Arkansas Overflowing With Ivan Refugees
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Arkansans have converted the state into a refuge for anyone evacuated from Hurricane Ivan`s path.
Hotels are brimming with Gulf Coast residents well into central and northern parts of the state, forcing weary travelers to continue their journey northward. Some are arriving at hotels more than 600 miles north of evacuated areas in Louisiana.
The surge of people seeking shelter has also prompted many city and state officials to seek housing alternatives.
Officials in Little Rock transformed the Little Rock Convention
and Visitors Bureau into a makeshift hotel to absorb overflow. The city`s hotels are already near saturation with visitors for Saturday`s Razorbacks game at War Memorial Stadium. Churches throughout the state are also serving as temporary shelters.
