PA woman opens her house up.

[Dane]

Not sure if this goes here or not. This woman only lives about 15mins away from me actually so I was a bit suprized.

35 Gulf Coast Evacuees Crowd Local Home

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Some Gulf Coast evacuees are already in the Susquehanna Valley.

A Lancaster County woman has opened her home to her entire family.

When Patricia Edwards found out her family lost their homes, she invited them to stay. Thirty-five relative arrived on her doorstep.

With a four-bedroom house, Edwards said she's finding that she needs help.

Edwards' family lived in St. Bernard Parish, La., but were able to evacuate to Texas. They then drove to Edwards' Manheim Township house.

Some of her relatives are staying in her screened-in patio on porch cushions, others are sleeping in the living room.

One mom and her toddler found a spot on the floor in an upstairs bedroom. Walk to another room, and you'll find even more people.

"They're running out of clothes. The babies don't have diapers. I've had to cut sheets and pillowcases to diaper the babies up," Edwards said.

Edwards has even given up her master bedroom to her elderly mother and aunt, both of whom are diabetics without their medication.

"I sleep wherever I can sleep," Edwards said.

It's taking a toll. On top of it all, one of their bathrooms is out of service, leaving them all sharing one and a half baths.

"I am very, very tired," Edwards said. "I don't know how long I can stand it to do what I need to do. Right now, I'm just focusing on my family."

It's emotionally exhausting for relatives too, knowing they have nothing to go back to.

"Everything is gone. (We) ain't got no clothes or nothing," evacuee Victoria Major said.

Even though the house is packed, there are some family members missing. There are relatives they just haven't heard from. In fact, Edwards said she's unsure whether her brother survived.

But the family that is in the Susquehanna Valley is sticking together, even though it's cramped and uncomfortable.

"We're all hard working men, used to having our own homes with our own families, but in a crisis like this we knew it was time to pull together," evacuee Matthew Washington said.

Now they're all starting from scratch, unsure of their futures, unsure of how long they'll need to stay here.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. All I'm going to try to do is keep doing what I'm doing," Edwards said.

Edwards is in need of supplies, clothing, food and diapers.

She's also asked the Red Cross to help find temporary housing for her family, and she is expecting seven more relatives, maybe even more.

http://www.thewgalchannel.com/news/4937591/detail.html