Flood victims voice concerns over Red Cross

It's just after noon on Tuesday, and residents of the emergency flood shelter at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette have begun asking volunteers of the American Red Cross when lunch will be served.

The answer each time is a resounding, "We don't know. It's out of our hands."

Those who wear the vest carry plates of po'boy sandwiches past hungry shelter residents. The po'boy trays were donated for volunteers, shelter residents are told. Their food will come.

While waiting for lunch Tuesday, Heymann shelter residents accused Red Cross volunteers of providing inadequate and sporadic meals, withholding donations, using racial slurs and inflicting pain upon a child. They said volunteers couldn't accommodate those with special needs and didn't supply residents with necessary medications.

The claims are largely denied by the Red Cross volunteer who manages the shelter.

"All I know is the intent they're here with is to help people," Larry Emery said. "And if something happens because they're tired or frustrated or whatever over a two-week period, there probably — or could be — an occurrence or situation. That's human nature. That's the reality of life."

***

Marion Nora speaks with exhaustion about the nightmare she's been through since floodwater rushed into the house she purchased less than a year ago.

READ MORE:Did we overbuild?

She and her 8- and 14-year-old sons evacuated Aug. 12 from their new Milton home to stay with her mother in Duson. They had to evacuate from her mother's apartment the next day to escape rising waters.

"The water was up to my chest," she said. "They had kids leaving on air mattresses and all kinds of things. It was crazy. It was crazy. It was like something out of a movie, like nothing I'd ever seen."

Nora said she, her sons and her mother have encountered more problems than relief since arriving at the Heymann shelter Aug. 13.

Nora said her younger son, Gary, was humiliated and physically hurt by a Red Cross volunteer.

The volunteer allegedly yanked her 8-year-old son by the arm as he entered a single-stall, unoccupied women's bathroom. Her mother, Sarah Nora, said she also witnessed the wrongdoing.

"She grabbed him by the arm and wouldn't let him go to the bathroom," Sarah Nora said. "He urinated all over himself and hurt his knee."

Gary chimed in, acting out what happened to him a few days earlier.

"She pulled my arm like this," he said, throwing himself sideways. "Then she made me ran into the door. That's how my knee got like this."

Emery said the alleged incident occurred on his day off. He wouldn't share information about the volunteer the allegations are being made against but did say she is still working at the shelter.

"I've got to protect my people," Emery said. "And it's just — really, there's no — The police are aware of the situation."

***

There were 87 people staying at the Heymann Center on Tuesday, Day 12 of the emergency shelter's operations.

That's a significant drop from the 247 who stayed overnight Aug. 13, but it's still a much larger operation than many of the emergency shelters Emery has managed.

Emery, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, has responded to several disasters since his first national assignment, Superstorm Sandy — the 2012 disaster the American Red Cross has said is the only recent event worse than the Louisiana flooding.

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When asked what he is responsible for in his position as shelter manager, Emery's response was simple:

"Everything."

He mulled it over then clarified that Red Cross volunteers who handle the medical, mental health, public relations and other skilled operations are not under his supervision. They just let him know when they are on site.

"I'm responsible for the welfare of our clients," Emery said. "That's probably it in a nutshell. That's my job is to take care of our clients. That would be the best thing to say."

***

Sarah Nora said Red Cross volunteers have called shelter residents derogatory names because of the color of their skin.

"Some of the people got approved for hotels by FEMA and left yesterday," Sarah Nora, who is black, recalled. "One of the guys stacking the cots after they left, he said, 'Well, finally some of them n-----s gone.'"

Sarah Nora said a different volunteer spoke similarly about shelter residents days earlier.

"One of them said — I can't exactly say which one — 'Maybe if you stop feeding them n-----s, then they'll leave,'" she said.

When asked whether Red Cross volunteers have used racial slurs at the Heymann shelter, Emery doesn't immediately respond.

"Well," Emery said, breaking the silence, "I'm trying to think of the number of people, the number of volunteers that have come through here in the last week. OK, we're talking hundreds.

"I can't tell you every conversation that's gone on. I know people have come out here out of the kindness in their heart. Nobody comes in here for any other reason. That's why they're here."

