.
Long Beach
Mayor Beverly O'Neill worked with the Red Cross to lead a four-hour drive-by fund-raiser resulting in donations of more than $103,000. Additional fund-raisers in the city have to-date raised over $500,000, and at least two additional fund-raisers are planned for the month of September. A broad-based coalition of Senior City Management, officials from the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, as well as officials from the school district, the business and real estate community, and members of non-profit organizations have met daily to develop a comprehensive plan that will provide for 100 families in both the short and the long term.
Dearborn (MI)
Mayor Michael Guido sent six Dearborn police officers to assist Louisiana State Troopers in the hardest hit areas of that state. These officers will be searching building to building for survivors for the 14-day assignment. Guido has also sent a public relations assistant to report to the FEMA office in Montgomery (AL) for two weeks to aid with communications efforts, while remaining on the City's payroll. Dearborn expects to be hosting several families of hurricane survivors in the coming weeks. In anticipation of that, the City is hosting a communitywide fundraising event at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Louisville-Metro (KY)
Mayor Jerry Abramson has been taking in current patients from around the Gulf Coast area hospitals so that they can accommodate the emergency medical patients. He also sent a Swift Water Rescue team, comprised of members of several suburban fire departments that have performed more than 100 rescues throughout the New Orleans area. It is estimated that there are more than 1,300 displaced residents in Louisville with roughly 300 more scheduled to be airlifted in from the hardest hit areas of the Gulf. Preparations are being made to provide shelter and help for up to 2,000 evacuees for an indefinite period of time in the Louisville metro area. The city has already identified more than 200 apartments and hotel rooms, and 700 units at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center for both short-term and long-term stays.
Orlando (FL)
Mayor Buddy Dyer sent 19 firefighters with the Fire Urban Search and Rescue Team to Pascagoula, Mississippi. In addition, the Orlando's Office of Emergency Management is assisting the state Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) with the planning and coordination for deployment to affected areas.
San Antonio (TX)
Mayor Phil Hardberger has been working with CEOs of large corporations in the area to organize a multi-truck convoy of 18-wheelers set to depart for the New Orleans area with much needed items. Collection points were set up around the city so that residents could donate money and clothing. The University Hospital is preparing to clear an entire floor for patients that are expected to be transferred from the affected areas. The City is working with the Red Cross and Salvation Army to open as many shelters as needed. Additionally, the city sent 36 workers and 26 trucks earlier this week to assist in bringing back electrical power. The City of San Antonio has also hosted a TV telethon to help encourage cash donations. San Antonio is currently preparing a vacant warehousing facility, with over 300,000 square feet, to serve as a temporary shelter.
District of Columbia
Mayor Anthony A. Williams supported a drive to help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to collect money and badly needed supplies to be delivered to those in need along the Gulf Coast. The District has also offered to house as many as four hundred evacuees in the D.C. Amory that has been set up as a temporary shelter. Nearly three hundred evacuees were airlifted into the District.
Austin (TX)
Mayor Will Wynn sent 65 first responders to Louisiana, and is trying to send more. Austin Energy has sent staff to help restore power to impacted areas. The City along with non-profit groups is also providing a number of shelters and assistance for those displaced by the storm that have arrived in Austin.
Detroit (MI)
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has reached out to the federal and state government with the help of the hotel industry to offer assistance from the city of Detroit as a site for relief. Representatives from the hotel and tourism industry estimate that between 2,000 and 3,000 beds can be made available to provide them with everything from food and medical care to education. He has also secured sponsorship for bus transportation to bring hurricane victims to Detroit. The mayor has said he would like to open up the city as a site where the Federal Emergency Management Agency can bring people who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
Atlanta (GA)
Mayor Shirley Franklin is working with the local faith community to support the American Red Cross in providing shelter and services to those who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina in cities including New Orleans, Biloxi (MS), Mobile (AL), and Gulfport (MS). Additionally, the Atlanta Fire Department has sent two firefighters to Louisiana and has placed a fire engine and ladder truck on standby. An Atlanta Police Department helicopter has also been dispatched to Jackson County. The Atlanta Workforce Development Agency is collecting food, clothing, and other necessities for those who are living in the area. It is estimated that between public and private shelters that there is between 50-100,000 evacuees residing in the Atlanta metro area.
Kansas City (MO)
Mayor Kay Barnes has called on the Kansas City's housing partners to develop a plan for providing transitional housing for victims of the hurricane along the Gulf Coast. The housing partners have been working together to identify available rental housing, both single family homes and apartment units, in the metropolitan area and to create an infrastructure for reaching out to the victims in the Gulf Coast area. The mayor is confident that the city will be able to come up with at least 250 permanent housing units.
Tampa (FL)
Mayor Pam Iorio has deployed 25 Tampa Fire Rescue personnel, four k-9 units as well as 15 pieces of equipment to help with search and rescue efforts. She is also strongly encouraging her city to contribute to the American Red Cross. The City is making ten homes available for relocation to families that have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Due to foreclosures, these houses reverted to the city's ownership.<0x00A0>Four<0x00A0>houses are available for immediate occupancy and the other units will undergo rehabilitation and could be available in<0x00A0>one month.
