I received this from a friend of mine, if you want a story from the ground, here it is....
We can 't let this happen AGAIN. Please read and if you know who to contact for help please do so!
my mom has been "evacuating" for 26 hours in Houston and has only gone 100 miles or so.
remember, im writing this at around 8 am pacific time, so by the time you read it, it could be more than 30 hours...or more than that...
im terrified and so im doing the only thing i know how; im trying to get the message out.
My mother--who is in her 50s--her husband--who is in his 70s--and their two large dogs have been traveling on Freeway 59 out of Houston for more than 26 hours (in a small hatchback in 100 degree weather without air condition) and have gone less than 100 miles.
There have been repeated promises by TxDOT and FEMA and the Governor's office to have gas trucks sent up and down the freeway, but my mother has seen NONE. she is riding on fumes now and will run out of gas within a few minutes. The state hasnt even opened up the southbound lanes to help wiht the flow of traffic like they did on the larger Interstate 45.
They are literally sitting still with no gas, with no food for 24 hours, no restroom for nearly 20 hours. soon they will be rained on and then worse. i know that there HAS to be a way a helicopter can be sent in with gas tanks of 2 or 3 gallons to help people fuel up until they can get to a town that has gas. i know that helicopters should be able to come in and bring loads of food at different check points. there could be places set up where people could use a make shift restroom on the side of the freeway.
i believe that 59 is being overlooked and not getting the same help that 45 is getting simply because of the same reasons so many people perished and were injured in New Orleans a few weeks ago: most of the people on 59 are black, and if theyre not black, theyre white with not much money. (PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME A MESSAGE TELLING ME NOT TO MAKE IT A RACIAL THING OR NOT TO DIS THE PRESIDENT/GOVERNMENT. I GOT LOTS OF THOSE LAST TIME, AND I CANT HEAR IT RIGHT NOW. MY MOM IS IN DANGER. PLEASE UNDERSTAND.)
ive called the Governor's Office, the local Sheriff Departments of every small town my mom has been through, newspapers, "emergency management" offices, etc. the only person out of the nearly 50 people ive spoken to that had ANY information was the Polk County Newspaper's Feature's Editor Vaneesa. and that was to tell me that the government and the agencies involved are doing a "half-assed operation" and that it is a SAD situation.
i dont know what to do. if anyone does, please tell me.