Galveston Reporter Booted Out of Shelter During Storm

By: E&P Staff Sarah Foley of The Daily News, which bills itself as Texas's oldest daily (since 1842), posted a blog report on the paper's Web site late yesterday revealing that she had been booted out of a Red Cross shelter -- for being a reporter -- just as Hurricane Ike was hitting.

We reported yesterday that the paper had completely shut down and staffers left. It has some updates on its Web site this weekend.

Here is her entry.
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The Red Cross and Austin Independent School District have formally requested that I leave the shelter. At first, the Red Cross wasn?t quite sure what to do about me, as both an evacuee and a member of the media.

Although one helpful volunteer last night offered to let me come sleep at her house, other volunteers have suggested I need to leave.

?It makes us very uncomfortable for a reporter to be inside,? one volunteer, who appears to be one of the ones in charge, told me.

A different police officer and a Galveston city employee warned me they were trying to kick me out, but when the officer escorted me over to the shelter personnel and they saw I had an evacuee wristband, they told me I could stay. Now, my editors have confirmed there?s an official order for me to go.

As I?m packing up, here are some last observations:

The hysterics of this morning seemed to have calmed down at the shelter, but the situation is no less organized. One Austin police officer I spent half an hour talking to told me there was ?zero planning.?

?I came here to provide security and I?m running the place,? he said.

When he came to report for duty here, he learned there was no command post, medical station or clear plan. He made a list of needed supplies ? water, soap, blankets ? and arranged for officers to solicit donations from area businesses.

Some evacuees were also cussing and yelling at officers who were delivering them trays of food, he said.

Media stationed outside the shelter aren?t allowed inside, but can interview anyone who walks into the courtyard. Officials aren?t pleased that the ones they interview are those with heated criticism of the place.

I?ve heard that people?s complaints over the lack of cots might be isolated to this shelter at Crockett High School. Police told me there had been cots at this shelter during some point yesterday, but they were moved.

?Other shelters aren?t having problems like this one,? police said.

Police officers here aren?t supposed to speak to media, so I?m not using their names.

One business that?s benefiting from the shelter is the Dollar General two blocks away. It started when a group of people went and bought air mattresses there. Now there are at least 15 set up in the gym and other people have bough toys, food and supplies. I went and bought a contact case ? mine is sitting on my bathroom sink in Galveston ? and it was an interesting experience.

I covered Hurricane Katrina and Rita from outside the shelters. Then, I was a reporter at the Tyler Morning Telegraph and we experienced a large influx of evacuees.

At the shelters I visited during those storms, when media were allowed inside, I saw medical tables set up for help, televisions to help people stay informed and computers for people to e-mail relatives and say they were OK.