Knoxville Gets Latest Arrivals
posted September 9, 2005
Hundreds of additional evacuees were flown into Tennessee Friday for shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Almost 300 evacuees arrived in Knoxville and another plane was expected Friday night.
“We have the additional shelter capacity across the state, but it appears that we will not see that many more folks coming to Tennessee,” Gov. Phil Bredesen said. “The emergency declaration we received from the president gives us confidence that we will be reimbursed for a large part of our expenses related to sheltering and helping evacuees. But I want to emphasize that our first priority is to make these folks secure and comfortable until they can put their lives back together.”
The evacuees who traveled to Tennessee today are being sheltered at the Knoxville Coliseum and area churches. They brought with them 52 pets, which were being examined for illness and injury by veterinary volunteers.
Officials anticipated another 100 evacuees arriving in Knoxville Friday night. If they arrive, the new arrivals will be sheltered at facilities in Greeneville.
As of Friday, an estimated 1,979 evacuees were living at National Guard shelters in Knoxville, Tullahoma, Milan and Smyrna. It is estimated that 15,500 people have come to Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In other Katrina-related updates:
- 1,808 evacuee students have been registered for school in grades K-12.
- Counselors with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development are visiting shelters to assess evacuees’ job needs and provide assistance in finding work for people who want to stay in Tennessee. In Smyrna, for example, 30 evacuees have obtained jobs from nearby Swann Foods.
- The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) is compiling information about short- and long-term housing for evacuees.
- The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) has 27 firefighters and specialists with who are helping with recovery efforts in parts of Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
- The Department of Personnel has developed rules allowing state employees who are certified disaster relief volunteers for the Red Cross to take leave with pay for up to 45 work days to participate in disaster relief services related to Hurricane Katrina. The Red Cross is also planning for a day-long class to certify state employees who would like to volunteer for Katrina relief duty.
The Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities is providing assessment and assistance to evacuees. Also, the Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar is working with local authorities to provide unused homes on their property for short-term evacuee housing.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established a toll-free Hurricane Katrina hotline to accept public contributions of goods and services to assist victims. The hotline, 1-800-440-6728, has been activated and has begun receiving calls from around the nation and the world.
FEMA also has activated the National Emergency Resource Registry to coordinate donations from businesses willing to assist with major needs such as housing, transportation and supplies. It is able to match donors to specific needs in the affected area. Businesses can access the database at www.fema.gov and click on the “Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina” or www.swern.gov/ to register to provide relief.
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