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Nearly a week after Lubbock received more than 400 evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, there are about 180 to 200 survivors left in the shelter at Reese Technology Center, according to Greg Bruce, board chairman of the American Red Cross of Lubbock. (snip) "We hope to be out of the shelter operation by the beginning of next week," Bruce said. A Lubbock company is playing a major role in getting evacuees in Texas closer to loved ones and friends. Gov. Rick Perry tapped National Travel Systems to coordinate travel so evacuees in Texas can get closer to family. (snip) Cooper said...

AUSTIN — As Vice President Dick Cheney toured Hurricane Katrina shelter operations in Texas' capital city Saturday, a group of about two dozen protesters gathered outside chanting, "Cheney, Cheney, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide." Cheney visited the Austin Convention Center shelter and the Texas State Operations Center, where state officials orchestrated the intake of more than 240,000 people last week after flood waters rose in New Orleans. At the convention center, where some 1,500 evacuees remained Saturday, Cheney met briefly with 23-year-old Telisha Diaz, who told him she spent four days at the New Orleans convention center...

WEST TEXAS - People left homeless by the hurricane are - for now, at least - staying here, in the Permian Basin. Local organizations are stepping forward, doing all they can to keep people here permanently ... even offering them jobs. (snip) "There's no employer, in many cases, to call and say, 'you know that last check I didn't get? Wwould you mind mailing it to me,'" Watson described. "None of that's there." (snip) Many say they're staying ... and the community is already offering them jobs. "The community, of course, is making this happen," Watson stressed. "All of the...

For Linda Cooley, a visit to Dallas' Concord Missionary Baptist Church this week meant a three-course meal, a bag of toiletries, a Wal-Mart gift card, a blue "Sunday go to meeting" hat, and assurances that more help would be forthcoming. Hurricane Katrina claimed Ms. Cooley's New Orleans home, but she has found sustenance – and friends – at Concord. "It uplifts my spirits to come here," said Ms. Cooley, now staying with her sister in Dallas. "And it keeps me from watching CNN." While the federal government response to Hurricane Katrina has yielded widespread criticism and the promise of congressional...

For many victims of Hurricane Katrina, an exodus from Lubbock may be days away. A fourth of about 400 New Orleans residents driven here by Hurricane Katrina will be reunited with their families through donated Southwest Airlines tickets. "The Southwest tickets have allowed us to take care of people that need immediate attention," Lubbock American Red Cross Chairman Greg Bruce said. Volunteers identified the residents - who could join family members or who had medical needs - as candidates for the tickets. Already 20 residents have left Lubbock on the tickets: Six left by 1 p.m. Wednesday and another 14...

WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators urged wireless carriers not to cut off service to customers who have been uprooted from their homes because of Hurricane Katrina and have not paid their bills. The Federal Communications Commission said it issued a reminder to wireless companies about industry policies on disasters because consumers were concerned about being cut off. "Hurricane Katrina displaced hundreds of thousands of residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and many thousands of these customers rely on their wireless service during this difficult time to remain in touch with loved ones," the agency said. The FCC told...

*Official says deportation fears keeping victims in shadows* Citing Mexican government estimates that 145,000 Mexicans may have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Mexico's consul general in Austin said Tuesday that he fears many victims are not seeking help for fear of being deported. Jorge Guajardo appealed to Mexican victims to come forward and seek help from Mexican consulates in the United States. "We are here to offer assistance, economic assistance and assistance helping them get in contact with their relatives back in Mexico, many who are worried for their well-being," Guajardo said. Mexican President Vicente Fox said last week that...

(Donor)Recalls Experience Rescuing Family in New Orleans The Salvation Army is handling a major task at Reese; providing meals for hundreds of survivors and volunteers. So far, they've served 16,000 meals. But on Tuesday night, a local restaurant filled in. NewsChannel 11 was there as River Smith's catering and Delta Chi fraternity served up 1,000 dinners. 500 pounds of catfish, 500 pounds of chicken, and all the fixins in-between, that's what it takes to feed a thousand survivors and volunteers at Reese Center. Richard Shields, the Operations Director at River Smith's says, "We've been busy for 36 hours. When we...

Evacuee charged in sexual assault Plano: Man staying with relatives accused of attacking girl, 13 12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 7, 2005 By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News A Hurricane Katrina evacuee staying with a Plano family was arrested Tuesday and accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, police said. Freddie Murray, 48, of New Orleans was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. Mr. Murray is a distant relative of the girl, police said. Police didn't know the exact relationship. "The guy is an evacuee staying with distant relatives, and he allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old...

More than 6,100 students fleeing Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath have enrolled in Texas public schools so far – including about 2,000 in North Texas – and state education officials promise to release money immediately to help affected districts cope. Officials expect 50,000 to 60,000 new students to enroll in Texas schools. (snip) Some parents had mixed feelings on when to send their children to school, and many opted to wait. "We're really trying to find housing before we get them into school," said Rosalind Armour, a New Orleans resident who took shelter at Reunion Arena and has two school-age...

Hurricane evacuees seeking food stamps in Texas started as a trickle and quickly turned into a torrent - eight applications the first day mushroomed to more than 26,000 within four days. To varying degrees, the same story is playing out around the country as state and local governments take in Gulf Coast refugees by the thousands, taxing social programs that in many cases already were stretched thin. Minnesota, already working to absorb a wave of roughly 5,000 Hmong refugees from Laos, is preparing for up to 3,000 Katrina victims while still feeling budget cuts in health assistance and job training...

Most of the evacuees staying at Reese have lost everything, their homes, their belongings and for many, their families. NewsChannel 11 spoke to New Orleans evacuee Christopher Victor who lost his family in Hurricane Katrina. Click on the streaming video to hear Christopher's story. http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=3808904

AUSTIN - While the airlift of Hurricane Katrina refugees out of Texas appeared to be on hold, plans to move some to cruise ships in Galveston have also been postponed. The delay was announced in a statement issued Tuesday by the Unified Command in charge of the shelter in and around the Houston Astrodome. No new relocation date was mentioned. Planes carrying evacuees had been expected to leave the state Sunday night when the airlift was under the direction of state officials. Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the state's refugee shelters had reached their limit. Then federal authorities took over...

Gov. Bill Richardson has declared a state of emergency in New Mexico to help up to 6,000 evacuees from the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. Richardson, at a news conference Sunday afternoon, announced his declaration. It frees up to $750,000 to help. A thousand evacuees are expected in Albuquerque in the next few days. The governor also said he’s freeing the new state jet to fly a technician and other staff of Untied Blood Services to Lafayette, La., to help. It is the first mission of the new jet