Nevadans contribute to Gulf Coast relief efforts

Friday, Sept. 2, 2005 | 9:58 a.m.

Nevadans continue to contribute manpower and money to the relief efforts along the Gulf Coast -- not only military missions but millions from the entertainment industry.

In addition to 24 medical personnel from the Nevada National Guard deployed to New Orleans on Wednesday, an additional 100 airmen and soldiers left for the region Thursday, said Lt. April Conway, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Office of the Military.

"Some of them have seen the devastation on TV," Conway said. "People want to do something."

The 72nd Military Police Company is headquartered in Henderson with a detachment in Ely. The 152nd Security Forces Squadron is based in Reno, but were sent to Las Vegas for a flight to New Orleans Naval Air Station, Conway said.

Two C-310 aircraft, one leaving from Nellis Air Force Base on Thursday, was delayed more than an hour because of an overloaded pallet, Conway said.

The other C-130 left Reno about noon Thursday, Conway said.

The military personnel joined 70 firefighters, rescue workers, doctors and structural engineers of the Nevada Task Force-1 urban search and rescue team, which had reached Dallas on Thursday night, said Bob Leinbach, spokesman for the Clark County Fire Department.

The team expected to spend the night in Dallas and will be assigned to assist rescue operations in Mississippi, Louisiana or Alabama later today, Leinbach said.

The team was expected to be the first from the West to arrive in the area.

"Incidentally, they were informed by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) officials that Nevada Task Force-1 left sooner and has traveled closer to the gulf states than all the West Coast-based teams," Leinbach said in an e-mail Thursday afternoon.

Other Western included eight from California and one from Washington.

Southern Nevadans have opened their wallets, contributed more than $560,332 to the American Red Cross as of this morning, said Penney Towers, chief executive of the Southern Nevada chapter.

"We just did the tally," Towers said. Officials had not counted all of the donations made by people walking into the office, she said.

The local Red Cross also sent three more volunteers to the South today.

Entertainer Celine Dion pledged $1 million to the Red Cross relief fund Thursday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace.

Dion and her partners, Concerts West/AEG Live and DRAGONE, said they will donate proceeds from "A New Day."

Harrah's Entertainment head Gary Loveman announced Wednesday efforts to assist 6,000 employees in its casinos in New Orleans, Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss.

Harrah's Employee Recovery Fund was established with an initial $1 million grant from Harrah's Foundation.

AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah announced Thursday that it will match employee and member donations up to a total of $250,000 to the Red Cross to provide emergency aid.

Many of the auto club's employees and 4.4 million members had already donated to relief efforts, said Michael Geeser, a spokesman for AAA Nevada.

"AAA members and employees have always shown tremendous heart in responding to communities in need, and I have no doubt this will be true again," President Paula Downey said.

AAA members who wish to have their contributions matched can take checks made out to the American Red Cross to any AAA office or donate online at www.csaa.com.

Other local businesses are contributing such as Commander's Palace, which has restaurants in Las Vegas and New Orleans. The restaurant Thursday announced a week of donating half of each day's proceeds to disaster relief. It will also accept donations for the Red Cross.

UNLV is also reaching out to students displaced by the hurricane, offering temporary enrollment to Nevada students and others in specialized programs, Hilarie Grey, a spokeswoman, said.

On Thursday it had received several inquiries from Nevada-based students enrolled in universities affected by the storm, she said.

In addition, UNLV's Boyd School of Law and Harrah Hotel College have been contacted about accommodating displaced students from law programs at Tulane and Loyola universities in New Orleans, as well as the hospitality program at the University of New Orleans.

"Our deans are working closely with their counterparts at the affected universities to accommodate their needs," said Raymond Alden, executive vice president and provost.

For additional information, affected students or their families should contact UNLV's Office of Admissions at (702) 774-8658.