More than 4,500 people have registered at the operation since it was initially started on Sept. 7 at Catholic Charities’ Fertitta Community Assistance Center to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. The 4,500 figure includes about 208 self-evacuees from Hurricane Rita. However, the number of new hurricane survivors registering at the center has declined steadily since early October. Most clients now visiting the assistance center, located at 2753 S. Highland Drive, Suite 1004, are return clients.

"We’ve seen more survivors from the hurricanes than anyone ever expected in Southern Nevada, but we now have more return clients at the assistance center on Highland than new Gulf Coast arrivals," said Darryl Martin, Assistant Clark County Manager. "We’re moving into a transitional period where providers are scaling back services offered at the Highland site and referring clients who need assistance to the normal network of local services that exist in our community."

The disaster recovery center was set up and operated by Clark County and the Nevada Division of Emergency Management at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist people from the Gulf Coast who self-evacuated to the valley as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, both federally declared disasters. The center serves as a one-stop location for connecting hurricane survivors with a variety of local, state, federal and nonprofit services and assistance. Some agency providers are scaling back or discontinuing services at the Highland site due to staffing considerations and changes in the volume of services requested among clients. Hurricane survivors are welcome to seek assistance as needed at individual provider offices.

Red Cross/FEMA Short Term-Lodging Program

Effective Oct. 24, FEMA announced that Gulf Coast evacuees nationwide who are lodged in temporary housing through the American Red Cross need to request lodging extensions through FEMA’s Short-Term Lodging Program. A news release about the program is posted on Clark County’s website at www.accessclarkcounty.com. The Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross estimates that 300 to 400 Gulf Coast families are lodged in local hotels and motels. Families in need of lodging extensions need to call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY). Families need to have a FEMA registration number in order to request lodging extensions.

Starting Nov. 1, any new Gulf Coast hurricane survivors who arrive to Southern Nevada and have not received Red Cross assistance can apply for help at the chapter’s main local office, located at: 1771 E. Flamingo Rd., Suite 206B, near Spencer Street. The local chapter’s telephone number is (702) 791-3311. The Red Cross’ last day at the disaster recovery center on Highland will be Monday, Oct. 31.

"For several weeks now, most of our traffic at the Highland site has been related to housing extensions," said Ed Ruttan, emergency services director for the local Red Cross chapter. "With FEMA becoming the sole administrator of the short-term lodging program, we expect to process far fewer requests from hurricane survivors who are in our area. We’ re staying at the Highland site until Oct. 31 to assist with the transition."

Since Hurricane Katrina first struck, Southern Nevada’s Red Cross chapter has helped more than 1,620 families from the Gulf Coast, representing more than 3,200 people. The help has included $906,000 in direct financial assistance.

Nevada State Division of Welfare and Supportive Services

After Thursday, Oct. 27, clients seeking assistance from the Nevada State Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, including food stamps and Medicaid, will need to report to the division’s local field offices. The agency’s main phone number is (702) 486-5000. It’s website address is http://welfare.state.nv.us. Office locations are:

• 700 Belrose St., near Bonanza Road; (702) 486-1675
  
  
• 3700 E. Charleston Blvd., near Lamb Boulevard; (702) 486-4828
  
  
• Henderson Office, 538-A S. Boulder Highway, near Lake Mead Drive; (702) 486-1067
  
  
• 3330 Flamingo Rd., Suite 55, near Pecos Road; (702) 486-9400
  
  
• 3900 Cambridge St., Suite 203, between Twain Avenue & Flamingo Road, (702) 486-8770
  
  
• 1040 W. Owens Ave., near Martin Luther King Drive, (702) 486-1800

Services Expected to Remain At Highland Site Through November

Several services will continue to be available at the Highland location through November, including FEMA registration, and housing and job referrals. The recovery center’s hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada plans to reduce transportation and bus pass services offered to hurricane survivors through the recovery center. Those services will be reduced to three days a week with limited hours. Details will be announced later this week or early next week and will be posted at the Downtown Transportation Center, located near City Hall at 300 N. Casino Center and Stewart Avenue. The RTC offers free, dedicated transportation to the Highland site from the Downtown Transportation Center daily. More than 400 people have used the transportation service from downtown, or about 100 riders a week, since Sept. 22 when the assistance operation relocated to its current site on Highland Drive. Staff also have been on hand at the recovery center to issue free bus passes. The RTC has issued about 1,100 bus passes since the assistance operation started in early September.

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