit of gas. Also, many abandoned vehicles have been towed to the North Shepherd and I-45 Park and Ride. People looking for their cars are urged to call (713) 884-3131 (HPD) to find out where their car has been taken.
And in addition to HISD buses helping with Rita evacuation efforts, HISD also answered a request from Mayor White’s office and opened 10 short-term, emergency shelters for people who were unable to evacuate or who had special needs:
HISD school principals, regional superintendents and facilities managers quickly set up emergency short-term shelters. Our employees made sure the evacuees had food and water and a place to sleep last night. State Rep. Rick Noriega, who managed the operation for the city, praised HISD for its “great, great work” in running the temporary shelters. The city worked well with HISD in coordinating the effort.
At 9 p.m. Friday, HISD was caring for 4,692 evacuees in 10 short-term emergency shelters, including 2,600 at Barnett Field House, 825 at Delmar and 626 at Sam Houston High School.
According to HISD’s press office, by this afternoon about 450 evacuees remained in the HISD shelters with no way to return where they came from:
Although HISD did not transport any of these evacuees into the HISD buildings where they spent last night during the storm, HISD has volunteered to transport them back out again.
“Some of these people are from Galveston, Kemah, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and even New Orleans, and they really have no place to go right now. So we are working with the Red Cross and will transport them on our school buses to Red Cross shelters,” Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said.
Others came to the HISD facilities out of the medical center and other areas in Houston, and HISD will work to return them.
HISD was asked by the city to open emergency shelters for some of the people most in need, people who could not evacuate, or people with other special needs. HISD school principals, regional superintendents and facilities managers quickly set up emergency short-term shelters, making sure the evacuees had food and water and a place to sleep last night.
Yet more examples of the proactive leadership we have witnessed over the past several days.
