pirate44
09-03-2005, 09:07 AM
CC set to help 3,000 victims
By Nick Nelson Caller-Times
September 3, 2005
Facing an influx of as many as 200,000 evacuees into Texas from Louisiana, the Texas Governor's Office called Friday on Corpus Christi to provide food, shelter, schooling and medical care for at least 3,000 victims.
City Manager Skip Noe said victims of Hurricane Katrina are expected to begin arriving Monday, but that busloads of them might arrive sooner than planned.
"We are operating under the assumption that it will be sooner," he said.
The Governor's Office called local leaders at about 10:30 a.m. Friday and asked them to participate in the work of housing and caring for the hundreds of thousands left homeless after the hurricane and subsequent flooding destroyed much of New Orleans.
City leaders committed to house at least 3,000 people and expect to be able to provide for thousands more as busloads of the hurricane victims trickle into the city.
The city's initial shelter will be the Memorial Coliseum, which city officials estimate will hold about 500 people. The city is considering using the Ben Garza Gym, the Corpus Christi Gym and the gym at Coles Elementary School for additional shelters.
City crews and employees of the Corpus Christi Rayz hockey franchise spent Friday night clearing refrigeration equipment and dasher boards set in place for the team's practice.
City officials were expecting a shipment to the coliseum Friday night of cots, hygiene kits, blankets, pillows and water bottles provided by the state.
Noe said the city has the governor's assurance it will be compensated for any expenses relating to the housing, health care and education of the evacuees. The city has joined with Christus Spohn Health System to provide initial medical treatment to those who come.
State officials said evacuees will fill shelters first in San Antonio and Austin, then Corpus Christi. Noe added that all three cities could fill simultaneously.
The city will also take measures to ensure the order and safety of the groups that arrive. Buses will get a police escort from city limits to the appropriate shelter. Police will also be present as victims check in.
Noe said everyone who seeks shelter at the coliseum and other shelters must sign an agreement to abide by rules the city will establish. Those rules include a "closing time" of the shelter and they prohibit the use of alcohol or the possession of firearms in the buildings.
At his Mass at the Cathedral for the 40th birthday of Catholic Charities, Bishop Edmund Carmody said the arrival of the hurricane victims gives the community a chance to contribute to relief efforts.
"This will be a great opportunity to show our compassion and to show our kindness," he said. "All of us will have to reach out to help them, to help them get back to normal living."
In addition to the evacuees expected in the city, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station is expecting at least 100 military families to arrive in the next few days.
Bob Torres, public affairs officer for NAS, said the base had already made arrangements to lodge families on or near the base and enroll children with Flour Bluff Independent School District.
By Nick Nelson Caller-Times
September 3, 2005
Facing an influx of as many as 200,000 evacuees into Texas from Louisiana, the Texas Governor's Office called Friday on Corpus Christi to provide food, shelter, schooling and medical care for at least 3,000 victims.
City Manager Skip Noe said victims of Hurricane Katrina are expected to begin arriving Monday, but that busloads of them might arrive sooner than planned.
"We are operating under the assumption that it will be sooner," he said.
The Governor's Office called local leaders at about 10:30 a.m. Friday and asked them to participate in the work of housing and caring for the hundreds of thousands left homeless after the hurricane and subsequent flooding destroyed much of New Orleans.
City leaders committed to house at least 3,000 people and expect to be able to provide for thousands more as busloads of the hurricane victims trickle into the city.
The city's initial shelter will be the Memorial Coliseum, which city officials estimate will hold about 500 people. The city is considering using the Ben Garza Gym, the Corpus Christi Gym and the gym at Coles Elementary School for additional shelters.
City crews and employees of the Corpus Christi Rayz hockey franchise spent Friday night clearing refrigeration equipment and dasher boards set in place for the team's practice.
City officials were expecting a shipment to the coliseum Friday night of cots, hygiene kits, blankets, pillows and water bottles provided by the state.
Noe said the city has the governor's assurance it will be compensated for any expenses relating to the housing, health care and education of the evacuees. The city has joined with Christus Spohn Health System to provide initial medical treatment to those who come.
State officials said evacuees will fill shelters first in San Antonio and Austin, then Corpus Christi. Noe added that all three cities could fill simultaneously.
The city will also take measures to ensure the order and safety of the groups that arrive. Buses will get a police escort from city limits to the appropriate shelter. Police will also be present as victims check in.
Noe said everyone who seeks shelter at the coliseum and other shelters must sign an agreement to abide by rules the city will establish. Those rules include a "closing time" of the shelter and they prohibit the use of alcohol or the possession of firearms in the buildings.
At his Mass at the Cathedral for the 40th birthday of Catholic Charities, Bishop Edmund Carmody said the arrival of the hurricane victims gives the community a chance to contribute to relief efforts.
"This will be a great opportunity to show our compassion and to show our kindness," he said. "All of us will have to reach out to help them, to help them get back to normal living."
In addition to the evacuees expected in the city, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station is expecting at least 100 military families to arrive in the next few days.
Bob Torres, public affairs officer for NAS, said the base had already made arrangements to lodge families on or near the base and enroll children with Flour Bluff Independent School District.