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Friends of the Fourth
District:
We are all painfully aware of the tremendous devastation that was
caused by Hurricane Katrina last month. You might not be aware,
though, of the role that Los Angeles County has played and will
continue to play in the relief efforts following this terrible
disaster.
Following the Hurricane, several different teams from the County
were sent to Louisiana to assist the ground crews there in a variety
of functions. Both our Swiftwater Rescue Team and our Urban Search
and Rescue Team were very active in the New Orleans area searching
for stranded individuals. There was also a team sent to help
re-establish local government functions, such as City Finance and
Public Works. The majority of these teams have since returned.
Here at home, the County has been vigorously working to provide
services and shelter to those individuals and families who have been
displaced by the Hurricane. There are currently eight different
sites available for long term sheltering. The Dream Center has
already taken in over 100 evacuees, and the County has committed to
taking in up to 2,000 evacuees if necessary. FEMA has since declared
that the formal evacuation of evacuees to Los Angeles County is on
hold for now, but the County will remain ready.
The County’s 2-1-1 system has been an essential component of
providing information and services to both the local public and
evacuees. There have been almost 1,000 Katrina related calls to
2-1-1 since the Hurricane hit. People have called for a variety of
reasons including: donations, volunteers, housing, and jobs. Most of
the evacuee calls have been for long-term housing, money to return
home, and money to bring their families here.
The County Departments of Health Services, Mental Health, and Public
Social Services have been doing on-site assessments for Katrina
evacuees. The Department of Public Social Services has registered
almost 1,000 Katrina survivors, so far, and the Red Cross has
reported almost 1,500 cases here in the County.
The first step that victims of Hurricane Katrina should make is to
register with FEMA. To register with FEMA call (800) 621-FEMA or
apply online at
www.fema.gov. For the most current information on the County’s
relief efforts, call 2-1-1 or visit the website at www.211la.org.
Finally, if I can be of any assistance to you, please feel free to
contact my office at (213) 974-4444 or visit my website at
www.knabe.com.
DON KNABE
Supervisor, Fourth District
County of Los Angeles
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