Parish, city, agencies make plans to provide relief

When dealing with a situation such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, teamwork is key to making relief efforts successful.

Iberia Parish, the city of New Iberia, all government entities, the American Red Cross and the United Way of Iberia have been working together to provide relief services to hundreds of evacuees in the parish.

"We're trying to coordinate with the parish and the city so that we are all on same page. We want the right hand to know what the left hand is doing," said United Way of Iberia executive director Gloria Girouard.

According to Elizabeth Minvielle of United Way, the organization is working with the city, parish and Red Cross to organize volunteers at the city's two shelters in the Cyr-Gates Community Center in City Park and Martin Luther King Recreation Center in West End Park.

"At this time we have volunteers that have come into the office. They are answering phones and taking donations," Minvielle said. "We have a wide variety of volunteers that have stepped forward from the community to come and help us."

New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry said the two shelters that are opened are the only shelters allowed open.

"We could not open shelters until we got approval from the state because we only want shelters that are supported by the American Red Cross that have security," she said. "No shelter should be open unless it has the approval and is manned by the American Red Cross. We don't want any individual shelters being opened around town because they need security and they need to be able to have the support to maintain the shelter."

Despite talk in the community of opening the old Wal-Mart building in Lagniappe Village to evacuees or setting up tent cities in the parish, Curry said there are no plans to open any other shelters unless absolutely needed.

"As things progress, the community will be advised as to what is happening. At this time, these are the only shelters that are opened," Curry said.

Security is provided by the New Iberia Police Department and Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office at both shelters. Curry said an 8 p.m. curfew is in place for shelter residents.

According to Cheryl Cheramie of the New Iberia American Red Cross, donations of bedding, mattresses, towels and personal hygiene products should be dropped off at the shelters.

Other donations such as non-perishable food, water and other products can be delivered to the shelters' distribution center at Interfaith Fellowship Church.

Cheramie added that the church's pastor, Rev. Zack Mitchell, is coordinating the distribution effort.

"We have a lot of families taking in families and they need supplies. They can go there and he said he would be happy to help them," Cheramie said.

"The outpouring in Iberia Parish has been overwhelming. We have companies feeding. We have some companies that have agreed to cook every Monday for however long or every Tuesday for however long because we are anticipating this to be a long-term shelter. Everything that we have asked for has been furnished," she said.

While the efforts to man and stock the shelters are succeeding, other evacuees staying in hotels are concerned about relief efforts for those not in shelters.

Rhonda Guinot of Jefferson Parish is staying a New Iberia hotel with her daughter, family pet and friends. She said she is worried about what will happen when the evacuees staying in hotels run out of money.

"I'm seeing a need that's not being met. The people of Iberia Parish are trying to be very forthcoming in donations, but there are hundreds, I think thousands of people that are staying in New Iberia and Acadiana that are in need that are in the hotel," she said. "If they can not sustain themselves in a hotel, they are going to overflood the shelters. Could they consider helping people that are in the hotel also?"

Guinot suggested that hotels can pitch in by coming down on their rates offered to evacuees.

"The hotels need to make better accommodations by coming down on their hotel rates. I think everyone has very good intentions, I just wish that they understand that its not just the people in shelters, there are people in the hotels," she said.

Guinot is hoping for the best.

"I am social worker and I'm used to helping people. But I never thought that I would be in this position," she said.