East Texans Need Help
As this article from the Houston Chronicle points out the citizens of East Texas really need more help in dealing with the damage caused by Hurricane Rita.
This article is dead on about East Texans and their self-reliance and stoicism. These people are probably the very last people who would ever ask for any kind of handout.
As this article states:
"After Hurricane Rita, they set up their own health clinics and food banks, foraged for food and helped neighbors get the supplies they needed while waiting for federal relief.
As Hank Williams Jr. sang in what's become an anthem for the East Texas region, "Country folks can survive." But only for so long.
After more than three weeks of disappointing responses from the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and spotty media coverage, several Southeast Texas officials and business leaders are starting their own relief efforts and openly appealing to fellow Texans for assistance."
The article continues:
"Twenty-six days after Rita ravaged homes, businesses and forestland, turning nine counties into federal disaster areas, about 12,500 electric customers still lacked power Monday, down from 1.5 million originally, according to the Governor's Division of Emergency Management. Six school districts remained closed, according to the Texas Education Agency.
About 40 percent of Jasper County and 65 percent of Newton County lacked power, water and sewage services this week, Diggles said. Many East Texans haven't worked for weeks as businesses remain closed.
The price of Rita's destruction is still being tallied, but insured losses alone are expected to be $10-20 billion, according to the Southwest Insurance Information Service.
"I'm at the point where I've been so overwhelmed," said Newton County Judge Truman Dougharty. "I just want the system to work, but it's buried in bureaucracy."
East Texas leaders have complained about slow, disorganized and inconsistent relief efforts from FEMA and the Red Cross.
They say FEMA offered more benefits to Hurricane Katrina victims, and the Red Cross excluded most East Texas counties from automatic relief for damaged homes, even though President Bush declared many of the counties disaster areas."
The article concludes by noting:
"East Texans, you know, our heritage is that we're a proud bunch of people, and we're very resourceful and we can take care of a lot of things on our own. We're probably going to be the last group to ask for help, but Rita has struck some of the poorest rural counties in the state of Texas...They don't have a lot to start with, and they need help."
Donations to help the citizens of East Texas can be made to:
East Texas Rita Fund, benefiting 12 counties represented by the Deep East Texas Council of Governments. Contributions to: First National Bank, P.O. Box 700, Jasper, TX 75951
and
Southeast Texas Emergency Relief Fund for Hurricane Rita Recovery, established by business and philanthropic leaders in Beaumont. Contributions to: P.O. Box 201943, Houston, TX 77216-1943
For more info on East Texas and its history and people check out this book.
This article is dead on about East Texans and their self-reliance and stoicism. These people are probably the very last people who would ever ask for any kind of handout.
As this article states:
"After Hurricane Rita, they set up their own health clinics and food banks, foraged for food and helped neighbors get the supplies they needed while waiting for federal relief.
As Hank Williams Jr. sang in what's become an anthem for the East Texas region, "Country folks can survive." But only for so long.
After more than three weeks of disappointing responses from the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and spotty media coverage, several Southeast Texas officials and business leaders are starting their own relief efforts and openly appealing to fellow Texans for assistance."
The article continues:
"Twenty-six days after Rita ravaged homes, businesses and forestland, turning nine counties into federal disaster areas, about 12,500 electric customers still lacked power Monday, down from 1.5 million originally, according to the Governor's Division of Emergency Management. Six school districts remained closed, according to the Texas Education Agency.
About 40 percent of Jasper County and 65 percent of Newton County lacked power, water and sewage services this week, Diggles said. Many East Texans haven't worked for weeks as businesses remain closed.
The price of Rita's destruction is still being tallied, but insured losses alone are expected to be $10-20 billion, according to the Southwest Insurance Information Service.
"I'm at the point where I've been so overwhelmed," said Newton County Judge Truman Dougharty. "I just want the system to work, but it's buried in bureaucracy."
East Texas leaders have complained about slow, disorganized and inconsistent relief efforts from FEMA and the Red Cross.
They say FEMA offered more benefits to Hurricane Katrina victims, and the Red Cross excluded most East Texas counties from automatic relief for damaged homes, even though President Bush declared many of the counties disaster areas."
The article concludes by noting:
"East Texans, you know, our heritage is that we're a proud bunch of people, and we're very resourceful and we can take care of a lot of things on our own. We're probably going to be the last group to ask for help, but Rita has struck some of the poorest rural counties in the state of Texas...They don't have a lot to start with, and they need help."
Donations to help the citizens of East Texas can be made to:
East Texas Rita Fund, benefiting 12 counties represented by the Deep East Texas Council of Governments. Contributions to: First National Bank, P.O. Box 700, Jasper, TX 75951
and
Southeast Texas Emergency Relief Fund for Hurricane Rita Recovery, established by business and philanthropic leaders in Beaumont. Contributions to: P.O. Box 201943, Houston, TX 77216-1943
For more info on East Texas and its history and people check out this book.
posted by David Stone | 10:16 PM
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