The Pine Belt Chapter of the American Red Cross is operating an emergency evacuation center at the Magnolia Center, on Ellisville Boulevard at the Jones County Fairgrounds.

Preparations went into full swing Saturday at 7 p.m., after several days of initial planning.

The center opened at 6 p.m. Saturday, but about 30 staff members were brought in two hours prior so they could familiarize themselves with the emergency shelter layout of the building. Twenty-five people were at the Red Cross office handling paperwork.

A large influx of evacuees from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and southeastern Louisiana parishes was expected in Jones County as people fled the approaching Hurricane Gustav.

“We’ve been getting all our supplies in,” Matt Everette, the local Red Cross director of emergency services, said at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. “The shelter is also pet friendly, with a place behind the building.”

As a steady stream of traffic traveled north on I-59, a trickle of evacuees began showing up at the Magnolia Center, including Al Williams and Gwendolyn Rose, who left New Orleans around noon Saturday. This was the second time she’s had to evacuate, his first — he rode Katrina out three years ago.

“I decided to stay, and I slept through it,” Williams said. “I got a little water in the garage and some roof and window damage. I stayed home, and got food and water from the Red Cross center every other day, you know, MRE’s and ice. It was livable.” He lives in Marerro, and she lives in Algiers.

“I left before Katrina hit,” Rose said. “I stayed in Alexandria (La.) with my sister for about six weeks. It’s frustrating to have to do it again. I still have stress from Katrina, and this brings it back.”

They both said there was not much to the decision to leave this time. “I don’t know where it’s going, so I left,” Williams said. He smiled and added, “I had some female influence this time. If I was by myself, I probably would have stayed.”

“We may have left a little too early,” Rose added, “but we didn’t want to get stuck on the road. We’re anxious because we don’t know what we’ll find when we get back.”