Hurricane Ike evacuees began applying for assistance Tuesday to move to hotels and motels after the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened a transitional sheltering program.
The FEMA program will pay for eligible evacuees' lodging through Oct. 14.
More than 180,000 had registered by 11 a.m. A more recent figure was not available.
Officials urged evacuees to register online if possible because of long waits on the 24-hour hotline.
Register online??? These people have no electricity. I'm sure their computers were washed out to sea!
Good Gravy!
The temporary housing program is available to evacuees whose home is in a county that has been designated as a disaster area and whose home is inaccessible or uninhabitable because of damage or lack of power.
FEMA also must be able to verify the evacuee's identity.
Kenny Shaw, director of Dallas' Office of Emergency Management, said he had heard reports of people showing up at hotels without authorization.
He expressed concerns that the FEMA program will not pay for evacuees' food, transportation or incidental expenses.
"If they don't have money for food or anything else, that leaves them out," he said.
This story is not being followed in the media like Katrina was, due to the upcoming presidential election. What a shame. These people deserve better.
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