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Citizen Corps
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Visit FirstGov, the federal government's online Katrina public information source.
Katrina evacuees in Virginia should use the resources below to get the help they need:
Immediate Housing and Financial NeedsContact the local Red Cross office. Find your local Red Cross office online at http://www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp, or call toll-free at 1-866-438-4636. Additionally, the American Red Cross has set up a financial assistance toll-free number at 1-800-975-7585.
Federal Disaster AssistanceFor financial assistance, you must register with FEMA. You can do this online at http://www.fema.gov/register.shtm or over the phone at 1-800-621-3362. If you are hearing or speech impaired, call 1-800-462-7585.
Food Stamps/Medicaid/Temporary Assistance for Needy (TANF) Contact a local Virginia Department of Social Services office. Check the state government listings in the blue pages of the local phone book or view a list here.
Many Virginians are eager to help in any way they can. At this time, FEMA is asking that citizens please donate money rather than goods. They are also requesting that volunteers not "self-dispatch" to any affected area, but instead coordinate with volunteer organizations in order to best direct aid where it is needed most.
Virginia citizens who want to volunteer their money or time can do so through the following reputable organizations:
Volunteers should not self-deploy. Contact your local volunteer organization to offer your time and skills. These organizations have established relationships with their partners in the affected area, and volunteers should work through these channels.
If you or your organization/agency/corporation have resources that may be made available to response agencies, please register at the National Emergency Resource Registry. Commodities that may be registered include housing, services, transportation, food and personal items and emergency supplies. You may also register resources vital to victims with special needs, including wheelchairs, hearing assistive technology and specialized medical supplies.
For more suggestions on volunteer organizations, see VirginiaCORPS or the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Web sites.
The Virginia Information Technology Agency’s Security Services Unit has received multiple reports of individuals using fraudulent Hurricane Katrina donation and relief Web sites to solicit donations, including www.katrinahelp.com, www.katrinarelief.com and www.katrinacleanup.com. If you feel that you have been the victim of charity fraud or a disaster scam, file a report with:
The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance provides information on charity organizations that are the subject of donor inquiries.
Virginia's gas supply continues to improve. Motorists should continue to find ways to conserve fuel, but Governor Warner has no plans to call for any rationing or limits on gas purchases. Additionally, EPA granted Virginia a waiver to tap into non-reformulated gas supplies in the Richmond metro area late last week, and the Governor is still asking for a similar waiver for Hampton Roads. Prices remain higher as a result of Hurricane Katrina interruptions, but Virginia has a toll-free Consumer Hotline (1-800-552-9963) for citizens to report suspected price-gouging for possible prosecution.
At this time, the National Office of Citizen Corps IS NOT conducting a national call out as was done for the Florida hurricanes last year. Current activities and plans for next steps are as follows:
The recovery efforts will be extremely arduous and long lasting. There will be volunteer opportunities for months and months to come. Please help us tell everyone that VOLUNTEERS SHOULD NOT REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE AFFECTED AREAS UNLESS DIRECTED BY A VOLUNTEER AGENCY. Self-dispatched volunteers can put themselves and others in harm's way and hamper rescue efforts.
The Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau today approved a petition from the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) to allow public television stations to perform limited hurricane relief fundraising.
A number of public television stations are interested in conducting benefit concerts, telethons, or other special fundraising events to bring immediate and substantial relief to areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina. Please contact your local public television station to ask about ways that Citizen Corps can support these efforts.
Thank you again for all your support. We will provide you with additional information as it becomes available.
People looking for family members should call the Red Cross at (866) GET-INFO. The Red Cross also has an online registry for concerned family members and evacuees. Go to www.redcross.org and click on the "Family Links Registry" link.
Additionally, people looking for lost family members can call 1-877-LOVED-1S (568-3317).
At the direction of Governor Mark R. Warner, the Commonwealth is prepared to shelter more than 4,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. Virginia's National Guard facility at Fort Pickett near Blackstone is ready serve as an intake/recovery center and short-term shelter for 1,000 evacuees at a time. The Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center is also ready to shelter 400 people in Blackstone. However, at this time, FEMA and the affected states are not moving groups of survivors out of their present temporary shelters.
Also at the direction of Governor Warner, Virginia continues to respond to a large number of requests for aid from Gulf States via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact system. To see the details of how the Commonwealth is providing assistance, please see the latest Katrina situation report.