Emery paused again.

He talked about how far Red Cross volunteers have traveled and how volunteers are trained to be courteous and kind and caring.

"Now, everybody gets tired. Everybody has a — but, to say that anything has been done ..." Emery let his voice trail off and composed himself before continuing.

"I am not aware of any specific situations of anybody calling anybody any derogatory name or just being discourteous. I have not heard that. I'm the shelter manager. During my watch, I have not heard that at all.

"That doesn't mean it hasn't happened."

RED CROSS RESPONDS: Joachim: Red Cross places well-being of shelter residents first

***

Just after 1 p.m. Tuesday, an amplified voice speaks to residents in the Heymann shelter.

"I just got off the phone with central feeding," Emery's voice echoes. "They're running a little behind. You'll just have to bear with us. But I did check on it. I wanted to make sure they didn't leave us out. But they are going to be bringing the food. Thank you!"

Shelter resident Christa Bailey, who is three months pregnant, watches a Red Cross volunteer walk past with a po'boy plate.

"You see? You see how the volunteers got that food?" she asked desperately. "They're picking up food that was donated for the people here in the shelter, and they're eating it for themselves. You see that? How come y'all can't wait until everybody else receives their food?"

Emery is quick to deny this.

"Well, yes, today we got a donation for food that was from a gourmet restaurant that wanted to give food to volunteers and FEMA people," Emery said. "And that's the only time that's happened."

When asked who made the donation, Emery said he  wasn't sure "if they want that out."

"Nobody — no client — has missed a meal," he said. "Nobody has been underfed. There is no one that's going without anything."

***

Clothing, medicine, baby supplies and other basic necessities have been difficult to obtain at the Heymann shelter, according to some residents.

Bailey said it took eight days to get the prenatal vitamins she requested.

Marion Nora and Porscha Jolivette said medical volunteers with the Red Cross didn't provide necessary medicine for their children, who have cold-like symptoms they believe are the result of spending time in floodwaters.

They said clothing donations were rationed when the supply was abundant and that only 10 items — including basics like underwear and socks — per shelter resident were distributed.

Emery said clothing has never been rationed and medications aren't guaranteed to be distributed by Red Cross volunteers.

Not every shelter resident shared frustrations Tuesday while waiting for lunch, however.

Joseph Edwards, who arrived at the shelter Aug. 15, said he appreciates what has been offered to the 1,000 people who have come and gone during the past two weeks.

"I'm glad that they got this here," he said. "I'm homeless. I'm on the streets. And it help me stay off the streets, stay dry, gives me a place to lay down and rest my head."

***

Nicole Comeaux of Lighthouse Family Church arrived at the Heymann shelter Tuesday afternoon with a tasty proposal for hungry shelter residents: Creole beans and cornbread.

Like others have reported, however, she was turned away.

The Red Cross had contracted out food service and was no longer accepting donations. Comeaux had seen photos of recent shelter meals and wanted to offer something more, she said.

"It touched me deep, and I wanted to help," Comeaux said. "I know what I've been through and where we came from — me and my three older kids, we were in a shelter at one point. I wish I had a big bus to take them all to my home, just cook for them and feed them."

Shannon Cooper, an Abbeville resident whose home flooded, was inspired to start an independent donation and distribution operation for flood victims after witnessing firsthand the bureaucratic restrictions that exist with the Red Cross.

"We knew the minute we had water on our feet that we were devastated, and we knew that our neighbors were too," Cooper said. "And we were able to step up as individuals and neighborhoods and communities and say, 'We don't need you to tell us that we're devastated. We're devastated.'

"There needs to be a better system in place. There needs to be a better way to get aid immediately."

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As somebody who handled public relations for the Baton Rouge chapter of the Red Cross from 2001 to 2003, Erin Swenson wasn't surprised when complaints surfaced about the Red Cross in Baton Rouge shelters.

"Pillars of the community just did what needed to be done. It was organization of a disorganized, catastrophic event," Swenson said. "And then, of course, enters the Red Cross. When I saw that they were involved, I thought, 'Here we go.' There's just a lot of red tape with the American Red Cross, unfortunately."

