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Monetary Donations:
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English
1-800-257-7575 Spanish
San Antonio Food Bank
210-337-3663
USO Council of San Antonio and Central Texas
210-227-9373
420 E. Commerce St.,
San Antonio, TX 78205
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348
America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
Volunteer:
San Antonio Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
210-614-3342
Give Blood:
South Texas Blood and Tissue Center
6211 IH-10 West
Hurricane Relief Announcements:
The San Antonio Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) brings together organizations that provide services during times of disaster so we can all provide a more effective response to people affected. By registering with San Antonio VOAD, you can make your skills available to over twenty coordinated organizations working together to respond to this season's historically devastating hurricanes. The organizations include United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army, San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio Faith Based Community and many more. Go to
www.savoad.org or call 210-614-3342 to volunteer.
As Hurricane Rita approaches the Gulf Coast, it is vitally important that all private facilities responsible for the care of persons with special needs evacuate their patients immediately. Any private facility that is unable to provide safe transport for their patients should contact the Texas Department of Public Safety at 1-800-525-5555.
Farm Bureau Insurance Companies have added extra adjusters on stand-by and a toll-free number has been established for the convenience of policyholders to report damage from Hurricane Rita. To report a claim, Farm Bureau Insurance Companies policyholders should call, toll-free, 1-800-266-5458.
Frost Bank locations in Houston, Corpus Christi, and Galveston have been closed for the weekend in advance of Hurricane Rita. Frost Insurance has also closed its offices in Houston, Victoria, and Refugio because of the storm.
Even though the local animal shelters are full of pets from Hurricane Katrina, the Humane Society/SPCA of Bexar County and the Animal Defense League are gearing up to accept pets from coastal shelters as well as pets of residents displaced by Hurricane Rita. Both the Humane Society and the ADL will be manning McCreeless mall 24 hours a day over the next few days to accept those pets.
ACT test centers in Texas' gulf coast area have already postponed Saturday's administration of the ACT college admission and placement exam, and others may be following suit as conditions warrant. For an up-to-date list of all ACT test centers that have postponed Saturday's testing, students can visit ACT's student website at
www.actstudent.org or call ACT Registration at (319) 337-1270 from 8 a.m.
All Beeville schools have been closed Thursday and Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. The football game between Beeville and Harlandale that was to be played in Beeville has been postponed. School officials will announce the rescheduled play date in the future.
The VA Outpatient Clinic located in Corpus Christi has closed for Thursday and Friday to allow patients and workers to evacuate the city. Veterans that need treatment can find treatment at the Tejeda Outpatient Clinic on Eckert in San Antonio or the Audie Murphy VA Hospital on Merton Minter in San Antonio. Veterans with health care questions can call the VA help line toll free at 1-888-686-6350.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has reminded all Texans and business owners that his attorneys and investigators stand ready to ferret out unscrupulous businesses, con artists and bogus charity workers who exploit victims and others as Texas prepares for Hurricane Rita to make landfall. The toll-free line at (800) 252-8011 will be fully staffed and prepared to take complaints this week involving evidence of any price-gouging. Complaints may also be filed at the Attorney General’s Web site:
www.oag.state.tx.us.
Pets in the Park that was scheduled for Saturday, September 24th has been cancelled because of Hurricane Rita. High winds, rain and expected increased highway traffic due to evacuation of the coast has forced the cancellation. Pets in the Park will be rescheduled in the future.
Medical volunteers available to help evacuees from Hurricane Rita should call 210-301-4393, the official medical resource number set up by the Bexar County Medical Society, or e-mail
bcms@bcms.org. The number is appropriate for all medical volunteers including doctors, pharmacists, PAs, nurses, technicians, and other medical professionals. Be prepared to indicate what hours and days you are available (weekdays are times of greatest need), your area of specialty, hospital affiliation, Texas license number, and contact information including the name of your cell phone carrier.
The folks who run the state’s electric grid—ERCOT—have set up a Hurricane Rita web page to disseminate information regarding the impact of Hurricane Rita on the electric grid. The page offers electric grid updates, frequently asked questions, and links to information sources. ERCOT will make updates as they become available with best estimates on the numbers of customers out of service and major transmission lines that are out of service. The website is
www.ercot.com/ProtocolRevisions/Rita.cfm.
Gov. Perry Calls on Evacuees to Follow Plan for Safe Return Home
Gov. Rick Perry Saturday urged medical personnel who evacuated ahead of Hurricane Rita to return to home as quickly as possible.
"We cannot assure the safety of other citizens until our hospitals and medical facilities have their doctors and nurses back in place," Perry said. "I urge all medical personnel to return to the affected areas as soon as they can do so safely."
The Governor continued to urge other evacuees to follow the state's schedule for returning to the affected areas. State and local leaders have developed a plan to stagger the return of more than 2.5 million Hurricane Rita evacuees over at least three days to ensure that the affected areas are safe, fuel supplies are adequate and traffic keeps moving.
"If you return today, we cannot guarantee enough fuel, we cannot guarantee safety along the roads because of debris and down power lines, and we cannot ensure a fast return," Perry said.
The Governor called on all school districts in the affected areas to remain closed Monday to provide evacuees with adequate time for a safe and orderly return. Perry said the staggered plan also would provide emergency workers with enough time to assess damage and ensure that neighborhoods are safe.
"We do not yet have enough fuel along the return routes and in Houston to accommodate the return of everyone who evacuated," Perry said. "If Texans will be patient and follow this plan, they will find their return trip to be easier and more efficient."
Perry urged evacuees to follow this schedule to ensure a safe and orderly return to coastal communities:
Sunday: Residents may return to communities west of I-45 and north of I-10, including residents of Tomball, The Woodlands, Waller, Hockley, Katy, Brookshire and surrounding communities.
Monday: Residents may return to communities west of I-45 and south of I-10, including residents of Richmond, Stafford, Rosenberg, Sugarland, Pearland and surrounding communities, plus all Houston residents inside Loop I-610.
Tuesday: Residents may return to all remaining areas east of I-45 and north of I-10 up to the Liberty and Chamber county lines.
State and local emergency officials continue to develop a plan for the safe return of evacuees to communities east of the Houston area that sustained the most damage from Hurricane Rita.
Earlier today, Perry asked fuel terminal owners and operators to begin refueling service stations as quickly as possible.
"We need to ensure there are adequate fuel supplies along the routes," Perry said in a special announcement to fuel terminal operators. "If you will open your terminal throughout this weekend, we can begin refueling service stations along the major roadways."
The Governor cautioned that evacuees should not begin returning to the affected areas ahead of the state schedule.
"I can't say in strong enough terms to those who evacuated the coastal region that they should not begin their return for the time being," Perry said. "We are not through assessing the damage and cannot assure you at this time that your community is safe to return to."
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