A steady stream of clients keeps Tulsa Red Cross shelters at their maximum capacities.

Comfy in a sweat shirt and pajamas, Meredith Rigley’s preteen daughter complained Tuesday afternoon that her iPod battery was running low.

“Well,” Rigley shrugged. “Plug it in.”

Life, in some ways, seemed as easy as that inside the American Red Cross shelters across Tulsa, where more than 600 people had sought warmth and comfort as of midafternoon Tuesday. Hundreds more were expected to check into shelters by nightfall.

In other ways, of course, the shelters created their own kind of complications.

Rows upon rows of strangers set up cots within an arm’s reach of each other, often becoming fast friends but occasionally irritating each other as well.

“The worst part,” Rigley said, “is sharing a bathroom with basically a hundred other people.”

At Asbury United Methodist Church, near 71st Street and Mingo Road, and downtown’s First Baptist Church, a steady stream of people checked out of the shelters as power was restored to their homes or they found other accommodations.

But an equally steady stream of new people checked in all day Tuesday, keeping the shelters at their maximum capacities.

“But we were getting pretty hungry. We had to throw everything away in the refrigerator, so there was nothing to eat.”

The Red Cross will provide hot meals and toiletries, but officials urged people to bring their own cots, blankets and pillows because supplies were running low.

About 100 volunteers are working each 24-hour shift to keep the shelters and other Red Cross services open.

“We’re going to be here as long as people need us to be here,” said Sheila Groves, the shelter manager at First Baptist.

“Right now we’re thinking at least several days and possibly a couple of weeks— but who knows?”

For Groves, staying busy was not a challenge. With meals to serve, beds to arrange and fresh volunteers to coordinate, she couldn’t even remember the last time she sat down.

But for the shelter guests, boredom was already setting in.

“Sit here. Play cards. Maybe watch a little TV,” Meadows described his day. “If this goes on very long, people are going to start going crazy.”

Michael Overall 581-8383
michael.overall@tulsaworld.com

Third shelter now open

The Tulsa Red Cross opened a third shelter Tuesday afternoon after the first two reached maximum capacity.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 8730 E. Skelly Drive will have room for about 250 people, Red Cross officials said.

First Baptist Church at Fourth Street and Detroit Avenue was accommodating 270 people while Asbury United Methodist near 71st Street and Mingo Road was holding about 400.

The Red Cross is preparing to keep all three shelters open for several days, if not weeks, officials said. The shelters will provide meals and toiletries, but the Red Cross is urging people to bring their own cots, blankets and pillows.

The Red Cross also had shelters Tuesday in Claremore, Collinsville, Ketchum, Miami, Owasso, Pryor and Rolling Hills.