NATCHEZ &045;&045; Life in Natchez shelters looks a little more under control with each passing day.

Inside the Steckler Multipurpose Center, there’s a new arrangement of sleeping areas that makes the room look bigger. Up front, teams of Red Cross personnel &045;&045; mostly national workers &045;&045; man two long tables, one for healthcare and one for information. Another table holds small containers of personal care items and other supplies.

A mobile healthcare unit from Alcorn State University is set up outside, and nurses still work inside.

Children no longer run rampant with pent up energy &045;&045; they go to school every day. And come 3:30 p.m. parents start waiting outside to welcome the little ones back home.

The story is the same at every other local shelter, and the rumors of destruction and violence just aren’t true, shelter managers said.

&uot;We’ve had people call and say they’ve heard they are tearing up the church, that we’ve had fights and attacks and drug use,&uot; Parkway Baptist Church shelter manager Jason Cole said. &uot;That hasn’t happened at all.&uot;

Instead, the residents are treating the place much like they’d treat their own home, Cole said.

&uot;They are helping to fix up and cleanup,&uot; he said. &uot;The folks have been very cooperative and very helpful. There’s not a safety issue here.&uot;

Staring Friday, armed military personnel are stationed at each shelter at all times, but it’s just precautionary, Steckler shelter manager Don Theriaque said.

&uot;(The residents) aren’t out of control and there have been no incidents worth mentioning,&uot; Theriaque said. &uot;Their needs are being taken care of and the town is really helping us out.&uot;

Theriaque is a national Red Cross worker who arrived this week to help out in Natchez shelters. He is from Connecticut.

Matthew Minor, associate pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, said everything is running just as smoothly at his shelter.

&uot;Most of the residents are helping,&uot; he said. &uot;We are addressing tensions before they cause a problem. This is home and they say it’s the best life.&uot;

Numbers at all local shelters have been reduced some, since all are considered long-term shelters. Some people have returned home, others to different towns. Some evacuees moved from shelter to shelter to reduce numbers.

Steckler is still the largest, around 250. Parkway has nearly 200 residents.