ROSELAND, La. — Larry Addison and Cynthia Burton were asleep at 2 a.m. Sunday when Amite police knocked on their door with orders for them to evacuate, the Hammond Daily Star reports.
They grabbed what they could, Addison said, “a pillow, a blanket or something like that – and the clothes on our back. We didn’t have a chance to get anything else.”
The couple were among several hundred who could share similar experiences after being displaced by Saturday’s train derailment in Amite. The evacuees spent Sunday night at the American Red Cross shelter at Roseland Elementary School.
Evacuee Victoria Terrell of Amite said Monday she had come home from work at 11:30 Saturday night and had the chance for only a few hours of sleep before she and her children had to leave their home at 4 a.m. Sunday. Now, “we’re just waiting to go back home,” she said. “I’m waiting to go back to work.”
Johnny Baldwin, another displaced resident, related that he took a different route to Roseland. He initially headed for Hammond, but then decided to return to Amite. There, police told him he could not get back home, Baldwin said. He later became ill and paramedics took him to Hood Memorial Hospital. After being treated at Hood, he was sent to Roseland Elementary.
People in the shelter initially had to sleep on the floor at first, but the American Red Cross brought in cots and blankets later Sunday.
Addison, who removed hazardous waste at the Exxon Refinery for 16 years, had kinder words for the Red Cross than some of his fellow evacuees. He said he knows what his fellow evacuees are going through and they should not be angry with the Red Cross.
“A lot of those people haven’t been in a disaster area,” he said. “I know a lot of what they are going through, but I never expected I’d live in a disaster area.” It’s been rough, but the Red Cross is here to help, he said.
Staff with the Red Cross, Tangipahoa Parish government and Canadian National Railways are identifying the emergency needs of individual families, said Bill Salmeron, the Red Cross’ assistant director of emergency services. “If that means bringing in extra resources, we’ll work with whoever we need to work with to get that stuff taken care of,” he said.
The displaced people in the shelter want to either get back into their homes or receive information about what is going on with the cleanup process, said Bill Salmeron, the Red Cross’ assistant director of emergency services.
Baldwin said he feels the Red Cross is doing all it can and the school helped them out in the shelter, but he was disappointed no public officials from Amite had come into the shelter to check on them.
Addison specifically noted that Mayor R.E. Goldsby had not come to the shelter. Minutes after Addision made the comment Monday, however, Goldsby arrived. Addison shouted, “The mayor is here!” for all in the gymnasium to hear.
Goldsby told the anxious audience that he knew just as much about the derailment and the cleanup as they did. He said the situation has referred to the state and the railroad company because the derailment happened outside Amite’s limits.
He also informed them about the meeting Monday afternoon with state and railroad officials.
The evacuees began talking about what they wanted to do when the derailment saga ends.
Burton said she was ready to go home, get a good meal and a bath.
Terell shared a similar plan. “Go home and take a bath,” she agreed with a smile. “Get comfortable. It’s been hectic in here.”