Governor Doyle Details State Efforts to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina
September 2, 2005
Contact: Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
Governor Jim Doyle today called on all citizens of Wisconsin to continue donating to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and detailed state efforts to help the victims.
"Since Hurricane Katrina struck, we've seen the situation in Louisiana and Mississippi go from bad to worse," Governor Doyle said.看 "We've seen people without shelter, food, or water go for days without relief, we've seen whole towns wash away, and we've seen one of our great cities fill with water.看 The people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama desperately need our help.看 I want to thank all Wisconsin citizens who have donated or helped the relief efforts in any way and I urge all citizens to contribute what they can, however they can - whether it's their time, energy, prayers, or money.
"Wisconsin businesses are continuing to contact us and offer assistance," Governor Doyle said.看 "We will keep working with them to offer whatever help we can as quickly as possible."
The State has taken the following steps:
- Governor Doyle today authorized permanent State employees who are certified Red Cross disaster relief volunteers to be granted a paid leave of absence at the written request of the Red Cross for up to 30 days.
- Governor Doyle issued an Executive Order today that lifts Wisconsin highway weight restrictions on commercial motor vehicles for 30 days so that more trucks can deliver vital goods and equipment to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
- Governor Doyle called elements of the Wisconsin National Guard to active duty on Wednesday, August 31, 2005, in response to the severe damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
- On August 31, 2005, Governor Doyle signed Executive Order #117 proclaiming that a State of Emergency exists in Mississippi and Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Governor Doyle also said that State efforts include the following:
University of Wisconsin System
Governor Doyle and the University of Wisconsin announced today that Badger football fans can make monetary donations for people affected by Hurricane Katrina to the American Red Cross at Camp Randall Stadium before the season-opener against Bowling Green at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, September 3, 2005.看 Fans unable to attend Saturday's game who would like to contribute to the American Red Cross relief efforts may do so by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW or visiting www.redcross.org.
Several University of Wisconsin campuses are prepared to welcome students enrolled in colleges or universities that are closed because of damage from the hurricane.看 For example, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Waukesha, and UW-Whitewater are working to help students with opportunities to earn college credits that can be easily transferred to their schools once they reopen, as well as assistance with financial aid and housing arrangements.
The UW System Higher Education Location Program, or UW HELP, is ready to answer questions and connect students with specific UW campuses who can serve their needs. UW HELP can be reached at 1-800-442-6459 or at http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu.
UW campuses are also raising donations and providing aid for students and families whose homes have been destroyed by the storm, as well as for National Guard members called to duty.
Wisconsin Emergency Management
First responders can register on the Wisconsin Emergency Management Web site for Emergency Management Assistance Compact deployment in support of the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery.
Department of Health and Family Services
To provide expertise as needed and when requested by Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the Health Alert Network is communicating with health care professionals to update their listings in Wisconsin's Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry (WEAVR) - a registry of more than 1,100 health care volunteers.
DHFS is working to ensure that health care providers and public health departments are prepared to provide adequate care to refugees by providing guidance through the Health Alert Network, including bulletins from the Centers for Disease Control.
Other steps the Department is taking include:
- Working to make sure that refugees are able to get the benefits that they are entitled to by obtaining information from federal agencies regarding continuing or new eligibility for Food Stamps, Medicaid, and other programs for displaced people.
- Providing guidance to County Human Service Departments and partner agencies as they respond to needs of refugees.
- Alerting and preparing customer service call centers to assist displaced people.
- Working with national associations on sharing information with other states on responses.
- Preparing for the potential increased demands for Kinship Care or increased demands on the child welfare system.
- Working to streamline the process for placing children with relatives from other states.
Department of Workforce Development
The Department of Workforce Development stands ready to send workers to Louisiana and Mississippi and their Unemployment Agencies to process unemployment claims if assistance is required.看 Disaster unemployment claims could reach one million.
A complete list of contact information for relief organizations is available on Governor Doyle's Web site.