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Article Posted: 09/05/2005 10:21:11 AM
Nebraska Prepares for Possibility of Relocating Southern Evacuees
(Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska, its communities and its private disaster relief partners are preparing this weekend for the possibility that the state light soon be called upon to assist federal officials with the second phase of Hurricane Katrina relocation efforts. Those relocation efforts will be targeted at easing the strains on storm-neighboring states by having others receive evacuees from crowded and overburdened shelters.
Federal emergency officials informed Gov. Dave Heineman and Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy this afternoon that Nebraska is unlikely to receive storm evacuees today or Monday, because response to the situation throughout the storm-affected region is shifting to relocation efforts. Nebraska’s leaders were informed, however, that the state could be called upon at any time over the next several weeks to accept evacuees living now in neighboring states, and federal officials reiterated that Omaha is a likely entry point for storm evacuees.
Lt. Gov. Sheehy, who serves as Nebraska’s Director of Homeland Security, said, “We were told today by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the situation in the storm-affected region is slowly improving, and it is unlikely they will send evacuees to Nebraska this weekend. We were also informed that our readiness to render aid may be called upon in the coming days, as federal officials try to relieve some of the stress on southern states that have received evacuees by the thousands.”
Gov. Heineman has tasked the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Lieutenant Governor in coordinating the state’s response to Hurricane Katrina with local entities. Federal officials already have called upon disaster relief organizations in Nebraska communities to prepare for the possibility of housing and caring for evacuees.
The Governor applauded the collective efforts of state, local and private relief agencies: “I am very proud of the response of people and organizations across Nebraska for their willingness to act and act responsibly. Mayors, county boards, school officials, relief agencies and state entities have wasted no time in responding. I am confident we will be ready when called upon, and we may need that level of preparedness soon.”
Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, working closely with county, state and federal officials, has helped coordinate disaster response with private relief organizations like the Heartland Chapter of The American Red Cross. He and Lincoln Mayor Coleen Seng also have worked closely with their school districts and health departments to decide how Nebraska’s two largest cities could best work with the state and private sector to serve the needs of Gulf Coast evacuees. Mayor Jay Vavricek of Grand Island has also consulted state officials to prepare for his community’s possible involvement in relocation efforts.
Mayor Fahey said, “We are prepared to use (Omaha) Civic Auditorium as a staging ground for our efforts to assist in storm-recovery and the relocation of evacuees. The people of Omaha have big hearts, and we are ready, willing and able to help.”
Judy Peschio, Executive Director of the Heartland Chapter of The American Red Cross, said, “We are mobilized, ready to respond when we are needed.”
In the meantime, Gov. Heineman urged Nebraskans who want to help victims of Hurricane Katrina to donate money, not goods, to recovery efforts until federal officials request that help. Visit Nebraska’s Web site, www.nebraska.gov, and click on the “Hurricane Katrina” box for more information on how to assist rescue and recovery efforts. The Hurricane aid box on the Nebraska Web site includes links on how to donate to or volunteer with reputable relief organizations, including The Red Cross.
Already, the Nebraska Army National Guard has sent eight members of its Counter-drug Task Force to join military and civilian law enforcement patrols and to assist in some of the region’s more difficult search and rescue attempts. Another 15 members of the Guard’s 24th Medical Company has flown two Black Hawk ambulance helicopters to New Orleans to transport seriously ill or injured patients from the region to functioning hospitals.
The Guard also has sent approximately 45 soldiers, primarily military police officers, to Louisiana for security work. The Nebraska Air National Guard has transported 66,000 meals ready to eat (MREs) to hurricane victims via KC-135 Stratotanker, as well as additional fuel for rescue helicopters in the affected region.
Last week, Lincoln sent its Urban Search and Rescue team from Lincoln Fire and Rescue to the region, and private fundraising efforts are succeeding.
Gov. Heineman has also issued an executive order eliminating some bureaucratic hurdles that might delay shipments of food, fuel and other emergency supplies to the affected region. The change will allow truckers carrying emergency cargo to travel through Nebraska more quickly and without having taken the time to register here. It also allows commercial carriers that serve only Nebraska to leave the state for storm-relief efforts.
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