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Article published Sep 8, 2005
A plane carrying evacuees from the Gulf Coast landed at GSP International Airport Wednesday night, and 108 people filed out.
"I never been on a plane or nothing. Only place I've ever been is New Orleans," said hurricane survivor Betty Doyle.
Many carried nothing but a few belongings. "This is it. This is all I have," said Freddie Wilson of the small bag in his hand.
But these folks have plenty of stories. "We stayed on a bridge for three days before we got a ride to get where we were going," Doyle said.
Rescuers brought Ronald Bell and his dog Shorty to safety just hours earlier. Now he's in a city he'd never heard of before.
"They said, 'You're going to Greenville.' They didn't tell us where we were going until we got on the airplane. We didn't know," Bell said.
There's a lot these folks still don't know.
"I just hate my family didn't get to come with me but, praise God, I hope to see them soon," Doyle said.
For many, Greenville is just a temporary stop before returning home again. "I just want to try to get myself together so I can help rebuild New Orleans," Bell said.
Greenville city manager Jim Bourey said another plane of hurricane survivors is expected at 6:30 p.m. today.