Update:

I worked a shelter in Orange, TX from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday morning. This was an overflow shelter, meaning when people arrived at another shelter that was full the people were directed to use. There was no storm damage at my location.

As an overflow shelter, the workers weren't local but most they were flown in from other locations. Orange, TX is two hours from Houston and I was the only TX resident working there. The othe volunteers were from Oregon, Chicago, Arizona, and Washington D.C.

Clients came in with nothing. Most came from areas where their entire neighborhood was flattened. Most were from the Houma area. We give everyone a toiletries bag (soap, shampoo, kleenix, deodorant, feminine protection, razor, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss), a towel (one towel for entire stay), two blankets, and a cot.

The shelter was just off I-10, the main interstate between Houston and New Orleans. The gas station there was out of fuel by about 10pm Sunday evening.

Insurance companies book up entire hotels in the region to house their customers who lost their houses. Remaining rooms are taken by repair crews. If you needed a hotel room it was probably going to be 200 miles away from the impacted zone. Red Cross volunteers either slept in our vehicles or on cots with the rest of the clients.

Cell phone access was impacted even in Orange, TX which is a little over 100 miles west of where the damage started.

People are people, even more so in an extreme situation.

The Red Cross's goal is no one stays in a shelter more than two days. We'll work with you to find alternative lodging with a friend, family, or even a hotel somewhere. The shelters are absolutely bare bones and most people want to get out ASAP. However, there are some people that for whatever reason don't have the ability to go anywhere else. These end up making the largest percentage of clients over time.

I'll post more as things come to me and answer any questions you'll have.
-Blast