>From the Topeka Capital-Journal. If you sign up they want a bunch
of info, and then have pop-ups on the site. :^^
Matt Murray
Topeka joins effort
City taking steps to house up to 10,000 refugees
By Hal Lockard
The Capital-Journal
Topeka is preparing to offer shelter to as many as 10,000
Hurricane Katrina victims.
The Rev. Barry Feaker, Topeka Rescue Mission director, said
Sunday night that he was contacted by "someone from the state of
Kansas" on Friday who inquired about what preparations would need
to be made to accommodate people left homeless by the hurricane.
Work has begun on "setting up the procedure to be ready in case
this happens," he said.
Feaker said Shawnee County Emergency Management, the Kansas
Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and several other
agencies on Tuesday would begin to establish a site in the
Agricultural Hall at the Kansas Expocentre to accept and process
anyone brought into the community needing shelter.
The Mission would play a big part of that, he said, saying it
would set up "a one-stop shop supplying clothing, food, medicine,
all the basics."
He said agencies would be working quickly to accept up to what he
has heard could be 10,000 refugees.
"If we see those kind of numbers it could very well mean folks
coming and staying in our community."
The Topeka Rescue Mission needs to secure about 200 more beds and
convert educational and recreational space into living quarters.
Feaker also will talk to area church leaders to find out what
churches could house people.
The Rescue Mission already shelters 220 people, more than it ever
has sheltered consistently. It serves 2,000 more meals each month
than it did a year ago.
Feaker said a huge influx of homeless would push the load "right
off the Richter scale, as they say."
But those numbers don't dent his belief that Topeka will meet the
challenge.
"What you'll see happen if a great number are brought here will
be really amazing because this community steps up to the plate
and shows its stuff," he said.
http://cjonline.com/stories/090505/loc_katrinaloc.shtml
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