Katrina Evacuees Have Transportion Option
Release Date: October 19, 2005
Release Number: 1606-040
» More Information on Texas Hurricane Rita
AUSTIN , Texas -- Federal and State emergency management officials remind Katrina evacuees living in Texas in shelters, hotels and motels of their option to move on by offering them free one-way airplane, train or bus tickets to any destination in the continental United States.
"We are offering evacuees transportation to join family or friends or perhaps go to a new job opportunity," Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman said. "Our goal is to get people out of the shelters and commercial housing and into a normal lifestyle."
The program is administered by the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management and funded by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Evacuees wishing to take advantage of this option should visit the Travel Desk at one of the Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) in the affected counties, or contact local government officials or the shelter manager.
The focus of this program is to provide transportation to evacuees for relocation. Tickets cannot be used for evacuees to check the status of their home, attend funerals or meet with a FEMA inspector or insurance adjuster.
Eligible modes of travel include air, train and bus. Rental cars and airline ticketed overnight stays are not allowable. Travel is restricted to the lower 48 states. One-way, non-transferable, non-refundable tickets will be issued for air and train travel. Bus travel tickets issued may be refundable.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Thursday, 20-Oct-2005 07:27:02