Washington's Operation Evergreen Welcome Center to close at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23

For Immediate Release: September 22, 2005

CAMP MURRAY, WA - Sept. 22, 2005 - Washington�s Operation Evergreen Welcome Center in Tumwater will end daily operations as of 6 p.m., Friday Sept. 23, and be placed on standby status, Gov. Christine Gregoire announced today.

Because the latest Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance rules out any scheduled movements of evacuees to the Northwest, Gov. Gregoire said state and local officials agreed that existing offices of the American Red Cross and State Department of Social and Health Services now could handle the needs of the estimated total of more 2,000 hurricane evacuees who have already arrived in Washington.

�The Tumwater Welcome Center could be reopened, if necessary, in a matter of hours. It has helped nearly 70 evacuees from the Hurricane Katrina disaster area to find housing, health care assistance, as well as other state and federal aid,� said Gov. Gregoire. �The coordination among local, state and non-profit and community organizations, and businesses to open the center has reflected the best of our state�s tradition of reaching out to those in need in our nation and the world.�

Gov. Gregoire said the emergency plans that have been assembled through the state�s response to Hurricane Katrina will be valuable tools for updating our local and state response and recovery plans. �We now want to apply these lessons so that we can better respond to the ongoing recovery issues from Hurricane Katrina as well as to prepare for future emergencies,� she said.

�I wish to thank public and private agencies for their generous contributions of time, staff and materials for the Tumwater Welcome Center. Their efforts have made a positive difference to the lives of the hurricane evacuees who have come to our state.�

Participants and contributors included:

State Departments of Social and Health Services; Military; General Administration; Community, Trade and Economic Development; Employment Security; Licensing; Health; Agriculture; Transportation; Veterans Affairs; Washington State Patrol; and the Commission on African-American Affairs.

American Red Cross, King-Kitsap and Mount Rainier chapters; Timberland Regional Library; the Hands On Children�s Museum; Trinity Housing Community Development Council.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; King County Office of Emergency Management; Seattle-King County Public Health; and Pierce County Department of Emergency Management.

Thurston County Crisis Counseling; Emergency Management; Public Health and Social Services; and Thurston County Sheriff�s Office. Housing Authorities around the state; Tumwater Police Department; Olympia Police Department; Urban League; Costco; Ramada; Red Lion Inn; Associated Grocers; and Starbucks.

The state Department of Social and Health Services reported 353 hurricane evacuee cases with 662 individuals had been handled by its Community Service Offices through Wednesday. American Red Cross chapters stated they had assisted 809 families through 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Emergency Management Division of the Washington Military Department said the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week listed 777 disaster registrations with Washington mailing addresses.

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