As part of emergency cooperation agreements, cities in the North Texas area have been providing shelter and assistance for more than 6,000 evacuees from Louisiana and East Texas due to Hurricane Laura, with nearly 1,000 evacuees sheltering in Richardson shortly after the storm and almost 400 still sheltered in the city as of this week.
City of Richardson employees from several departments have put in many hours addressing evacuees’ housing, transportation, medical, accessibility and other needs. Assistance has included:
- Sheltering 989 evacuees at two local hotels, where the City provided additional security and trash pickup
- Housing three dogs at the Animal Shelter; providing pet supplies for 44 pets
- Coordinating with Texas, Louisiana and RISD for temporary schooling for 17 children
- Coordinating with the state for COVID-19 testing
- Arranging for clothes, infant supplies and fuel cards through partner agencies
- Fulfilling prescription needs
- Developing a Hurricane Laura evacuee information sheet and web page
- Developing processes to assist evacuees with returning home
Costs for services provided are covered through state emergency management funds.
