What a difference a day makes. South Louisiana and South Texas residents made their way home on Interstate 49 after Hurricane Rita. News 12 Photographer John Chambers says, "unlike yesterday when no one was on the road heading south, lots of people are on the road heading south". Our stop, Natchitoches. Home to 2,100 evacuees in three shelters, none of which had electricity on Saturday, like Northwestern Sate University's Prather Coliseum. Beaumont Texas native Anglia Lazard and family are searching for loved ones, evacuated by military planes. Lazard says, "Denise Jones or Denise Thomas and Wilbert Thomas". Family member Dorothy Mickens says, "it's hard. Denise is blind and an amputee and Wilbert has Parkinson's. There's also the Victorian family, 22 people from Lake Charles, waiting for answers. Theresa Victorian says, "my main concern is getting back home and facing what we have to face and get some information as to how to face the disaster when we get home".
At NSU's other shelter, the P.E. Majors Building, Professor Dr. Bill Dickens has helped since Katrina hit, and says Hurricane Rita made for a difficult situation. Dickens says, "yesterday was a little touchy since we were without power for 12 hours. We fed them sandwiches in the morning, but it was tough without any power at all".
"We ran out of bedding", says MLK Recreation Center Site Manager Kendrick Llorens, "but the sheriff's office brought cots later. Llorens says evacuees came from South Louisiana and South Texas. He says they are bussed to NSU for meals, but isn't sure when Lake Charles residents will take the trip home.
