 "Photo: Wade Barker")
 "Photo: Wade Barker")
With the threat of Hurricane Gustav looming off the Gulf Coast, many who lived along the areas hit by hurricanes three years ago sought refuge in College Station.
Evacuees from Beaumont, Texas, New Iberia, La., and Lake Charles, La., traveled to the Bryan-College Station area to seek shelter from the hurricane that had climbed to as high as a Category 5.
Though the number of evacuees were less than anticipated, the Brazos Valley American Red Cross, First Baptist Church in Bryan, First United Methodist Church in Bryan and area hotels, such as the Hilton, were prepared to help and house whoever sought shelter.
Cars lined the perimeter of First United Methodist, as evacuees from Beaumont and New Iberia, unloaded personal belongings on Sunday. Inside the white sanctuary, cots were scattered throughout the main foyer. Each group had little to tote but their numbers were large; a total of 140 evacuees waited as hurricane Gustav quickly approached.
Kelly Idom, director of youth ministries and the reverend's wife of First United Methodist, sat behind her desk and reached out to members of the church to find two cribs for families with babies.
"We try to create a place where people can feel safe," she said.
This is not the first time the church has turned into a shelter for displaced families of natural disaster. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck three years ago this month brought in more 600 evacuees seeking shelter at First United Methodist Church. The church has experience in sheltering evacuees, allowing staff and volunteers to better anticipate the needs of the evacuees.
"People from my church are on duty 24/7," said the Rev. Matt Idom of First United Methodist Church.
Church members volunteered for four-hour shifts, and doctors and nurses are on call as there could be medical problems among the evacuees. Bryan Police Department officers will also be on standby.
"You get people displaced, the good comes out and the bad comes out," Matt said.
Little irritations can become big irritations, Matt said from experience. With no privacy, only three showers and a team of two custodians, evacuees are out of home's comfort and on edge. Angelique Gamble, an intake at the Bryan police station said it was difficult to find officers willing to work shifts on Monday, since it was Labor Day, a national holiday.
"The shelter has been talking with the chiefs and the officers and they've got shifts set up with them," Gamble said. "It's been crazy all day, we've been having to pull officers away from their families to do shifts."
Pedro Puerto and his wife Maria Garcia evacuated from New Iberia, with their son, Pedro Immanuel. They left their home with the bare necessities and traveled with 16 others in only two cars.
Ervin Hawkins, a 74-year-old from Beaumont, had no worries. "We just have to have patience and wait," he said.
His family - all 20 members - was just happy to be together.
"If anything is damaged, I would have to start over," said his daughter, Shirley Hawkins. "It's just a question of where. We don't have a lot, but what we have we are grateful for. We worked hard to get it."
Considering the chaos of evacuating, many did not bring pillows, toiletries, linens, towels blankets and other small necessities. First United Methodist was prepared to provide three hot meals a day as well give them toiletries.
The Hilton, which helped evacuees from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, expected the worst. Julian Huerta, front desk supervisor at the Hilton, said one-sixth of the hotel reservations were canceled.
"We were expecting way more people," Huerta said. "We had cancellations. We were originally sold-out, but the severity of the storm wasn't as intense."
The Hilton still booked approximately 35 rooms, majority of them from Beaumont and Lake Charles, and many evacuees had pets with them as well.
"The volume of animals we have is just unreal compared to what we normally have," Huerta said.
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