Convoy Arrives Home With One Evacuee

September 7, 2005 - 2:52pm

WASHINGTON -- After six days on the road, a convoy of tired D.C. aid workers and police arrived early Wednesday at the D.C. Armory with one evacuee on board.

Mary Perrault-Simmons has joined the roughly 300 other evacuees who were flown into the area from other states that had taken in people evacuated from hurricane-ravaged areas in the South.

Family members met many of the police officers and aid workers when seven buses rolled in at 3:40 a.m. Members of the group were disappointed the mayor was not there to greet them. Two members of the mayor's Cabinet were there.

A caravan started out with 10 D.C. buses, but two drivers quit Sunday and a third could not be found when the convoy left Alabama Tuesday.

The group delivered two tons of supplies to shelters in Alabama, as well as fuel to Louisiana during its trip, but encountered an uncoordinated FEMA effort on the ground in New Orleans as buses from all over the country arrived to take evacuees out of the flooded areas. The group tried to pick up evacuees in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.

Mayor Tony Williams at a news conference Tuesday said the mission was not a failure.

"As it turned out, they had ramped up the ability by the time the buses got down there to fly people out. And certainly that is preferable.

"Because they were rescued some other way, it doesn't make my overture a failure ... that's what we want our people to do ... and we're proud of it."

Arriving on two Delta flights Tuesday and now being housed at the armory with a total of 295 people, including at least 12 children.

"Our mission is to make sure they have a safe place to stay and live - a warm bed, food and clothing," said Red Cross spokesman Cameron Ballantine.

"This is their home, such as it is," said Vincent Morris, spokesman for mayor, about the 400 cots at the armory.

As they arrived, some of the evacuees leaned on nurses to mount three steps up to the entrance. A mother in a red headscarf carried two toddlers, one wearing a small fluorescent pink backpack - the family's only luggage. Behind her, an older woman hobbled with a walker.

"I saw a little dullness in their eyes from what they've gone through, but that we said 'Welcome home' brought a smile to many people," D.C. Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp said at a news conference.

Two evacuees were sent straight from the airport to area hospitals, and at least 11 of the first 50 to 60 people evaluated at the armory had to be hospitalized for non-life-threatening ailments like hypertension, low blood sugar and mental health issues.

"Some are weak, some are older and they don't have their medicine," said Dr. Gregg A. Pane, D.C. health director, who said overall, the weary evacuees were in better shape than he expected.

"We're going to continue to do everything in our power to create a functional, livable place for the evacuees here in our community," Williams said. "And I emphasize our community because the armory, we believe, is just a first stop."

But some evacuees left within hours.

Mimi Guste, a musician from New Orleans' French Quarter, said she didn't know the plane was headed to Washington. But it turns out she has a relative in suburban McLean, Va.

Saul Bergman also had no idea the plane was going to Washington, saying he was ordered to get on. He was processed through the armory, then returned to the airport to buy a ticket to Houston, where the rest of his family was taken.

The city will offer resume writing camps and housing assistance to evacuees who want to resettle in Washington for good, said Councilman David Catania, who helped organize the city's relief effort. Officials from the D.C. Public Schools were on hand to rush registration for evacuees who wish to enroll immediately - even without transcripts, said City Administrator Robert Bobb.

One evacuee said it feels "great" to arrive in the nation's capital, but he couldn't shake memories of his ordeal.

"The water came up real fast," said Bob Barback, 78, recalling how he escaped his New Orleans home.

"I had to take a hammer, break down the door and dive underwater to get out," he said.

A handful of D.C. residents gathered outside the armory with homemade signs reading "Welcome 2 DC" and "We Luv U." But the Red Cross rejected unsolicited volunteers and deliveries Tuesday, telling citizens to phone 202-727-1000 to enter a volunteer database.

"We're going to be helping these people not only today, tomorrow, next week and the following one, but probably for months and even longer," said Linda C. Mathes, CEO of the American Red Cross of the National Capital area.

She urged citizens to spread out their generosity over the coming months.

"Check your calendar and willingness to help, and make sure you're in this with us for the long haul," she said.

The city has received many offers from local families to "adopt" evacuees and house them in their homes, said D.C. Emergency Management Agency director Barbara Childs-Pair. At least one D.C. resident arranged a depot at her home to collect supplies for evacuees.

"I know what it's like to be hungry, and now it's time for me to give back," said Meeshelle Carter, who is asking friends and relatives to bring toys and personal care products to a cookout in Northeast Washington Saturday.

** The D.C. Government is asking people not to show up at the Armory with donations. Spokeswoman Jo'Ellen Countee says the city is trying to coordinate all donations and volunteers through the mayor's call center at 202-727-1000. That's the number you should call if you're willing to offer housing to an evacuee.

WTOP's Colleen Kelleher and Hank Silverberg contributed to this report.