Hurricane Ida evacuees could be coming to Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- City Councilman Richard Skorman said Monday that plans are being discussed by individuals and local organizations to help some of the evacuees from Hurricane Ida near New Orleans.
A similar effort was conducted with evacuees of Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago this week.
Skorman said that specifics and an exact timetable are still being discussed, but that this effort will include raising money for victims and sending buses to the disaster zone and bring back anyone who needs help or wants to relocate here.
An estimated 1,500 Katrina evacuees came to the Colorado Springs area in the aftermath of Katrina and received assistance and temporary shelter; it's believed that a third of them now live permanently in Colorado Springs.
Skorman said that he doesn't know how many evacuees may come, what their needs are or how long they'll stay.
A vacant former utility building near America the Beautiful Park served as a welcome center in 2005 for evacuees to sleep, shower and apply for services; that building is now used by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Similar facilities for Ida evacuees have not been identified.
Lutheran Family Services played a major role in the 2005 relief effort but spokesperson Dona Dalton said Monday that the agency won't be involved this time because more evacuees are expected to remain in Louisiana -- meaning that there may be fewer evacuees coming to Colorado Springs.
Skorman said that city government and participating agencies spent several million dollars helping Katrina evacuees in 2005.
However, there was criticism of the Katrina relief effort, as some people thought that bringing in so many needy people wasn't a good idea -- and the same critics may point to the more-expensive housing market and the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons to oppose the effort this time.
Meanwhile, LSM expects to be more involved in helping refugees from Afghanistan; an estimated 50,000 are expected to arrive in the U.S. after the American military withdrew from that country.
"These Afghans, we know who they are because they helped our military over there and they have lots of documentation," Skorman said. "It's not like we're letting everybody in. They've been through a lot. I'm hoping our community welcomes them."
It's unclear how many Afghan refugees will end up in Colorado, but LSM is emphasizing the need for significant fundraising because of higher housing costs in the state.
As of a week ago, nearly $50,000 in donations had been raised.
