Victims not coming to LV anytime soon

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Monday, Sept. 12, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

They're not coming.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said this morning that they would not fly Hurricane Katrina victims to Las Vegas today and probably wouldn't do so anytime soon, according to Gov. Kenny Guinn's office.

"It is unlikely that any evacuees will be flown to Nevada in the near future," a release from Guinn's office states.

The state had been preparing to receive the evacuees today, but Guinn's Chief of Staff Michael Hillerby said the victims "apparently were not interested in leaving."

Hillerby said "very few" showed up over the weekend to board flights to other states.

Clark County had been bracing for the arrival today of up to 500 hurricane victims. Among other things, a recreation center had been prepared to provide a variety of services.

As of late Sunday, state and county officials still had not heard when or if any more hurricane victims would arrive in Nevada, but there were hints that many would not agree to leave the Gulf State region.

"Apparently there are not a whole lot of people wanting to get on an airplane and leave the area," said Frank Siracusa, the state director of emergency planning. "So we're just taking it day by day."

The flights were being coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which had already pulled back once last week on the plan to bring the hurricane victims to the area.

The Gulf Coast residents who had been scheduled to arrive today were to be examined by medical workers from the Clark County Health District and University Medical Center at McCarran International Airport and taken by about 60 Regional Transportation Commission buses from McCarran to Cambridge Recreation Center, Assistant County Manager Darryl Martin said.

The recreation center, between Flamingo Road and Twain Avenue on Cambridge Street north of UNLV, was set up to help the hurricane victims with government and private services ranging from housing to school enrollment, much as was done during three days last week at the Fertitta Community Assistance Center at Catholic Charities downtown.

As of this morning, Cambridge Recreation Center remained closed.

At Fertitta, more than 1,200 people were helped last week. The center will remain open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week for those who came on their own, not on federal flights.

A total of 134 people on Saturday and another 60 people on Sunday had made their way to the Fertitta Community Assistance Center, said Stacey Welling, a county spokeswoman.

"We wanted to keep the center open on a limited basis this weekend," Welling said.

As of Sunday night, Housing and Urban Development had placed 210 families, or 1,257 people, into federally funded housing since Sept. 7, said Ken Lobene, local HUD director.

Another 59 people received Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services by Friday, Welling said.

Health District nurses had administered 43 immunizations, and 68 health evaluations had been completed, Welling said.

Southwest Gas Company had completed 45 natural gas hookups and Nevada Power Co. had turned on electricity to 41 households, she said.

Five school registrations on Friday brought the three-day total to 55 at the center, because some families are registering children directly at their neighborhood schools, Welling said.

Since Sept. 1, the American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter has served more than 900 hurricane survivors locally. The agency's total financial assistance to date in the valley amounts to more than $290,000. The Red Cross provides immediate financial assistance, cutting checks based on family size.

The Red Cross provides amounts ranging from $360 for a individual to $1,565 for a family of five or more.