Waco Relief Effort update as of Sept 8th

Municipal  Information Services
Post Office Box 2570
Waco, Texas  76702-2570
254 / 750-5636
Fax:  254 / 750-5634
www.waco-texas.com


September 7, 2005

Contact:  Larry Holze
         Public Information Officer
         Larryh@ci.waco.tx.us

Status Update as of September 7th at 2:30pm from
Waco-McLennan County Emergency Management

     As of today, the number of evacuees in shelters has decreased as they are placed in individual housing.  
     
     At this time, there are two active shelters in Waco:  Columbus Avenue Baptist Church serving 12 people, and Central United Methodist Church serving 9 people.  First United Methodist Church of Waco has placed six families previously sheltered at 7th and James Baptist in individual apartments and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has agreed to sponsor at least one family at the Parkside Apartments.

If any other churches or individuals not listed above have people that they are sheltering or caring for from hurricane Katrina,  please contact  Emergency Management at 750-5911 so we can properly register and provide for their needs.

We HAVE NOT received any notice from the state of Texas office of Emergency Management that they are sending any evacuees to our area. We stand ready to receive and process up to 500 and possibly more if the need arises.

In addition, the City of Waco has received word that 10 families have moved into the Parkside Village Apartments in the Brook Oaks neighborhood.  Some of these families were previously housed at the Seventh & James Baptist Church.  Several city employees helped prepare the apartments for occupation by assisting with painting and cleaning and unloading donated furniture.

According to WISD, 21 children have been enrolled in Waco schools.
Midway reports 11 children in their system.

Health staff from the Waco McLennan County Public Health District are providing daily assessments on known shelters in McLennan County.  A team comprised of a nurse, an epidemiologist and a sanitarian are assessing the shelters for general sanitation, safe food service and addressing special health care needs.  Efforts will continue to be made to transition families from shelters to apartments and provide for their needs.

Solid Waste Services has placed two containers at Columbus Ave Baptist Church.

Waco Transit is offering free monthly bus passes for evacuees as a way of providing transportation service.

Persons who have come to Waco and McLennan County as a result of Hurricane Katrina are eligible for library services including receiving a library card. Hurricane evacuees will be issued a "Temporary" library card.  Temporary cards have a five-item checkout limit and expire after 90 days. At that time the temporary status can be renewed or if by that time the evacuee has a Texas driver’s license or ID, a permanent card can be issued.  For children under the age of 16, a parent or guardian will need to sign the library card application.  For more information, please call the Circulation Division at 254-750-5943. Hurricane evacuees are also welcome to use the library's public access computers at any of the four library locations.  Library staff will be happy to assist persons in locating resources to contact relatives, insurance companies, apply for disaster assistance or other needs.
The City Manager’s Office will be putting together a package of free tickets to Waco area attractions including the Cameron Park Zoo and Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum for evacuees.  These will be available upon request through the City’s Municipal Information office. 750-5636.
Donations: There are no requests for SPECIFIC items to be given locally however money is being accepted at the Waco Water Office at 425 Franklin Ave., and area Extraco Banks. These funds will be given to American Red Cross to be dispersed as they see fit.  Persons wanting to donate items are asked to contact Caritas, Salvation Army and other local agencies to see what specific items they are in need of.   In addition, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum will be collecting donations for the Salvation Army on Saturday, September 10.  Anyone making a donation will be admitted to the museum for free that day.

Items collected this past Sunday and Labor Day are warehoused temporarily at the VA Hospital and are being distributed by the Salvation Army to local evacuees.

Numerous web site links to important information to assist evacuees are located on the City’s web site at www.waco-texas.com. Information contained in these daily updates is available on the web site, by phone on the City’s Public Information Hotline 750-5606 and on the Waco City Cable Channel ten’s Message Board.

Anyone who comes into our community that needs sheltering, please call 750-5911.  
This update will be issued each day around 2:30pm.

