The number of evacuees from Hurricane Gustav caused a space problem for American Red Cross volunteers at two St. Tammany hurricane shelters Sunday.

Creekside Junior High School off Louisiana Highway 41 in Pearl River was an official shelter, but by Sunday noon, with less than 24 hours before Gustav was scheduled to make landfall, there was no room left at the shelter for either St. Tammany or out-of-parish evacuees.

Joe Seely, an America Red Cross volunteer and spokesman for the shelter, said Creekside is rated for a capacity of 425 people. However, that number was officially decreased to 215, and the Red Cross had reached that number by noon. Seely said the reason for the decrease is that the gymnasium at Creekside has not been deemed safe by parish officials. Because of the projected wind speeds and storm surge of Gustav, officials did not think the gym would be a safe place.

Red Cross officials were taking people out of the gym and putting them in school hallways.

“I just don’t understand this. It just doesn’t make me feel safe,” Seely said. “This reduces our capacity and services we can offer.”

He and other volunteers were directing evacuees to the Sixth Ward Junior High farther down La. 41, but as he was talking to the press, Seely was informed that Sixth Ward was full also.

“I guess we’ll send them to a priest or a rabbi,” Seely said.

Several people who were at the shelter didn’t even want it to be their final destination. Marryl Casse from Metairie and her son and daughter-in-law, Tommy and Kim Casse from Marrero, were on their way to stay with family in Birmingham, Ala. However, they got into a car accident on U.S. Highway 11 just outside Pearl River. A car in a hurry had rammed into the rear of the Casse car.

“The terrible part was the guy didn’t stop, he just kept going,” Tommy said as he and Kim made sure all their belongings were intact outside the shelter.

The Louisiana state trooper who investigated the accident told them about the shelter, and the tow truck driver drove them to Creekside.

“There were just wonderful,” Kim Casse said.

There was no room for them at the shelter. The Casse family wanted to rent a car, but all stores and businesses were closed because of the storm.

“Now if my other son can get up here soon, we can keep going to Birmingham,” Marryl said. “He had better show up, or he will not be in my will.”

More fortunate was Slidell resident Gary Ladane. He, his wife, Toni, and their blind dog, Ike, were on their way to Mississippi to flee the storm when their car broke down on Interstate 59. They were the last people to be allowed in the shelter.

“It’s a lot better than staying in my FEMA trailer in Slidell,” Ladane said.

Seely said he was grateful for the help of three volunteers who had flown down from Pittsburgh Saturday to help out with evacuees. He also said the school’s prinicipal, Lisa Virga, was there helping out.

“She is 100 percent committed to helping out. She did the same thing during Katrina,” Selly said.

He said it was Katrina that made the Creekside gym unsafe. He said he was worried about supplies.

“We have enough food for today and Monday, and then, it’s up to God,” Seely said.