LUMBERTON — As of late Monday afternoon, 451 people were staying in the three emergency shelters still open for use by Robeson County residents displaced by Hurricane Florence and the floodwaters the storm generated.

The remaining shelters are at Lumberton and Purnell Swett high schools and the Bill Sapp Recreational Center in Lumberton, said Emily Jones, Robeson County government public information officer. The American Red Cross has assumed operation of the shelters, and how long the shelters remain open will be up to the Red Cross.

A disaster recovery center has not been opened yet, Jones said. County leaders were to meet Tuesday with Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives to decide when and where a recovery center will be opened. A decision could be made and announced by Wednesday.

As many as eight emergency shelters were open around the county in the days immediately after Florence struck, Jones said. In addition to Lumberton and Purnell Swett high schools and the Bill Sapp Center, shelters were operated at Red Springs, South Robeson and St. Pauls high schools and Fairmont Middle School for use by people fleeing Florence’s wrath.

A shelter for people with medical needs was opened in Robeson Community College’s Allied Health Building, Jones said. That shelter was set up in collaboration with Patrick Cummings, director of county Emergency Medical Services.

“They were able to get this up very fast,” Jones said. “It went very well.”

The shelter provided a safe haven for bedridden people and other storm refugees who needed continuous medical care, Jones said. It had a medical doctor on staff and was organized and operated with the help of Eva Meekins, chairperson of RCC’s Nursing Department; and Toby Carter, RCC medical services instructor.

“If you walked in there it looked just like a hospital,” Jones said.

As many as 1,260 people occupied the shelters during the worst of the storm and the resulting flooding, she said. The numbers fluctuated from day to day because some people would leave and then come back. Lumberton and Purnell Swett high schools were the most heavily used shelters.

Lumberton resident Samuel McCoy was one of those people. It was the second time he and his relatives have been displaced by storm-generated flooding. He noticed a drastic difference in the morale of the people from when he first arrived at the Lumberton High shelter on Thursday.

“People were arguing and carrying on. It was pretty bad but now, we’re getting it together,” McCoy said.

Pamela Bennett is a shelter supervisor who came to Lumberton High this past week from the American Red Cross in Annapolis, Md. This is her second major relief effort. The first was Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The frustrations such as McCoy described are to be expected in these situations, she said. But the updated conditions at Lumberton High are easing tensions.

“It takes time. There’s a flow and a pattern to how shelters operate,” Bennett said.

On Thursday afternoon IEEE, a technology company that specializes in community outreach, helped with the operational flow by setting up an open WiFi network inside the school. As of Friday, the communication truck was parked outside, making sure the system was operating properly. A charging station also was installed to allow cell phone users to charge their devices.

“It changed everybody’s attitude because now, [they] can communicate to the outside world,” Bennett said.

In addition to getting back on the technological grid, evacuees are benefiting from federal services. According to Bennett, FEMA, social services, the local post office and organizations such as Save the Children are among those making the conditions a bit more homely. Three hot meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, are served each day, and there is a snack table with various nutritional items such as fresh produce.

A makeshift playground for use by children at the shelter was created in a secure location near the back of the school, and different educational activities, such as the occasional storytelling time, were being implemented.

The services offered were making a stay at the shelter as tolerable as possible, but rhe fluid nature of Florence’s effect on the county and the rise and fall of the Lumber River’s water were making it hard for McCoy to predict when he or anyone else could leave the shelter for good.

“Well, it’s impossible. Just as many leaving, is that many more coming back,” McCoy said. “The process always seems to be starting over every time.”

He’s seen residents leave the shelters to go back to their homes because they received reports of improving conditions, only to return a couple of days later because of rising water, McCoy said.

Bennett said that when the decision is finally made to close the shelter, they’ll relocate to a new location to serve people still in need of assistance.

Go to redcross.org for information about volunteering or contributing.

David Bradley | The Robesonian
People seeking refuge from Hurricane Florence in the emergency shelter established at Lumberton High School stand Sept. 15 outside the school’s main entryway and watch the rain fall.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_Florence-David_ne2018924185336135.jpgDavid Bradley | The Robesonian
People seeking refuge from Hurricane Florence in the emergency shelter established at Lumberton High School stand Sept. 15 outside the school’s main entryway and watch the rain fall.

Donnell Coley | The Robesonian
Pamela Bennett, shelter supervisor for the American Red Cross, stands Friday outside Lumberton High School where people displaced by Hurricane Florence and the floodwaters it generated still are staying until they can return home.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_Florence-Donnell_ne20189241960350.jpgDonnell Coley | The Robesonian
Pamela Bennett, shelter supervisor for the American Red Cross, stands Friday outside Lumberton High School where people displaced by Hurricane Florence and the floodwaters it generated still are staying until they can return home.

Donnell Coley | The Robesonian
Pamela Bennett, shelter supervisor for the American Red Cross, stands Friday outside Lumberton High School where people displaced by Hurricane Florence and the floodwaters it generated still are staying until they can return home.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_Florence-Donnell-BW_ne201892419649964.jpgDonnell Coley | The Robesonian
Pamela Bennett, shelter supervisor for the American Red Cross, stands Friday outside Lumberton High School where people displaced by Hurricane Florence and the floodwaters it generated still are staying until they can return home.

T.C. Hunter

Donnell Coley

Staff writers