Carencro resident Terry Broussard said he has never had a negative experience with the nonprofit he has volunteered for since 1975.

"I can only speak positively and say that it’s a monumental task to go into an area and try to deliver safe meals, access to their medications, some normalcy of life and crisis counseling — those are the things they need to do," said Broussard, who also served as chairman of the board of directors for the Acadiana chapter from 2009 to 2012.

"It's a monumental task when you have that many people displaced."

***

Complaints have been so widespread about the Red Cross response to Louisiana flooding that Gov. John Bel Edwards and his team plan to re-evaluate the state's partnership with the organization, according to a Monday story by The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.

“We recognize the enormous task the Red Cross undertakes to help, and we are tremendously grateful to the many volunteers who jumped to our aid in the aftermath of this historic flooding. However, the governor has expressed several concerns with the Red Cross’ response to this storm," Richard Carbo, Edwards' spokesman, told the newspaper. "Going forward, the state intends to re-evaluate its partnership with the Red Cross to ensure displaced citizens of any future disaster receive the best support possible.”

There have been similar responses over Red Cross involvement following other natural disasters in Louisiana.

Government officials in charge of disaster response in central and north Louisiana communities that experienced major flooding in March have spoken out against how the Red Cross responded during that natural disaster.

Some of their complaints were gathered and published in an Aug. 3 story by Propublica, an independent, nonprofit investigative journalism organization.

“American Red Cross was a HUGE disappointment,” Dawn Williams, the emergency manager for Richland Parish, said in a May 24 email. “They made commitments that they didn’t keep and then chastised us for rejecting them. Nothing was resolved from our numerous sit-down meetings we had with (the American Red Cross) and their representatives.”

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Cajundome director Greg Davis and his staff broke Red Cross protocol at the mega-shelter that opened in the arena following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They wrestled control from the organization "because they were not able to address the needs of our residents."

While hundreds of evacuees slept on the concrete arena floor without cots or mats, Cajundome personnel learned of a truck parked on the premises filled with Red Cross cots. They distributed the cots, and a Red Cross representative threatened to have one of them arrested for it.

Davis also rejected the pastries and cold sandwiches the Red Cross distributed. He and his staff served three hot meals a day and dealt with state health inspectors, nutritionists and the Centers for Disease Control on their own.

"I know what we were doing was unorthodox, and there could be some consequences, but we knew it was the right thing to do," Davis said in an August 2015 article in The Daily Advertiser.

***

It's 2:15 p.m. when lunch is  finally served at the Heymann Center shelter Tuesday.

Each foam box contains spaghetti in tomato sauce, a few meatballs, a hamburger bun and a packaged fruit cup.

"They were upset about not getting lunch on time today," Emery said, nodding to where the food is being served. "But I could tell you that I haven't had any specific needs that have come to my attention that have not been met that are based on reality."

As Emery speaks about how generous Acadiana people have been in donating food and other necessities to shelter residents, a volunteer approaches him.

"Do we have a second meal coming?" he asked. "They didn't deliver two meals."

Emery remains confident.

"I've got news for you," he told the volunteer. "We're using those — What do you call those things where you open them up and they heat automatically? They're in boxes in my office, in that area there."

The volunteer accepts the answer. "We also have some other food that we need to use before it expires," he told Emery.

Emery returns to his previous conversation, talking up the 50 or so restaurants that donated three hot meals per day to shelter residents for the first week of its operation.

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Why switch from these locally donated meals to the sometimes sporadic meals prepared at a central kitchen operated by the Southern Baptist Convention? Had local food donations stopped coming in?

"No, no," Emery said. "This community is amazing, OK? I could tell you some of the things we've done here in our shelter that we couldn't have done without the love and generosity of the community. They would have continued to donate food. Restaurants would have been more than happy to, OK?"

In any disaster relief operation, however, there comes a time when the Red Cross becomes responsible for taking over all of the operations.

The sooner the better, he said, whether shelter residents see it that way or not.

"I understand perception is reality, but that doesn't mean it's reality," Emery said. "It's their reality, so that's what you get. I don't think anybody is saying anything that they don't think is reality, but it may not be reality."

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