Some refugees turned away at the Astrodome gates

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3334074



A despondent Nureka Jacobs of Louisiana and five children were turned away from the Astrodome on Wednesday, told it's open to bused-in refugees only.

<snip>Storm victims who made it to Houston on their own instead of being evacuated by bus from New Orleans were not allowed past the Astrodome's gates.

"We have nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep," fumed Rhonda Calderon of New Orleans, still crammed in a Nissan Maxima with seven other people after a 14-hour drive. "We came to Houston seeking shelter. Our kids are hungry. We have no gas. What do we do?"

The Astrodome was the fifth shelter Calderon and her family had visited.

"Everybody keeps turning us away," she said.

Throughout the day, many erupted in anger or dissolved in tears as they learned the Astrodome would not accept them. Some had no money left and little gasoline in their tanks.