Hurricane season? Good time to go camping.

August 31, 2008 5:18 PM

Austin-American Statesman is reporting that the city's evacuee center will not provide bedding for refuges. “They need to treat this as a camping trip,” said Marty McKellips, chair of the Red Cross chapter in Austin, bringing their own bedding.
posted by woodway (15 comments total)

"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this — (chuckle) — this is working very well for them."
– Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the hurricane evacuees at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 5, 2005
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:26 PM on August 31, 2008 [4 favorites]

Awesome! I love camping trips! Wish I was there!
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:31 PM on August 31, 2008

This could and probably should be a comment in the current thread, no?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:34 PM on August 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

I'm miserable at spelling -- meant to say 'refugees', but the second 'e' got left behind (blush).
posted by woodway at 5:35 PM on August 31, 2008

"They need to treat this as a camping trip,” said Marty McKellips, chair of the Red Cross..."

People in need of transfusions need to treat their dire, near-death conditions as a chance to sit down and take it easy.
posted by DU at 5:38 PM on August 31, 2008

WHO PUT THE EXTRA STUPID PILLS IN THE METAFILTER WATER SUPPLY TODAY?
posted by quonsar at 5:40 PM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Unsure. Thank God you remembered your cranky pills.
posted by The White Hat at 5:41 PM on August 31, 2008 [5 favorites]

I suppose if they're supposed to treat it as a camping trip, they won't mind a few campfires around the building.
posted by ColdChef at 5:51 PM on August 31, 2008

Well W is coming to town tomorrow and he'll take care of it. That photo op, I mean on the ground assessment will be of the medical evacuees flown in today and staying at the convention center. In beds.

As an Austinite I'm embarrassed by this. I'm pretty sure Marty McKellips is regretting her words. Perhaps she'll get a "heck of a job" from the president. After a good job with Katrina and Rita, this "camping trip" is really disappointing. And it isn't like there aren't beds for the evacuees. They just didn't get them out of storage.

I bet the AAS is the only paper in the world that links to a Twitter feed for updates "breaking news" on the storm and rather than stories they are using their "reporter blogs" to report on the first major storm of the season.

Also woodway, they aren't refugees. They are evacuees. There's a difference.
posted by birdherder at 5:52 PM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

yes, I checked OED (and tags) before posting, but 'evacuees' certainly works even if they're becoming political pawns, too. Can we just call them campers?
posted by woodway at 5:56 PM on August 31, 2008

Unhappy campers.
posted by ColdChef at 6:02 PM on August 31, 2008 [4 favorites]

Here's a good campfire song for them.
posted by stavrogin at 6:12 PM on August 31, 2008

Republicans unhappy with news reports of their idiocy and/or mishandling. Now there's a film you'll never see at eleven.
posted by DU at 6:14 PM on August 31, 2008

If the evacuees can go 'rah rah!' on demand, I hear the RNC has some empty seats they need filled. They just gotta be careful to stay away from the the rides, especially the Enhanced Interrogation Chamber and Cheney's Man-Sized Safe.
posted by jamstigator at 6:24 PM on August 31, 2008

I have a theory that god is aiming all of these hurricanes at Bush's ranch in Texas, but can't quite hit it, so he tries again.
posted by lee at 6:41 PM on August 31, 2008