Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Home > Legislative Issues > Public Safety > Hurricane Katrina Relief Information
Legislative Issues
Public Safety
Hurricane Katrina Relief Information
Here are some links to organizations with information about relief and response efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
- American Red Cross
1-866-GET-INFO (1-866-438-4636)
- Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
225-925-7500
- Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
601-960-9020
- Alabama Emergency Management Agency
1-800-843-0699
- Seattle Red Cross – for local opportunities to provide assistance
206-323-2345
- U.S. FirstGov Hurricane Katrina Relief Site
- Southeast Louisiana Red Cross
- Mississippi Red Cross
- Alabama Red Cross
Hurricane Katrina - How to Help
In addition to the Red Cross, other volunteer agencies provide a wide variety of services after disasters, such as clean up, childcare, housing repair, crisis counseling, sheltering and food. Below is a list of contact information set up solely for cash donations and/or volunteers:
- Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769) - America’s Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070 - Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171 - Catholic Charities, USA
703 549-1390 - Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554 - Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818 - Church World Service
1-800-297-1516 - Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998 - Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522 - Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210 - Nazarene Disaster Response
888-256-5886 - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
800-872-3283 - Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440 - United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583 - For further information: please visit this website for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD)
Providing Assistance/Volunteering
- Finding Loved Ones:
The Red Cross is only accepting phone calls to search for missing persons in these emergency circumstances: Insulin dependant diabetics, Oxygen dependant, On dialysis, Blind, Recent heart attack or stroke victims, Mobility challenged, Broken leg foot or ankle, or paralyzed. To notify the Red Cross of a person missing with one or more of these medical conditions, call 1-866-GET-INFO.
More missing persons information:
In Mississippi, you can email missingpersons@seoc.ms.gov.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper is maintaining a missing person’s database at this website. - Businesses and Contractors Offering Services:
The Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) serves as the nation’s nerve center for information sharing and domestic incident management. At the request of the HSOC – the National Emergency Resource Registry (NERR) has been activated. THE NERR- stands ready to assist the coordination efforts between the resources that are needed and the resources that may be available. If you or your organization / agency / corporation have resources that may be made available to the response agencies, please list them in the Resource Registry:
Southeast Emergency Response Network (Alabama, Mississippi, Florida)
- Medical Volunteers:
The Florida Medical Volunteer Registry is accepting applications for licensed medical personnel to work in the areas affected by hurricane Katrina in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. Volunteers can register at this Florida Medical Volunteer Registry Website.
Personnel can also check this American College of Emergency Physicians website to learn of needs around the country, as they are announced.
Specific state information is as follows:
- Louisiana State Medical Society Website
- Mississippi: Doctors call: 601-987-3079; EMTs call: 601-576-8085; Nurses call: 601-497-8022
- Texas Medical Association Website - Employment-Related Issues:
If you have lost your job or can’t work because of the hurricane, you may be able to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), which provides weekly benefits to individuals who are unemployed or not eligible for regular unemployment insurance compensation. You can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
- Legal Assistance:
The American Bar Association(ABA) is working with FEMA to provide legal assistance to those affected by the hurricane. A complete listing of the FEMA hotline for legal assistance will be provided by the ABA on the ABA Website
- Prescription Medicine:
Those in need of refilling prescription drugs should contact the American Red Cross at 1(866) 438-4636. Veterans can also call the Veteran Affairs Office in Washington, DC at (202) 273-5400 to get information on fulfilling prescriptions.
In addition, many pharmacies have nationwide service and are assisting individuals who have filled prescriptions with them in the past. Walgreens, for example, has this service and individuals who have used the store to fill prescriptions can walk into any Walgreens nationwide and ask a pharmacist to access their prescription records and get their emergencies solved. Express Scripts is assisting its patients through the toll-free number at 1 (800) 993-5060. Medco asks that patients call the number on the back of their Medco identification cards. RiteAid is assisting those with prescription needs and is accepting American Red Cross vouchers in many areas.
General Assistance Numbers for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
Louisiana
- Louisiana Governor Blanco's hotline: 800-469-4828
- Louisiana Evacuation Office: 225-925-7514
- Louisiana State Police: 225-925-7708 or 7709
- Special Needs Shelter Information Triage Phone Numbers:
Alexandria: 800-841-5778
Baton Rouge: 800-349-1372
Slidell/Hammond: 866-280-7724
Lafayette: 800-901-3210
Lake Charles: 866-280-2711
Monroe: 866-280-7287
Houma/Thibodaux: 800-228-9409
Mississippi
- Mississippi Emergency Management Agency: 601-960-9020
- MDOT traffic hotline: 601-352-7017
Alabama
- Alabama Emergency Management Agency: 205-280-2200
- Alabama Department of Transportation Emergency Road Closure Information and Evacuation Updates: 1-888-588-2848 or 1-334-353-6650
- Alabama Attorney General, 1-800-392-5658