From: Steven Spires

Sent: Friday, August 26, 2016 12: 12 AM
To: Erin Monroe Wesley

Subject: Shelter report

Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Baton Rouge: Operations at River Center seem to be improving, with clean facilities, food, medical care,
activities for children and onsite reps ?om FEMA to help with sign-ups for assistance. At last count, River
Center was sheltering 1086 evacuees and as of Thursday night operations had been transferred from

DCFS to Red Cross, according to most recent sheltering report. However, large size of shelter, number of
residents and diversity of agencies on site (DCFS, Red Cross, National Guard, FEMA, etc.), in my opinion,
makes for dif?cult operation environment with fuzzy chain of command/lines of responsibility.

Remaining issue is donation center and supply logistics. While by all accounts donations have been
generous, there are speci?c needs that are going unmet with no clear channel to remedy. Speci?cally,
lack of underwear, socks, bras and items in certain plus sizes. Dif?culty getting powder infant formula is
representative of general problem: I received word on Tuesday that there was ongoing need for powder
formula and that a truckload had been donated by manufacturer and delivered to temporary Red Cross
warehouse on Sorrel Drive. However, formula had yet to be distributed to individual shelters, causing
volunteers to pay out of pocket to ?ll need for multiple days. After following up, was told formula was
on its way to River on Wednesday night, but upon checking Thursday morning it had not arrived.
Additional phone calls on Thursday resulted in delivery by that a?emoon. According to my contacts,
formula may have been at the warehouse as early as last Friday, but for whatever reason not
distributed.

Issue seems to me less one of resources and more of communications??nding the right individuals and
phone numbers has been ongoing challenge throughout this event; Red Cross staff at River Center
seemed unclear of how to coordinate with their warehouse to facilitate deliveries; mechanism for how

to assess evacuee needs and pass on supply requests to DCFS and/or Red Cross was unclear; simply
getting a truck to the back door of the donation center required talking ones way through a police
checkpoint (dif?cult to do without a state badge). Through dedicated efforts of individual Red Cross
personnel on the ground and other community volunteers, however, situation has improved markedly
throughout Thursday.

Suggestion: There seems to me a need for an easily accessible FAQ and directory of names and contact
numbers to facilitate things like supply delivery. Referring back to infant formula situation, problem was
not about resources, but about communication/coordination of effort.

Baker: Municipal Auditorium at last count was sheltering 116 evacuees. Shelter appeared well-run and
well-stocked. Red Cross staff were assisting evacuees with pre-registering for DSNAP and FEMA had
already been through to do sign-ups for assistance. Red Cross volunteers and evacuees both asked when
DCFS would be through to ?nalize DSNAP. Discussions with a couple evacuees also revealed some
confusion over ?next steps? related to FEMA assistance. For example, while people had been approved
for different types of assistance and had emails showing dollar amounts, they were not sure what
exactly that meant in terms of how assistance should be accessed.

Suggestion: I am unclear of FEMA protocols, but conversations may indicate potential need for better

communication, pamphlets or brochures, call line to assist folks who have already been approved for
assistance, but have follow up questions.

6 8:00:38 

Major needs identi?ed at Baker start with laundry. I have reached out to Proctor Gamble?s ?Loads of
Hope? initiative who had contacted our of?ce last week to see if they can assist; previously they have
been providing services at Bethany. Not surprisingly, transportation also remains a major issue. Unclear
on options for addressing.

Livingston: Shelter at North Park Recreational Center, with 114 residents, was very well-run and well-
stocked with nurse on site. Talked to multiple residents who were pleased with Red Cross response.
Shelter staff had been working with nearby shelters to coordinate donations and share supplies. Like in
Baker, biggest problem is near total lack of transportation options for displaced persons.

Red Cross staff and evacuees at North Park were also concerned about being relocated. Parish of?cials
had apparently noti?ed shelter it would be closed and evacuees relocated on Friday morning (mobile
showers were even removed Thursday afternoon in anticipation), before revising to Saturday morning.
Causing distress is fact that as of this a?ernoon neither staff nor residents knew where they would be
relocated; rumors of being sent to River Center (over a half hour away by car) were not being well
received. Surely lack of transportation makes prospect of moving shelters ?rrther away more distressing.
On same topic: My ?nal stop was North Corbin Elementary/Junior High in Walker. Upon arrival
discovered shelter was being closed and residents had already been moved to Killian First Baptist in
Spring?eld, approximately 35 miles southeast.

Suggestion: We may want to work with parish and Red Cross of?cials to monitor shelter closures and

consolidations and push for better communication of information with evacuees to cut down on stress.
Also need to explore options for transportation as remaining shelter residents are relocated.

8:00:38