Local organizations pitch in to help Katrina victims

Finding local homes for Hurricane Katrina’s victims is one way the

Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter is trying to reach out to the

storm-stricken Gulf Coast.

The shelter is one local group assisting in relief efforts.

Two people representing the interfaith shelter were in Houston on

Tuesday helping displaced families at emergency shelters, Interfaith

Shelter executive director Michael Arnot said. In a van loaded with

supplies and money from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the

Interfaith Shelter’s Becky Varagoza and Marcos Valencia headed to

Houston on Friday night. They reached their destination Sunday.

Before her departure, Varagoza said she expected one of her tasks

would be to listen to hurricane survivors who would need to describe

what they lived through.

“I’m looking forward to talking to the families and seeing where

they’re at and give them the opportunity to get some things off their

chests,” she said.

Tuesday, Arnot said the Costa Mesa-based Interfaith Shelter

presently has room to house two or three families in Costa Mesa

apartments.

“We’re ready to give them a housing option right away. At least

for the next several months,” Arnot said.

More room could come in the next three weeks, Arnot said. He is

expecting six more apartment units to become available to the

Interfaith Shelter.

In Texas, where thousands of hurricane survivors who lost their

homes have been taken, Varagoza and Valencia were struck by the

vastness of the crisis, Arnot said.

“It’s on a huge scale and there are so many families from all

circumstances that lost their homes,” Arnot said.

Varagoza and Valencia have observed two significant problems,

Arnot said. Evacuees are piling up at shelters, and Arnot said he has

received the impression that officials do not have much in the way of

plans to get those people out of the shelters. In addition, many of

the evacuees themselves do not know what their next move is.

“We’re running across some families that are stunned and shocked

by the experience. They’d like to return and they’re staying in the

shelter, but the reality is there’s nothing to return to,” Arnot

said.

People at St. Andrew’s church want to increase their assistance by

sending a team of church members to aid the Interfaith Shelter’s

efforts, church director of community outreach Laura Johnson said.

She said church members want to help by sending a team from the

church to help rebuild roofs in Mississippi.

Hoag Hospital has dispatched a team to the Gulf Coast as well.

Three nurses and one emergency medical technician left John Wayne

Airport for Texas on Saturday.

The three nurses, Rhonda Jones, Terri Duarte and Julie Welch,

along with emergency medical technician Eric Everett were chosen for

the mission Aug. 31. Carla Schneider, Hoag’s emergency care unit

director recalled being hit from all directions with requests from

people wanting to go the hurricane zone after Chief Nursing Officer

Richard Martin gave his OK.

People volunteering for the trip were warned that going to

Louisiana could involve hardships, such as not being able to shower

for three weeks.

Schneider said she also advised the team to pass her phone number

along to a displaced family that would be interested in sharing her

home.

“If they have no place to go, we’ll set them up,” Schneider said.

The four landed in Houston before heading to Baton Rouge, La.

Tuesday, Welch was sent to New Orleans, and the others had done work

in Alexandria, La.

Tuesday evening, Schneider said she received a phone call from

Duarte in which Duarte informed her that she would be sent to a

high-crime area.

When the four from Hoag return from what could be a 10-day or a

three-week mission, another group is likely to go out.

“When they come back, I’ll send four more people out. I can tell

you that,” Schneider said.