Local residents give aid after hurricane

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published September 14, 2008

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About 20 South Sound residents helped with Red Cross relief efforts Saturday on the Gulf Coast — some in cities recovering from Hurricane Gustav, and others in areas recovering from Hurricane Ike.

The volunteers are among about 125 from Washington who have been aiding storm-ravaged communities near the Gulf Coast, said Karen Kim, spokeswoman for American Red Cross Mount Rainier Chapter.

Tom Beattie, 56, of Olympia said Saturday that he was busy setting up a warehouse and serving food to about 1,600 residents who had traveled by bus from Beaumont, Texas, to Tyler to escape Hurricane Ike. They were in a vacant, 20,000-square-foot Wal-Mart building in Tyler, he said.

"They seem to be holding up pretty well," Beattie said of the residents.

Beaumont, on the Texas Gulf Coast, was in Hurricane Ike's path. The hurricane landed with a fury on the coast, but Tyler sustained little damage, Beattie said. It is about 190 miles north of Beaumont.

"It went right over us," he said. "There were some wind gusts and we got some rain, but for the most part, it wasn't bad."

Still, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has authorized the Washington National Guard to send members to the Texas Gulf Coast.

"We stand ready to send additional emergency help, as requested," she said in a statement.

In Louisiana, Vicki and Bill Duggins of Olympia were serving food to displaced residents of Houma who were recovering from Hurricane Gustav. Gustav swept through Louisiana at the end of August.

Vicki Duggins, 61, said that Houma, about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans, was in poor shape.

Many people still don't have power, buildings are boarded up, businesses aren't functioning and schools haven't reopened, she said. The weather also is hot and humid, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees, and residents are being asked to boil their city water before drinking it, she said.

Houma residents appeared weary and tired of worrying, Vicki Duggins said.

"Their stress level is elevated and some of the residents are just worn out," she said.

Vicki added that she and her husband could be headed to Texas to help out with Hurricane Ike relief efforts, but that had not been determined as of Saturday.