Atlanta tornado: Inside one Red Cross shelter
March 17, 2008 at 8:43 am by Thomas Wheatley in NewsWhen Friday’s tornado blazed through Vine City, Rochelle DeVaughn was asleep. Just before the windows of their Simpson Street apartment shattered from the late-night twister’s force, she was shaken awake by her husband.
“[He] woke me up and said, ‘It’s time to go,’” the Pittsburgh, Penn. native says. “I made it to the bottom of the steps and that’s when everything hit the fan, you know?”
DeVaughn rests on a brick wall outside the Central Park Recreation Center on Merritt Avenue, which sits in the shadows of the midtown skyline. Until Atlanta residents displaced by the disaster can get back on their feet, American Red Cross spokesperson Ruben Brown says, the two-story brick building will serve as a temporary relief center and shelter.
DeVaughn, an optimistic and wide-smiled African-American woman, moved to Atlanta eight months ago and just got her life in order, she says. After her first home was foreclosed upon and her belongings plucked from the curbside, she lived for six weeks in a house that lacked water or electricity.
In February, DeVaughn and her family moved to Azalea Gardens Apartments on Simpson Street. She got a job she loves as a janitor at the Capitol, splitting her day between the adjacent Coverdell Congressional Legislative Office Building and Gold Dome. She, her husband and daughter had just purchased beds and a television — all items now ruined by the storm. She made a trip yesterday to the apartment and could only salvage her make-up, she says. DeVaughn looks toward the sky and gestures, comparing the blue above us to the view you’d encounter if you walked into her home.
“We just got everything built back up just to lose it all again,” DeVaughn says. “I’m not gonna let this defeat me. It’s gonna make me stronger.”
The Central Park relief center opened Friday night after the tornado rumbled from Vine City through Downtown and across Cabbagetown before ending near East Atlanta. Ruben Brown of the Red Cross says the location, a joint operation by the relief agency and the city, currently houses 45 displaced residents and is able to accommodate “upwards of 100.” He says the majority of those staying in the shelter are from the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood or immediate area. Residents rest on cots on the basketball court as volunteers assist residents and cook food. Outside on the park’s playground, children chase each other while two Rockdale County sheriffs, sent by their supervisor to assist, provide security. Inside and out of the Sunday sun sits a big plastic bucket filled with soft drinks and a full tray of celery and carrots on a table.
“We welcome all comers if they’ve suffered a loss,” Brown says. “As long as need be we’ll remain operational.”
DeVaughn laughs when asked about the food. “It’s goooood. Last night it was like these chicken strips in tacos,” she says. “It’s like one little close-knit family here. The Red Cross has been great. We came here at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and they helped us. The doors are open 24 hours, there’s no curfew, and we have the police protecting us. I think Katrina taught this nation a lot. The response was excellent.”
For now, DeVaughn and her family are looking into their options. Because they only recently moved to Simpson Street, they had not purchased insurance and are now looking into possible assistance programs. She plans to keep on working, however, and piecing things back together.
“I hope I have a bright, bright future. I’m hoping. I’m hoping,” she says.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, call the Red Cross at (866) RC-HELPS, or (866) 724-3577. You can also visit the relief organization’s Atlanta chapter Web site by clicking here. The Red Cross, Salvation Army and the city will operate a Unified Service Center from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday at Vine City’s Beulah Baptist Church, 170 Griffin St. The Red Cross will provide mental health services, health services and one-on-one case workers to provide emergency assistance for those impacted by the disaster. The Salvation Army will provide family food boxes and lunches to clients.
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