Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt declared a public health emergency Monday in Texas to speed up federal assistance for the state where an estimated 250,000 survivors of Hurricane Katrina have sought refuge.
Leavitt announced the declaration after touring San Antonio’s emergency shelters with Gov. Rick Perry and local leaders.
Leavitt ticked off a long list of needs for those displaced when the violent storm struck a week ago including health care, housing assistance, childcare and education.
He thanked Texas for quickly stepping up to help in Katrina's aftermath.
Texas is delivering social services such as emergency food stamps and Medicaid prescriptions to Hurricane Katrina refugees as the evacuees begin rebuilding their lives in the Lone Star State.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Education Agency have been on the front lines dealing with the storm survivors.
Thousands of displaced Gulf Coast residents need food and medical care and to enroll children in schools.
By Monday, 139,000 hurricane refugees were in 137 shelters in Texas, and another 100,000 were estimated to be in hotels and motels, said Perry spokesman Robert Black.
Some evacuees were believed to be in church shelters, but there was no firm count on those.
The refugees might be here for weeks or months, and some said they plan to move permanently to Texas.
Hurricane evacuees may call 2-1-1 for information on services. The Texas Education Agency's information hotline is 1-800-957-5109.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: HURRICANE ASSISTANCE WEB SITES
Click Here For More Information About Waco Shelter Plans And Resources
Click Here For More Information About Killeen Shelter Plans And Resources
Click Here For More Information About Temple Shelter Plans And Resources
Click Here For OneStar Foundation Web Site
Click Here For Information On Disaster Relief Appeals From The Better Business Bureau
Click Here For Reports On National Charities From The Better Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance
Click Here For Charity Tips From FEMA
Click Here For American Red Cross Web Site
Click Here For Salvation Army Web Site
Click Here For Second Harvest Web Site
Click Here For Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund Raising Campaign Web Site
Click Here For Catholic Charities Web Site
Click Here For National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Web Site
Click Here For Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Web Site
Click Here For United Methodist Committee On Relief
Click Here For Episcopal Relief & Development Web Site
Click Here For Information On Southern Baptist Relief Efforts
HURRICANE INFORMATION RESOURCES
Click Here For Texas Health And Human Services Commission Web Site
Click Here For Texas Education Agency Web Site
Click Here For GulfCoastPhotoFreeway.Com Missing Persons Web Site
Click Here For Katrina Shelter Web Site
Click Here For Missing Kids Web Site
Click Here For Hurricane Refugee Contact Web Site
Click Here For WWL-TV Survivors Web Forum
Click Here For National Hurricane Center Web Site
Click Here For National Weather Service Web Site
Click Here For Hydrologic Information Center For Information On River Flooding
Click Here For Federal Emergency Management Agency Web Site
Click Here For Louisiana Homeland Security Web Site
Click Here For City Of New Orleans Web Site
Click Here For Louisiana Governor’s Web Site
Click Here For State Of Mississippi Web Site
Click Here For Mississippi Emergency Management Web Site
Click Here For Alabama Governor’s Web Site
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