Anyone know Baton Rouge that can help this Hurricane family?

[Marge]

I am on a Board for a national charity. One of our Board members has family in need of help. I received this email today and thought posting it here might help get local info that we don't get nationwide. Already done the basics like Red Cross, etc...to no avail. Any ideas/input appreciated. It is so overwhelming.

Marge
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Marge,

One of our board member's ***** disabled mother, sister and sister's husband just got out of New Orleans yesterday (after no food or water for several days). They somehow got a ride to Baton Rouge, but the family that took them in can't keep them any longer due to lack of food, supplies. Almost the whole extended family was from New Orleans, so lots of them trying to find shelter.

Our board member's biggest concern is her mom's bad health and trying to figure out how to get her mom to a hospital (I guess Baton Rouge is full) ---she says the airport is closed and there are no rental cars or even gas along the way if they could get a car. She has one brother farther north in MS, but no gasoline or power to be able to get his mom there.

Have you heard from anyone that evacuated to your area about alternate ways to get out? I'm working on finding her a temporary place to stay in Baton Rouge through hurricanehousing.org, but it seems finding her a way out to get to a hospital is probably the better solution.

You seem to have much better info there than I do here since other evacuees are in your area, any suggestions about alternate ways to get them out of Baton Rouge, and where she may be able to get to a hospital?

Sorry to bug you, but if you have any ideas, I'd love to pass them along. Thanks so much!

Sue
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[Marge]

I am in awe. In less than an hour of posting, help has arrived. The airport reopened (apparently even before the last post), but messages from people online have connected this family with air transport out tomorrow! Pilots with private planes are flying into Baton Rouge tomorrow with as much food/water as the tiny crafts will hold and then bringing critical patients/folks out to other hospitals. Our coworker/Board member's family is now included tomorrow. :yipee: One small step in this disaster.

In addition, commercial flights will be operating and donations are coming in to help people get flights out. And this is bothering me....I'm a little stunned that these people have to pay to get rescued. Shouldn't the millions being donated compensate the airlines for this? Maybe this hasn't been considered. This is such a big, never before happened crisis that no one quite knows what to do about it. :bang: Sorry, I am not a "political" person. This just doesn't make sense, at least to me.

Marge

P.S. Thanks again for just being able to post here and then vent.

[Davestone]

A couple families stayed with us after the storm..and yes i agree the local and national govts. dropped the ball with help, and leadership, entirely...much more could have, and should have been done, immediately...How about dropping food and water from a chopper, before the looters could get the guns..and where are the rep. and senators , when you need them? :bow:

[Marge]

Surprise, surprise..... all over the news this morning that the airlines will transport people out of the ravaged areas at no charge. The first wave of survivors will be landing in PHX today and housed at the universities across the state.

Marge

[rstreet]

How much money did we give the airlines after 9/11?? They should be doing it for free.

[John Bridge]

Marge, I'm happy things worked out in this instance. :)

[flatfloor]

Marge there is all sorts of misinformation and rumor floating around. Think about it, most of these unfortunate people don't have a dime to pay airfare and the airlines knew that.

[Marge]

What???? The media might be wrong? Say it isn't so! :)

The family got out as planned and are with family in non-ravaged MS. :yipee: The stories they had were nauseating.

Now, let's just keep our fingers crossed that the tropical storm near Florida doesn't become Ophelia. Weather Channel was talking about how we have never exceeded the 21 hurricane names but we are on track to possibly do so this year.

Marge