San Diego shelter sees hundreds of Katrina refugees

By: North County Times wire services
September 10, 2005

SAN DIEGO - Hundreds of people were served by the local chapter of the American Red Cross Saturday at its newly opened assistance center in San Diego to aid Gulf Coast families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

The Family Assistance Center, located at 4579 Mission Gorge Place, opened its doors at 8 a.m. Saturday and the folks started streaming in, Red Cross spokesperson Gayle Falkenthal said.

Numerous agencies and organizations at the center will provide one-stop access to food, clothing, household goods, furniture, healthcare, housing, schools, transportation, employment, child care and recreation.

The Red Cross workers will hand out debit cards to victims so they can make their own purchases in a way convenient to them.

Alcohol or cigarettes will not be allowed as purchases on the debit cards, however, said Falkenthal.

The assistance center is near a San Diego Trolley stop to allow people access to transportation.

The anticipated airlift of hundreds of people promised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency never arrived but hundreds have come anyway, Falkenthal said.

As of yesterday, 170 households, with a total 393 people, had contacted the Red Cross for assistance.

About 80 of those 393 people were those brought here by private airlift arranged by San Diego businessman David Perez.

The evacuees all week had been staying at the Manchester Hyatt Hotel -- paid for by Perez -- but the Red Cross took over their care Saturday, placing them in a Holiday Inn not far from the Manchester.

Because it was clear that it would be a hardship for the storm victims to make several trips to the Kearny Mesa Red Cross headquarters for help with various issues, the agency decided to open

the one-stop center, Falkenthal said.

"This center will allow us to put all the key agencies together under one roof so evacuees can get help in one convenient location," said Ronne Froman, chief executive officer of the local Red Cross chapter.

The Salvation Army will provide meals and snacks at the center, and Catholic Charities arranged for the use of the space.

Two fund-raisers are also being held Saturday to benefit hurricane victims.

Seaport Village planned to host a free hurricane relief concert with the North Park Rock and Blues band beginning at 1 p.m. Additionally, the venue will donate 10 percent of its gross sales from the day to storm aid.

An "Art, Wine and Hope" fund-raiser will be held at a private residence in North Park at 5 p.m. to benefit victims of Katrina who are HIV-positive and cannot get needed medication.