Community shelters, particularly those run by the Red Cross, are not bad places. They are generally warm, dry, safe and well organized. They don't impose many rules beyond what is pretty much common courtesy and common sense.

They are not the dreaded 'FEMA reeducation camps' nor are they the Katrina Astrodome. The first being fantasy. The second a shelter in name only.

No, they won't allow weapons, drugs, disruptive behavior. They are usually short of amenities. But in my experience they usually operate largely on the honor system. Keeping the firearms and other disallowed items in the car, most shelter sites have good parking, is more than sufficient in complying with their rules.

Generally going to a shelter is free of pain and complications. They asked for your name and home address for administrative use, they don't make it a requirement, and are pretty much free to come and go as you please. Often they are set up in places like the high school gym. The ones I'm familiar with allowed free access to bathrooms and showers. Cots were laid out in rows. They had coffee, water, and Koolaid to drink and light snacks. The lights stayed on 24/7 but were dimmed after 2100. The gym was never completely dark or entirely silent. People were constantly making noise and moving around.

There were no provisions made to entertain or babysit children or to keep people occupied. Although people who played guitar and organized sing-alongs, and simple games for kids or who had portable TVs or a radio and had people gathered around were not discouraged as long as the activities remained controlled.

There were the occasional self-made Napoleon who tried to impose their version of order but generally they were tuned up by the shelter staff and reminded that no matter how much they want things to regimented they were not in charge of anything but their own family. If they resented this limitation they generally kept it to themselves. The shelter volunteers did a pretty good job of balancing the desires of individuals with the needs of the group.