Evacuees say Red Cross shelter falls short in N. Houston
It's been a long road since Harvey for SuZan Robinson.
"I was rescued in a canoe after 18 hours," Robinson said.
Her addresses since line her wrist. She has wristbands from NRG, Greenspoint and the Red Cross.
"That's my life after Harvey," she said, as she showed us her wristbands.
After she evacuated her home in southwest Houston, she was taken to a shelter in Sugar Land, then she went to the shelter at NRG and from there to Greenspoint.
However, Robinson said of all of her temporary homes, things didn't start off well at Greenspoint.
"The first day my child and grandchildren didn't have hot meals," said Robinson.
All the evacuees were moved from NRG to the old Macy's at Greenspoint Mall. Evacuees said the air conditioning broke, there weren't enough bathrooms or showers or warm meals to start off.
State Representative Shawn Thierry went to the shelter on Friday and took her concerns to Facebook Live. The American Red Cross said over the past few days supplies have come in, there are more facilities and resources.
The Red Cross said there are 450 people staying at the Macy's. They said they only had one day to get into the building and had to wait on vendors.
"The food, the vendor met with us and we were going to have immediate meals. Unfortunately, the vendor didn't show up and sometimes that happens. The same with the showers. We had a few to begin with but now we have new ones that are compliant with disability regulations," said MaryJane Mudd, with the American Red Cross.
Now, inside of the shelter, there is a play area for kids, resources from over a dozen organizations, meals and dozens of showers.
Still Thierry and other evacuees feel there should have been resources in place immediately, given the size of the Red Cross and the resources it has. Thierry brought her concerns to the attention of the state official who is overseeing Harvey relief.
As for Robinson, she's not sure where she'll end up but she's certain wherever it is, she'll be smiling.
"I am grateful. I lost everything. I can't go anywhere but up from here," said Robinson.
