Camp life: 'It's great here'

CAMP WILLIAMS — The hottest ticket in this town is to the barbershop, now open every Monday for five hours.

The shop, the latest addition to a growing number of services for some 600 people evacuated from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast, joins a cafeteria and commissary, medical clinic, employment center/transportation hub for people trying to get back to loved ones in other states.

"This is a little community we're caring for," said Ash Chambers, a Red Cross volunteer from Spokane, Wash. "We're going to make them as comfortable as possible here."

The majority of Camp Williams' residents are from downtown New Orleans, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. As of Monday night, more than 80 evacuees were making plans with the help of the state to meet relatives or friends in other parts of the country, authorities said. Fifteen have paid for their own transportation to other destinations.

Each head of household who leaves Camp Williams will be given $150 and $75 for each dependent. The state, with reimbursements expected from the federal government, will also pay for transportation costs.

Camp coordinators said Monday night if family members outside of Utah are located at other evacuation centers, every effort will be made to reunite and relocate that family in a location of their choice.

For the most part, evacuees appear comfortable, although some are displeased that an 11 p.m. curfew has been imposed. Others wondered if they were allowed to leave the base but were later assured they could do so at will.

Most interviewed by the Deseret Morning News said they were grateful for the hospitality they've received in Utah.

"We've had no problems whatsoever," said 67-year-old Madge Urbina. "It's great here. Yes, it is."

Shuttles run to the grocery store every afternoon at half-hour increments, and the Utah Transit Authority has planned hourly shuttles from Camp Williams to several locations, including local shopping centers, the airport and a TRAX stop to allow access into downtown, spokesman Justin Jones said. The buses will likely run for several hours in the morning and afternoon, plus a few in the evening.

Utah's newest citizens are behaving themselves, said Capt. Bob Anderson of the state Department of Public Safety. Security at Camp Williams, a Utah Air National Guard training base about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, is being handled jointly by the Utah Highway Patrol and Salt Lake County and Utah County sheriff's offices.