Shelters begin to empty after South Florida escapes brunt of Hurricane Matthew

Record ID: 83067

  • Title: Shelters begin to empty after South Florida escapes brunt of Hurricane Matthew
  • Date: 7th October 2016
  • Summary: WELLINGTON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER. 7, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EVACUEES LEAVING SHELTER AT PALM BEACH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) LOCAL RESIDENT RUTH LOPEZ, SAYING: "I don't feel like that safe in my house and I have four kids and you know I can't worry for everything, the material stuff, but my life and my kids' life." (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) LOCAL RESIDENT BRANDON GRAY, SAYING: "Well I came to the shelter myself on Wednesday and I left my family because they were not taking it seriously they wanted to stay home we live on Riviera Beach, by the beach, I told them based on the reports I didn't want to be by the beach so they second day my sister and her kids came and they joined me, but my parents still stayed home." VARIOUS OF EVACUEES MID OF EVACUEES LEAVING SHELTER AT PALM BEACH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) BILL BULLOCK, SHELTER MANAGER FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS SAYING: "It's always the what ifs. What if we extend the shelter, what if the Corps comes in and we're going to be open longer. If the weather gets overly inclement and people can't get in here, but on this one we really caught a break." VARIOUS OF EVACUEES MILLING AROUND SHELTER
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2016 14:03
  • Keywords: Hurricane Matthew Florida shelters
  • Location: WELLINGTON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Wind/Hurricane/Typhoons/Tornadoes
  • Reuters ID: LVA001530B7T3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Before dawn on Friday (October 7) hundreds of residents had already cleared out of one of Palm Beach County's largest shelters as the region seemed to escape the brunt of Hurricane Matthew's rain and wind. With the sky still black dozens of families rolled up blankets, deflated air mattresses, and lugged still-full cases of water out of the school hallways where they spent the night.
    But the storm is still marching on toward northern Florida and thousands have lost power already.
    "I don't feel like that safe in my house and I have four kids and you know I can't worry for everything, the material stuff, but my life and my kids' life," said Ruth Lopez, 36.
    At its peak the shelter, housed in a large high school capable of hosting nearly 4,000, had about 1,100 evacuees. Large swaths of them began leaving as early as Thursday night while Matthew's eye tracked north along Florida's east coast. As of 6 p.m. Thursday evening Palm Beach County emergency managers reported about 6,700 in its 15 shelters.
    Some arrived Wednesday morning when the shelter opened, concerned for their safety as one of the largest storms in years raged nearby.
    "Well I came to the shelter myself on Wednesday and I left my family because they were not taking it seriously they wanted to stay home we live on Riviera Beach, by the beach, I told them based on the reports I didn't want to be by the beach so they second day my sister and her kids came and they joined me, but my parents still stayed home," said Brandon Gray, a 32-year-old elementary school teacher from West Palm Beach.
    Though some complained of cramped conditions in the high school hallways where dozens spent the night, many were able to breath a sigh of relief on Friday morning, particularly emergency and rescue workers.
    "It's always the what ifs. What if we extend the shelter, what if the Corps comes in and we're going to be open longer. If the weather gets overly inclement and people can't get in here but on this one we really caught a break," said Bill Bullock, shelter manager for the American Red Cross of Greater Palm Beach.
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