###

Housing
All those going to shelter need to be routed through Frank Patterson, Emergency Management Services, 750-5911

Need to register with Red Cross
Four (or five?) local Waco churches are offering shelter and assistance:

Central United Methodist Church – temporary shelter
     Columbus Avenue Baptist Church
     7th and James Baptist Church
First United Methodist -254/772-5630St. Jerome's Catholic -254/666-7722


Parkside Villages:  Mary Hamilton (manager) 752-2602 or 723-8040
     Methodist Children’s Home (children):  Tim Brown 753-0181
     Housing Authority:  Milet Hopping 752-0324, ext 280
     Furniture/Kitchen Utensils:  LaVita Brown 717-9281 or 755-6169
     
     
Information
The 2-1-1 Texas Information and Referral Network is providing 24/7 evacuation, shelters and general information.  Due to the uncertainty of cell phone access from providers outside of Texas, the 2-1-1 Texas system also implemented a toll-free number.  The official Hurricane Evacuation number is 1-888-312-4567.


Social Security
     
Social Security
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking Katrina evacuees' information and ordering duplicate social security cards that should be available within two weeks. The SSA can get print-outs for immediate working purposes.
Disability Assistance
FEMA Individual Registration Information: Every hurricane survivor with a disability must register to be able to receive the full range of federal assistance. Registrants must make clear that they have a disability or chronic health care need. 1/800-621-FEMA; 1/800-462-9029; 1/800-462-7585 TDD/TYY; http://www.fema.gov/about/process/ 

Food
     Food Stamps
Individuals can go to a local Health and Human Services office for three months of Food Stamps.  All displaced individuals are being treated as applicants for expedited food stamp benefits, regardless of previous receipt of benefits in another state and other eligibility factors.

Health Care
Potter’s Vessel:  Debbie McElveen 757-3633 (Assist with long term provision of medications)
     MHMR:  (severe and persistent mental health problems)
     Larry Becker:   752-3451 counseling and medication
     Carrie Amthor:  757-3933 MR
     Ron Kimbell:  752-7889  Children
     Pamela Marcum:  297-7085 (Children under 3)
     Baylor SSW:  Denis Meyers 710-6464 (debriefing and counseling)
     Baylor School of Edu: Gail Roaten 710-6163 (individual and group counseling)
     Planned Parenthood:  Pam Smallwood 759-5762

Individuals can go to a local Health and Human Services office for three months of Medicaid.  It doesn't matter whether or not they were a Medicaid or CHIP recipient in their home state, all evacuees are eligible.

HHSC is providing instructions to Texas pharmacies filling prescriptions for Louisiana Medicaid participants. Those pharmacies will need to fax in enrollment forms posted at http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/HCF/vdp/vdpstart.html. Pharmacies needing to verify eligibility can do so by calling 1-800-473-2783. Healthcare providers can verify Medicaid and CHIP enrollment information and procedures to process claims at 1-800-473-2783.

Managing Traumatic Stress
http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=107

Schools and Children’s Needs
     MCYC:  Doug McDurham  753-6002  connect children with social services, workers in schools.
     Special needs children’s programs  Eric Robinson 710-4796

Education

• Virtually all local schools will immediately register any displaced students.


• Displaced students qualify for free-reduced lunch.

Normal immunization requirements for attending school or child-care facilities in Texas are being temporarily waived for displaced children.  Students will be given a 30-day provisional enrollment

Transportation:

ID and other Documents

JOBS
     MPowerment—Carlton Willis  296-0921
     Heart of Texas Workforce Center 754-5421

Employment
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) claims
Louisiana workers who have lost their jobs due to Hurricane Katrina may apply for DUA by calling 1-800-818-7811.  This toll-free number is exclusively for use by displaced Louisiana workers. The best time to call for faster service is from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. Claims takers will take calls from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time on weekdays.

The Heart of Texas Workforce Center on New Road is working with displaced individuals to get them into jobs.


Suicide Prevention Resources
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has compiled a list of resources for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The resources span from general disaster relief resources to meeting the mental health needs of the Hurricane survivors, along with resources for schools. The list of resources is on the SPRC website at http://www.sprc.org/library/hurricane_katrina_resources.pdf.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center  Phone: 617.618.2467