At least 25,000 of Hurricane Katrina's refugees, a majority of them at the New Orleans Superdome, will travel in a bus convoy to Houston starting Wednesday and will be sheltered at the 40-year-old Astrodome, which hasn't been used for professional sporting events in years.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide 475 buses for the transfer, and the Astrodome's schedule has been cleared through December for housing evacuees, said Kathy Walt, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of
"We are planning on being able to do a full shelter operation for 25,000 people," he said.
Cornelius said the refugees would be bused to
"We want to accommodate those people as quickly as possible for the simple reason they have been through a horrible ordeal," he said.
Perry talked to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco early Wednesday and agreed to the plan, Walt said.
"Obviously from Governor Perry's standpoint,
Blanco said she wanted the Superdome which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.
The Astrodome helped put
The Astrodome opened in 1965, 10 years before the Superdome in
Associated Press Writer Kelley Shannon in
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Across the nation many people celebrated the Earth Day which started 48 years ago after a massive oil spill in California. Fast forward to today, the conversation revolves on conserving water according to organizers with Resilient Nacogdoches where its widely known that East Texas has an abundant resources of natural water. "Children grow up knowing that food, you just buy it, but you can grow it. We need water of course for growing gardens. It's something that we...
More >>Across the nation many people celebrated the Earth Day which started 48 years ago after a massive oil spill in California. Fast forward to today, the conversation revolves on conserving water according to organizers with Resilient Nacogdoches where its widely known that East Texas has an abundant resources of natural water. "Children grow up knowing that food, you just buy it, but you can grow it. We need water of course for growing gardens. It's something that we...
More >>The small, East Texas town of San Augustine hosted a celebration on Saturday for community members who had lived to see more moons than anyone else.
More >>The small, East Texas town of San Augustine hosted a celebration on Saturday for community members who had lived to see more moons than anyone else.
More >>The Nacogdoches County girls have snapped a two-game losing streak in the KTRE Pineywoods Showdown following a 54-41 win over Angelina County.
More >>The Nacogdoches County girls have snapped a two-game losing streak in the KTRE Pineywoods Showdown following a 54-41 win over Angelina County.
More >>For today's Angelina County Fair youth competition, participants showcased their beef heifer for the ultimate grand champion prize.
More >>For today's Angelina County Fair youth competition, participants showcased their beef heifer for the ultimate grand champion prize.
More >>The Salvation Army of Angelina County’s Adult Day Center has been operating for more than two-decades, but over time scholarships and saved financial assistance funds to sponsor adults have.
More >>The Salvation Army of Angelina County’s Adult Day Center has been operating for more than two-decades, but over time scholarships and saved financial assistance funds to sponsor adults have.
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