Yellow wristbands, segregation for Florida homeless in Irma
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — In the wake of Hurricane Irma, homeless people and their advocates in Florida are complaining that some were turned away from shelters, separated from other evacuees via yellow wristbands, or otherwise ill-treated during the crisis.
A record 72,000 Floridians sought refuge from the storm in early September at nearly 400 shelters.
Many of the complaints have been blamed on misunderstandings, the sheer magnitude of the disaster, the crush of people needing shelter immediately, or inadequate state and local emergency planning.
The response varied by county. In Miami, over 700 homeless were picked up and taken to shelters, but in Volusia County, officials were accused of turning evacuees away with no explanation.
This Sept. 22, 2017 photo shows Shelby Hoogendyk and her 17 month-old son Caelan, at the St. Francis House in St. Augustine, Fla. Hoogendyk, her son and husband were evacuated from the homeless shelter during Hurricane Irma. When they arrived at a hurricane shelter they were segregated from the rest of the evacuees. Advocated for the homeless say the ill treatment of homeless people during disasters is a national problem that reflects the lack of state and local emergency planning to deal with that population. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)
FILE- This Sept. 14, 2017 file photos shows Margarita Lopez, right, as she looks at her phone as RS Steidle naps at a special needs shelter at Florida International University in Miami, Fla. About 30 people from Key West, Fla., including staff with the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless were sheltered in a storefront underneath a parking garage on campus. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
FILE- This Sept. 14, 2017 file photo, shows Helen Haynes reading at a special needs shelter at Florida International University in Miami, Fla. About 30 people, including staff with the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless from Key West, Fla., were sheltered in a storefront underneath a parking garage on campus. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
This Sept. 22, 2017 photo shows Gary Ursy in a damaged room at St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in St. Augustine, Fla. Ursy was evacuated from the homeless shelter during Hurricane Irma. When he arrived at a hurricane shelter he was given a yellow wristband and segregated from the rest of the evacuees. Advocated for the homeless say the ill treatment of homeless people during disasters is a national problem that reflects the lack of state and local emergency planning to deal with that population. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)
This Sept. 22, 2017 photo shows Shelby Hoogendyk and her 17 month-old son Caelan, at the St. Francis House in St. Augustine, Fla. Hoogendyk, her son and husband were evacuated from the homeless shelter during Hurricane Irma. When they arrived at a hurricane shelter they were segregated from the rest of the evacuees. Advocated for the homeless say the ill treatment of homeless people during disasters is a national problem that reflects the lack of state and local emergency planning to deal with that population. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)
FILE- This Sept. 14, 2017 file photos shows Margarita Lopez, right, as she looks at her phone as RS Steidle naps at a special needs shelter at Florida International University in Miami, Fla. About 30 people from Key West, Fla., including staff with the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless were sheltered in a storefront underneath a parking garage on campus. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
FILE- This Sept. 14, 2017 file photo, shows Helen Haynes reading at a special needs shelter at Florida International University in Miami, Fla. About 30 people, including staff with the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition for the Homeless from Key West, Fla., were sheltered in a storefront underneath a parking garage on campus. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
This Sept. 22, 2017 photo shows Gary Ursy in a damaged room at St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in St. Augustine, Fla. Ursy was evacuated from the homeless shelter during Hurricane Irma. When he arrived at a hurricane shelter he was given a yellow wristband and segregated from the rest of the evacuees. Advocated for the homeless say the ill treatment of homeless people during disasters is a national problem that reflects the lack of state and local emergency planning to deal with that population. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)