Thread: Guatemalan immigrants flee Gustav's threat to New Orleans fo

Posted on Wed, Sep. 03, 2008
Guatemalan immigrants flee Gustav's threat to New Orleans for Manatee County

By MAURA POSSLEY

Their cars, vans and trucks loaded with belongings, about 40 Guatemalan immigrants trekked from New Orleans to Manatee County to escape Hurricane Gustav.

A few cars arrived at the home of Jimmy Rodriguez near 63rd Avenue West and Seventh Street West on Sunday morning and more continued showing up Monday and Tuesday.

Word had spread there was safe haven from the storm. They pooled their money in Louisiana and made the slow, traffic-laden journey to Florida.

Rodriguez's father and sister were among them.

"I told them to come here because there's more risk to stay," Rodriguez said of his family.

Claudio Rodriguez, his father, left his rented home and janitorial job at a New Orleans Ritz-Carlton Hotel for Bradenton, where his son lives with his wife, Fabiola De Leon.

He brought with him his daughter, Debora Rodriguez, and about 35 to 40 other adults and children.

"We had a little money but we didn't have enough money," he said in Spanish. "The only thing we cared about was going forward."

Traffic lengthened their journey, and they used nearly all their savings on gas with little left over for food, Claudio Rodriguez said.

But his son's home was overflowing by Tuesday. Children slept in the air-conditioned home while adults created make-shift beds from rafts and mattresses.

During the day, they stood outside and plotted what to do next, trying to stay out of the sun.

Neighbor Ruben Medina knew they needed more help. He gave them what money he could, and Tuesday, the Red Cross stepped in to help.

The 10 cars full of hurricane evacuees drove from the Bradenton home for a Red Cross shelter in Tampa.

It is an hour north in their journey back to New Orleans. First, they must wait for city officials to reopen the city.

Once they're able, they'll head back. But they were unsure if they'd have enough money to do it.

"There's probably a lot of people like this," Medina said. "This is just a drop."

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/story/852749.html

Manatee County is charming, and I wish them luck in handling this problem of 30-40 "immigrants" that decide not to leave.

Crap! Manatee County is where my parents live, just what they need ( NOT!) MORE illegals.

Bradenton USED to be a great place to retire to, now the place is looking like a third world slum, unless you go out to Lakewood Ranch where the millionaires are now residing.

nomas:

Bradenton USED to be a great place to retire to, now the place is looking like a third world slum, unless you go out to Lakewood Ranch where the millionaires are now residing.

ICE! Is why are these law breakers getting a break? The storm, that's right.