Baltimore (MD)
Mayor Martin O'Malley has worked with the community and collected supplies that were sent to Baton Rouge. Among the contributed items was 80,000 lbs of food and water. The city also sent a convoy comprised of Baltimore's 112 City personnel, 45 people from our Public Works Department, 38 Fire personnel, and 29 Police officers. They are presently working in Gretna (LA) clearing debris to help facilitate the delivery of needed supplies. Some of them have been dispatched to aid in the search and rescue mission in St. Bernard's Parish.
Burnsville (MN)
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz has been working closely with the local faith community to get badly needed supplies for those affected by the storm. Local citizens have been donating these items and one citizen contributed a 3,000 square foot warehouse to store the items until they will be shipped.
Houston (TX)
Mayor Bill White and the City of Houston have accepted many of the evacuees who have fled the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Local citizens are providing food, water and shelter and are giving these people some relief in desperate times. It is estimated there are now over 250,000 evacuees in the Houston area. White has supported the creation of the Houston Katrina Relief Fund to raise money to defray costs of social services. City leaders have set up mobile hospitals that are staffed by local medical crews with the goal to treat all.
Hampton (VA)
Mayor Ross Kearney, II helped set up a Katrina Relief Committee with the approval of the City Council. The committees are working with many local organizations to raise awareness that gulf state evacuees will be coming to live with families in Hampton. The number is undetermined at this time. City schools are prepared to take all the children into the public school systems immediately. Many events have been scheduled around the community to help raise money. Two such evens are a Beach Boys concerts and a "Day of Remembrance and Hope." The Mayor took donations at the Beach Boys concert and raised almost $5,000.
Winston-Salem (NC)
Mayor Allen Joines has reached out to the citizens and received commitments for over 200 units from apartment and rental home owners to help displaced evacuees. They have agreed to provide these units for up to six months and in some cases longer. A housing hotline has been established for any owners who want to participate. The city has also created "Project Welcome" which coordinates the provision of needed services to displaced individuals over a long term period.
Seattle (WA)
Mayor Greg Nickels has encouraged the people of his city to donate to charity organizations already in place. He is working with the community to set up a local fundraiser to give the citizens of Seattle a greater opportunity to help. On top of the fundraising, eleven Seattle firefighters, one police officer and one rescue dog have already left for Mississippi.
San Francisco (CA)
Mayor Gavin Newsom has agreed to accept 300 storm survivors, one third of all evacuees being relocated to California.
Riverside (CA)
Mayor Ron Loveridge has deployed approximately 40 Fire Department staff to New Orleans to support rescue and recovery efforts in the areas hardest hit by this massive storm. Riverside is also working with the Fire Department in coordinating a "boot" fundraiser where they will spread out throughout the entire city during the day to give the opportunity for community members passing by to contribute directly into the "boots" of the firefighters. Loveridge has engaged volunteers to approach business and community members to match the donation from the Fire Department.
Salt Lake City (UT)
Mayor Rocky Anderson has been working to encourage cash donations to the local organizations that are working in the relief effort. Twenty-eight firefighters from the area have been deployed to Camp Shelby in Mississippi to help in the search and rescue efforts. Currently about 300 evacuees are being housed in nearby Camp Williams.
Chicago (IL)
Mayor Richard Daley has offered several education options at Chicago's City Colleges for the students displaced by the hurricane. They will be able to audit courses equivalent to those affected in their fall 2005 course schedule at no expense to them. He has also worked hard to support local and national charities that are in need of support. He is currently working with the FEMA and offering to help them meet their needs by offering to send workers, emergency vehicles, sanitation trucks or other resources that may be needed.
Anchorage (AK)
Mayor Mark Begich is urging Alaskans looking to support the relief effort to donate money to a special account set up by the American Red Cross in Alaska. Citizens can use any Wells Fargo Bank branch to donate to the "American Red Cross of Alaska Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund." He has also offered many police and firemen, as well as water repair technicians and communication specialists.
Phoenix, Glendale (AZ)
Mayor Elaine Scruggs of Glendale and Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix have joined together to show their shared support for people devastated by Hurricane Katrina. They have worked hard to inform Arizonans that the best way to help is by donating money. Both mayors have been answering phones at the American Red Cross telethons being held in the area.
Reno (NV)
Mayor Robert Cashell called a press conference to encourage monetary donations for the victims of the hurricane. Local businesses are being challenged to help in the relief efforts. A large company offered its trucks and warehouses for the collection and delivery of goods.
Grand Forks (ND)
Mayor Michael Brown has urged people to contribute financially to organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army. He is also working through North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad's office to distribute a contact list of their local officials who have experience in flooding and recovery issues to officials in the stricken regions. Other North Dakota mayors have also called for a community-wide fund-raising event to take place in the coming weeks, setting aside the city's event center.
Plano (TX)
Mayor Pat Evans has proposed that the city consider organizing a long term Hurricane relief drive to get 5,000 Plano residents to commit $10 a month for a period of 1 - 2 years to provide housing and incidental funds for displaced families.
