FORT CHAFFEE : 800 board buses for trip home to New Orleans
Posted on Saturday, September 6, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/236485/
FORT CHAFFEE — About 800 single men and women boarded buses at Fort Chaffee on Friday evening bound for New Orleans, while the remaining refugees are expected to be flown home today and Sunday.
The men and women boarded 16 buses that moved the refugees to Fort Chaffee last week to get them out of the path of Hurricane Gustav, which hit the Gulf Coast on Monday.
The 8 p. m. departure was planned so that they would arrive at the processing center in New Orleans early today. The trip from Fort Chaffee to New Orleans takes about 10 hours without stops.
Six buses remained at Fort Chaffee to shuttle the remaining refugees to the Fort Smith Regional Airport today to catch flights to New Orleans.
The commuter jets were obtained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency under contracts with two air carriers. It was not clear when those aircraft would arrive at Fort Smith or how many there would be, Arkansas National Guard spokesman Capt. Chris Heathscott said Friday.
“The important thing is getting them home as soon as possible,” Heathscott said.
The aircraft will be called on to transport about 1, 500 refugees. Given priority seating will be people who have health issues, followed by the elderly and then families.
Some services that have been offered to the refugees — like an Internet cafe, television in the post theater and the gymnasium — have been stopped so that the soldiers overseeing those services can help with the refugees’ exit.
Also, refugee trips into Fort Smith have been canceled so that the bus drivers can get eight hours of rest before they leave for New Orleans.
Refugees were told Thursday that they would leave for home at 9 a. m. Friday. They seemed disappointed about the delay.
Sitting on the front porch of the barracks or strolling down the road in front of them in the cool, sunny weather Friday morning, several refugees said they were ready to go home.
Bonnie Reel said she spoke by cell phone to her daughter who weathered Gustav in her Jefferson Parish home. When Reel learned that electric power had been restored there, she said, she was upset to still be sitting at Fort Chaffee.
“I didn’t think we’d be here this long,” Reel said.
She said she spent all of her money on drinks, cigarettes and clothing, and needed to get home so she could go back to work.
“Just sitting around waiting is causing a lot of anxiety,” she said, adding that she had noticed that tempers had started to flare.
Saundra Adams of New Orleans said she appreciated the efforts made during her stay at Fort Chaffee, but she has been frustrated about the contradictory information that has been put out about when they would be leaving.
“We have been packed for two days,” she said of her and her family. “We’re ready.”
However, three young men may not be leaving Fort Chaffee with everyone else. Two under-18 males and a young adult, all from New Orleans, were arrested Thursday afternoon at a Wal-Mart Supercenter at 2425 S. Zero St., after getting into a struggle with sheriff’s deputies.
According to Sebastian County Chief Deputy Tommy Young, a 16-year-old was seen shoplifting about 3: 40 p. m. and was stopped as he was trying to leave the store with 12-15 other refugees.
The 16-year-old began struggling with and cursing at Deputy Janell Daggett, and she had to call for help in handcuffing him.
Deputy John Miller tried to get the others to move out the door, but a 17-year-old began arguing with Miller, then tried to push past him to intervene in the 16-year-old’s arrest.
Young said Miller fired an electroshock weapon at him. The 17-year-old fell to the floor and was handcuffed.
A third man, 18-year-old Raymond Perry, shoved Deputy Sgt. Steve Cox, cursed at the officers and threatened to blow up the building.
The 16-year-old was taken to the county jail on a robbery charge. The 17-year-old was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, obstructing government operations and criminal impersonation after giving a false name and age, Young said.
He said Perry was arrested on first-degree assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges. Perry was being held in the Sebastian County jail in lieu of $ 2, 650 bail, Young said. It was unclear Friday whether the two under-18 youths were in custody.
No formal charges were filed against the three Friday.
Fort Smith, Sebastian County and various agencies and organizations have run up expenses providing assistance to refugees and supporting them during the week they spent at Fort Chaffee. Officials said they will seek repayment from FEMA for those expenses.
Officials contacted Friday said they had not tallied up their expenses because, in many cases, the services still were being provided.
Fort Smith accumulated overtime expenses for police officers and city bus drivers and expenses for the use of city buses to shuttle refugees and their baggage. Deputy City Administrator Ray Gosack said Fort Smith school buses also were used.
The city’s sanitation department provided trash pickup at Fort Chaffee during the refugees’ stay.
The Sebastian County sheriff’s office provided security and other services, using about 10 deputies and reserve forces, in addition to expending fuel, purchasing additional equipment and using all-terrain vehicles and the department’s command center.
County Judge David Hudson said Sebastian County also accumulated overtime for county emergency medical service paramedics and used up medical supplies and equipment from its emergency response unit.
He said other organizations and agencies provided services for which they will apply for compensation, such as the three area hospitals, an amateur radio organization, the medical clinic set up at Fort Chaffee, other shelters run by the Red Cross and other organizations, the Salvation Army, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the local Humane Society for treating and caring for 15 pets that were housed at Fort Chaffee.