Driven from their home in Gulfport, Miss. by a lack of clean
water, electricity and a scarcity of food, Hollister native Pearl
Cervantes arrived at her mother’s home in Hollister last week.
Hollister – Driven from their home in Gulfport, Miss. by a lack of clean water, electricity and a scarcity of food, Hollister native Pearl Cervantes arrived at her mother’s home in Hollister last week.
“We had to come back. We weren’t sure if the water was clean, and there was no electricity,” she said.
Cervantes is just one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which left hundreds of thousands of people without homes, making their way to San Benito County. Four families – about eight people – have moved to the area in the past few weeks and are staying in local hotels and with relatives, according to Lynd a Maguet, director of disaster services for the Monterey-San Benito Red Cross.
And in the event that more arrive, the county is beginning a survey of housing in the area to see just how many people can find shelter in San Benito County.
The Gulfport house where Cervantes, 26, lives with her fiance and children made it through storm, which battered the Gulf Coast last month. But because of the lack of services she said she didn’t know when they would be able to return home.
Until then, the Red Cross told her they would try to put her up in a motel for a few weeks because her mother’s home is too small for Cervantes and her infant children. It is also providing her with diapers and other supplies for her children, she said, adding that she is thankful that she found a place to stay in Hollister.
“It’s a lot better,” she said. “Over there, it’s too hard. We’re glad we got here safely, just to be out of those conditions.”
Once hurricane victims arrive in the county, they contact the Red Cross, which then provides them with cash, clothes and other necessities.
“We are meeting their immediate needs,” Maguet said.
While organizations like the Red Cross are taking care of the immediate needs of hurricane victims, the state and federal governments are starting to look into meeting the long-term needs of survivors.
At the request of the state, San Benito, along with all California counties, is taking an inventory of possible long-term housing that may eventually be needed by displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina that ravaged the Gulf Coast last month.
Since San Benito has no county facilities, county officials are asking locals to let them know if they have any housing that could be used by hurricane victims for up to 18 months At this point, there are no plans to start housing people in the county, but the state Office of Emergency Services recently asked county officials to determine how much housing is available, according to Chief Administrative Officer Susan Thompson.
“We’re looking out to see if we have anything in the county available,” said Margie Riopel, director of emergency services for the county.
County officials hope to hear of any apartments or rental homes that are available to be used as temporary long-term housing, Thompson said. Also, she added, they would like to hear about any other accommodations, such as rooms in houses, that might be useful. Thompson said that she does not know if the government has plans to subsidize rent for hurricane victims if they do end up staying in San Benito County.
“We’re just asking the community, ‘what do you got?'” Thompson said.
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected].
