Montana Requested By FEMA To Prepare For Up To 500 Evacuees

Montana Requested By FEMA To Prepare For Up To 500 Evacuees

To Help Call The Montana Hurricane Relief Hotline 1-800-237-5079

At a news conference at the Capitol, Governor Brian Schweitzer and General Randy Mosley today announced that the State of Montana has been requested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be prepared to possibly accept as many as 500 evacuees as early as Tuesday, September 13th. Montana notified the Agency that the state would be ready to accept the evacuees.

"There are hundreds of thousands of displaced families in Louisiana," said Governor Brian Schweitzer. "This is one way Montana can help their neighbors. There are a lot of logistics to work out but we will be ready to give the families that could be coming on Tuesday a Montana welcome."

Today, FEMA requested that Montana be prepared to accept as many as 500 evacuees. The state was asked to be prepared to take evacuees as early as Tuesday, September 13th.

If evacuees are moved to Montana they will be temporarily housed at Fort Harrison in Helena. The Fort will act as a staging area as evacuees are moved to families around the state. Great Falls Mayor Randy Gray has made arrangements for about 500 families in Great Falls.

The State of Montana will work closely with the City of Helena, Lewis and Clark County, the local schools, churches and others to ensure that we are ready to accept evacuees. The Governor's Cabinet Working Group will be meeting at 2:00PM today to start working through details.

Fort Harrison will provide housing, food and basic support. Logistics for medical care, transportation, schools, clothing and many other items are still being worked out. Many of the evacuees will be moved to families across the state who have volunteered to take in victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Federal disaster aid has been made available to many states to supplement efforts to assist evacuees from areas struck by Hurricane Katrina.

If you are interested in providing housing, goods or other services for evacuees, please call the state's Hurricane Relief Hotline at 1-800-237-5079.

http://governor.mt.gov/news/pr.asp?ID=224