Benton shelter closing

BENTON -- After nearly six weeks of providing housing for displaced persons of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the American Red Cross hurricane disaster relief center began dismantling its shelter Monday -- a process that could take at least two weeks to complete, officials said.

"The last families left Monday morning to go back to Port Arthur, Texas," said shelter manager Saundra Blankenship of the Red Cross.

Since Sept. 1 the Red Cross has operated a disaster relief center from the Charleston Baptist Association campgrounds, located off Highway 77 in Benton. During that time over 700 people were assisted by the shelter with roughly 60 meals served each day over the past six weeks. Also 25 families have relocated within a 100-mile radius of the Benton shelter.

As they closed, Red Cross volunteers began reorganizing donated items, which means sorting through four 18-wheelers, two portable sheds and a chapel full of clothes, furniture and supplies.

And now, Blankenship said, it's time to give back to the community. "It's all going back to the resources," Blankenship said. "What we have left is going back to the community, and what is left from that will go to hurricane victims."

Items are being offered to displaced persons who have relocated to the area as well as to local church missions, outreach centers and food pantries. "We've been calling people (from contact lists) and filling the needs of outreaches in the area," said Danita Keen, a Red Cross volunteer. "We have filled a lot of needs."

The larger donated items are also returning to the community. For example, the washer and dryer sets that were donated are staying at the church campgrounds for use during summer camps.

Donated items will still help the needs of disaster victims, Blankenship assured. For example, towels and bath supplies are being used to create "packets" for area children and adults who are fire victims.

"The shelter part is closed, but the Red Cross is still open," Blankenship said. The Red Cross will continue to provide Federal Emergency Management Agency information, housing assistance and other services and resources, Blankenship said.

One of the families the shelter has helped is the House family from Dickinson, Texas. Following the orders of a mandatory evacuation (and the closing of their apartment complex) before Hurricane Rita, Cyndi and Leo House of Dickinson, Texas, along with their children, 13-year-old Kimberly and 18-

year-old L.W., and pets, piled everything they could fit into their car and started to make their way to Poplar Bluff, where Cyndi's oldest son resides.

But it wasn't easy getting here, the couple said. A trip that normally takes 14

-15 hours took about 50 hours due to stalled traffic and limited availability of gasoline.

When they arrived in Poplar Bluff, the family learned about the shelter in Benton. The shelter assisted the House family with their FEMA paperwork as well as helped them find housing, a television, two beds and a brand new dining table -- all of which the couple are grateful, they said.

No moving trucks or vans were available so the family had limited room to fit their belongings, the couple pointed out. They were able to bring their computer hard drive and keyboard, but had to leave their monitor behind. "I home-school our daughter and all of her work is on the hard drive so we couldn't leave it behind," Mrs. House said.

Because of the shelter and community donations, the Red Cross was able to get the family a monitor.

"Basically, we have to start life over -- and we're in our 40s. If we were in our 20s, it wouldn't be as big of a problem," said House, who was raised in Dickinson.

Fortunately, Mrs. House was able to transfer from her Wal-Mart job in Texas to a local Wal-Mart, she said.

"We got here on a Saturday, and I started work on Tuesday," Mrs. House said. House commended the volunteers at the shelter -- and all throughout the United States.

"People have really stretched out," Leo House said. "And we've seen our country come together."

For more information or assistance, contact the Red Cross at (573) 545

-9759.