Helping Hands Roundup

Emergency response teams from around the Washington region had set out to help hurricane victims as early as Tuesday, and the effort continues. Some of the latest action:

In Virginia, 22 sheriff's deputies from Loudoun County set out to help restore order to Jefferson Parish in New Orleans. Gov. Mark R. Warner has enacted the Virginia Emergency Operations Center to coordinate assistance efforts throughout the state.

In the District yesterday, about 250 military veterans displaced by the hurricane were welcomed at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Northwest Washington (video). City officials were also working on a plan to bring as many as 400 refugees to the D.C. Armory. Volunteers who have trained through the District's Emergency Management Agency are also preparing to head south.

And in Maryland, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. deployed two medical vans staffed with nurses.

Area schools are also responding as hurricane victims seek shelter in the region. Maryland and Virginia have ordered schools to enroll students as if they were homeless, bypassing the normal requirements.

By  |  September 2, 2005; 8:41 AM ET  | Category:  Disaster Assistance
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