County Hurricane Relief Efforts

As Hurricane Rita heads for the Gulf Coast, the County of Placer continues to stand ready to offer assistance. Staff are standing by to honor requests for personnel and/or equipment that come through the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Placer County remains ready to work with other agencies such as the American Red Cross and Sacramento County to provide assistance to evacuees from either Hurricane Rita or Hurricane Katrina. Community groups that stepped forward recently to help could also be part of that effort.

Last week, a multidisciplinary team from Placer County Health and Human Services and the Office of Emergency Services participated in a local one-stop assistance center managed by the American Red Cross.

Some evacuees of Hurricane Katrina have come to Placer County and have received assistance. However, evacuees needing assistance will need to contact the County and/or the American Red Cross.

For information on how to receive services from Placer County, please call (530)-886-4636 and leave a message, which will be returned promptly. The County works directly with the local chapter of the American Red Cross, 530-885-9392 (Auburn) or 916-368-3131 (Sacramento).

Residents and groups wishing to provide assistance should consider donating money to established agencies such as the American Red Cross. Cash donations make it possible for relief agencies to purchase exactly what's needed, and to purchase these goods and services nearer the site of the disaster, which helps to rebuild the local economy.

Collecting and shipping other items, while well-intentioned can be very expensive, and poses tremendous distribution problems for relief workers.

People wishing to volunteer should also work with an established agency. The American Red Cross is holding classes and actively recruiting volunteers who can serve, either here or in the Gulf Coast. To learn about Red Cross classes, visit the Web site, www.sacsierraredcross.org, or call 916-368-3131 or 530-885-9392.

Community groups are also standing by to offer assistance as needed. The County will coordinate relief efforts with these groups; please contact 530-886-5287 or 530-886-5281 to offer assistance.

Here are some resources for federal assistance:

• 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255), a toll free crisis hotline staffed by crisis counselors.

• FEMA Disaster Assistance Registration is available at 800-621-3362. It is critical that affected individuals and families register through FEMA to receive many forms of assistance. Clients are still reporting difficulty in getting through. People can also register online at www.fema.gov.

• The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development has established a single, toll-free hotline, 1-888-297-8685 for information with housing issues and questions. It operates from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT, seven days a week.

• The Dept. of Veterans Affairs can be reached at 1-800-507-4571 for people who usually receive medical assistance from the VA, or for families who are concerned about the location of veterans hospitalized at facilities in the storm-stricken region.

• The Dept. of Labor has established a National Contact Center 1-866-4-USA-DOL for inquiries about unemployment insurance, disaster unemployment insurance and National Emergency Grants.

• The Social Security Administration has set up special procedures to assure that clients receive their checks regardless of disrupted U.S. Postal Services. Clients should call 1-800-772-1213 for information.