My friend and co-author Tracy McGaugh (South Texas College of Law) writes a first-hand account of her visit to the Astrodome.  Churches are coordinating volunteers to hand out food there, at an estimated cost of $4.2M a week.  They are also coordinating hygeine kits, clean-up kits, and comfort kits for kids (www.mercystreet.org).  Tracy's detailed description is below the fold:

After a few hours sleep, Prof. Bergin and I did go back to the Astrodome last night/early this morning (around 1:00 a.m.).  Conditions at the Astrodome were pretty much the same as when we left early Friday morning.  However, we found less of a police presence outside the dome,
without more presence inside.   We did notice some National Guard in an offsite parking lot in the new volunteer sign up spot, which is also where the evacuees are processed when they arrive.  The volunteer effort is more organized now.  However, it's difficult to understand why the
organization of volunteers that's been accomplished since 5:00 a.m. Friday morning couldn't have been accomplished before the evacuees arrived -- it wasn't a complex operation and didn't require supplies, personnel, or organization that weren't already there 24 hours earlier.

The medical situation seems to have stabilized -- more medical personnel, fewer emergencies, and more supplies -- however, they apparently need band-aids and Neosporin.   Insulin is still an issue.

There's a station at which clothes and toiletries are being handed out.  It's about the length of two standard conference tables.  At 4:00 this morning, it was being tended by about 6 volunteers and had about 10-12 evacuees requesting items.  Nevertheless, the wait was pretty long -- it took a while for volunteers to locate needed items, and -- even then --the items found were pretty makeshift (not the right size, out of season, etc.).  While some makeshift items are to be expected, I was surprised to find that the supplies being offered in terms of clothing and shoes, in particular, were so makeshift since local media and electronic signs around Houston had been advising citizens for hours to STOP making donations at the Astrodome.  It's hard to imagine, with over 15,000 people in the Dome and surrounding buildings, that they have too much of anything for the next few days -- but the reality  is even more shocking -- they don't have enough of some items *at the time donations are being turned away.*  This was the only clothing and toiletry item distribution station, and this was the situation at 4:00 in the morning with most folks asleep.  It's hard to imagine what the situation is as people are starting to wake up right about now.

We left the Dome around 4:30 and headed back to the law school for me to pick up my car for the first time in two days.  Because the law school is a couple of blocks from the George R. Brown Convention Center, where the next wave of evacuees will be housed, we decided to stop in and see how setup was going.  What we saw at first cheered us immeasurably.  The distribution center was a huge convention hall.  Clothing and shoes in all sizes, shapes, seasons, ranges, and colors was bountiful, organized, and pleasingly arranged.  Shirts were neatly folded in high, clean stacks.  Dresses hung on hangers.  Shoes were paired with their mates in row upon row of size-sorted bounty.  Tables overflowed with books, games, writing implements, and paper for all ages.  Everything was neatly stacked and carefully arranged.  The hall was well lit.  Two police officers guarded the street-side entrance.  Two volunteers wearing Center Point Energy polo shirts tended the exit leading to another exhibit hall.  When we asked how things would be distributed, a careful and efficient distribution system was cheerfully explained to us.

We left that hall and went into the next hall.  This hall was dimly lit and very cool.  However, it didn't have the same spooky feel that the dimly lit areas of the Dome did.  Probably because volunteers walked quietly in between rows of double-bed sized air mattresses where
evacuees slept quietly.  Very few evacuees had arrived so far -- probably 50 at the most -- mostly folks who had managed to get to Houston on their own, as one volunteer told us.  He also told us that the convention center was set up so that volunteers could register at either end of the Convention Center and that there was an information booth at the middle of the Center.

We continued walking around George R. Brown -- however, unlike the Dome, where we had complete access to anyplace we wanted to go, we were stopped at every entrance, asked who we were, regarded with skepticism, and even refused entrance to some areas by either police officers, security guards, or state troopers.  While this could be explained by the simple passage of time and more organization, we had just come from the Astrodome where still had unfettered access and we counted 1 law enforcement officer per 1,000 people (still).  At George R. Brown, our estimate was about 1 law enforcement officer per 2 evacuees.

As we continued walking around, we found an official Press Room set up.  Now, at the Dome, locations are denoted by hand-written signs.  At George R. Brown, areas are denoted with color laser-printed signs like the ones we used as trial exhibits.  The Press Room was no exception.
We went into the Press Room and found a nice facility ready for a press conference with some very fancy diagrams of how the building is set up to accommodate the evacuees.  A couple of halls over, we found another meeting room clearly set up for another meeting with conference tables set up in a large square, linen table clothes, bottles of water on the table, next to the kind of water glasses we all only use when we have meetings in a square with linen table cloths.  There was a coffee setup in the back.  Looks like that's probably where city officials will meet to discuss the situation.  We noticed no such press room at the Dome, and city officials are definitely not meeting there.

So what's the difference between the Dome and the Convention Center. The Hilton of the Americas is connected to the Convention Center by a skywalk.  That means a couple of things.  First, people get to see first-hand how we're treating the evacuees.  Second, we can't have unruly evacuees roaming the streets in front of and adjacent to the Hilton -- best to the keep them happy and calm.  Race politics and white guilt are bad enough to think about.  They are heart breaking and outrageous to watch unfold in front of you.  Some folks have asked if there is a more direct way to help than donating money.  Of course, donations of money through the Red Cross are greatly needed.  However, if you would like to donate money or goods more directly, South Texas would be happy to take your items and deliver them along with the items that will be collected in the school's relief efforts in the coming weeks.

http://www.stcl.edu/students/hurricane/

You can send your items to:

Katrina Relief
South Texas College of Law
1303 San Jacinto Blvd.
Houston, TX 77002

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