Burlington (VT)
Mayor Peter Cavelle is encouraging cash donations to the Red Cross and other organizations, as well as coordinating direct assistance through his State's Emergency Management Office. He is also working with the idea of establishing a sister-city type relationship with an affected community in the Gulf Coast region. This relationship would provide fund-raising and direct assistance to one community in a concerted way.
Laredo (TX)
Mayor Betty Flores has been working with the local fire department to set up the Firefighters Boot Brigade to collect money to help fund various organizations such as the Red Cross. Flores has been working to mobilize some firefighter volunteers to go and help out in the areas affected by the storm. Also, American Electric Power has sent several teams from the area to help restore power along the coast.
Elkhart (IN)
Mayor Dave Miller launched "Operation Heartbeat" to provide relief and assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. A two pronged response for the citizens of Elkhart to answer this desperate need. The first initiative involves city-wide participation in donating needed supplies. The second involves identifying available housing stock for dislocated families coming to Elkhart.
Providence (RI)
Mayor David Cicilline has instructed the fire chief to release officers, equipment and resources to assist in the clean up of Hurricane Katrina. In response to DHS calling for 2,000 firefighters, he sent 6 to report in Atlanta. Cicilline also asked Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to provide necessary support to the resettlement of 500 in Middletown, Rhode Island. Two additional fire personnel have been realized to assist in photo identification of evacuees.
Alexandria (VA)
Mayor William Euille is working to prepare a list of volunteers to be sent when called upon. A race to raise funds for the victims of the hurricane has been scheduled in collaboration with local residents.
Boston (MA)
Mayor Thomas Menino attended a special citywide, interfaith prayer service for victims of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, as part of Boston Lends a Hand, the Mayor Menino's initiative to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, Menino has established a clothing drive and placed receptacles for new clothes and toiletries outside a local church.
New York City (NY)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been working with the New York City Police Department in an effort to provide relief. New York sent 303 police officers to help in the search and rescue efforts in New Orleans as well as in Hancock (MS). This is the largest deployment of officers outside the city in the department's history. The officers have also been helping by providing transportation to the National Guard troops moving into New Orleans. There are 2,000 more police officers that have volunteered to go and help where ever they are needed.
Gary (IN)
Mayor Scott L. King has worked with the community to come up with accommodations for nearly 1,000 people, with the goal of providing housing, aid and some sense of permanence for evacuees. Local school officials have been working to get children registered and into the classroom. King has also organized a coalition of local officials and members of the faith community to raise funds for both aiding in the housing efforts locally and to help rebuild some of the hardest hit communities of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Fort Wayne (IN)
Mayor Graham Richard has been asked by FEMA to provide firefighters to help victims of the hurricane for a minimum of thirty days. Richard has also organized committees to look into examine areas such as employment opportunities, housing, legal documentation and communications to be prepared if Fort Wayne is called upon to house evacuees. The mayor is asking residents to make financial donations that are being collected at local fire stations.
Denver (CO)
Mayor John Hickenlooper convened a meeting with Colorado state officials to identify possible housing stock for evacuees. They found accommodations for as many as 1,000 located at the former Lowry Air Force base. Hickenlooper is also researching a local data base to find residential units in the private market. Currently there are approximately 400 evacuees residing in the Denver metro area.
San Juan (PR)
Mayor Jorge Santini launched an effort to help Puerto Rican students attending universities in the Gulf Coast states reach their families. Santini's initiative includes taking a census of college students, helping them reach their families in Puerto Rico, and sending necessary equipment and supplies to help devastated communities on the U.S. mainland. A relief center for returning evacuees has been set up in San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
New Haven (CT)
Mayor John DeStefano has offered to house as many as 400 evacuees in the city. He has worked with a network of housing officials, employers, social and service workers, and lawyers to help the new residents settle into the community. The plan allows for 25 households to be brought to New Haven every two weeks.
Dallas (TX)
Mayor Laura Miller has established an emergency shelter at the Convention Center and Reunion Arena for 1,400 people. However, it is estimated that Dallas is hosting approximately 19,000 evacuees. The Convention Center is also host to an emergency services clearinghouse so that evacuees can access all social, medical and community services easily. Dallas also held a job fair that involved 2,100 evacuees and 220 employers.
St. Louis (MO)
Mayor Francis Slay is encouraging city employees to participate in a one-time payroll deduction that will be contributed to the American Red Cross. Slay has also helped coordinate the Big Muddy Blues Festival as a fundraising effort for the community to be contributed the St. Louis chapter of the Red Cross.
Indianapolis (IN)
Mayor Bart Peterson organized a group of local charitable groups to find housing stock for displaced hurricane survivors live in. As of the latest totals they have found 600 housing units. The police department has loaned out 10 laptops to local chapter of the Red Cross. The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library is issuing courtesy library cards to all evacuees as well as contacting schools in the area to make them aware of the children recently relocated there.
Greensboro (NC)
Mayor Keith Holliday is prepared to receive up to 500 evacuees that will be housed in the Coliseum. Upon arriving the evacuees will be provided a preliminary medical evaluation, hygiene supplies, and identification cards.
