In the District suburbs, emergency workers do not expect to evacuate residents in most emergency scenarios, but they are planning to receive evacuees from other areas as they did after Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast.
Networks of local charities formed to aid evacuees fleeing from Katrina were strengthened by lessons learned in that effort, Maryland Department of Human Resources officials told participants of a severe-weather conference in Columbia Tuesday.
The Baltimore/Washington region played host to more than 4,000 evacuees who fled Louisiana and Mississippi, some permanently, last fall, said DHR recovery specialist Victoria Rideout.
While the immediate food, shelter and clothing provided to evacuees at the D.C. Armory gained regional attention, mental health aid for those still in Maryland will continue past the first anniversary this August, said Laura Copland, director of behavioral health disaster services for the Mental Hygiene Administration.
“People are now very disillusioned — not only the survivors, but people are saying, ‘What if this happens here?’ ” she said.
Those who fled the Gulf Coast went through a variety of emotional states, and state mental health workers say people who have not asked for assistance before are coming forward even now.
As the anniversary of Katrina approaches, Copland said, they plan to keep in touch with evacuees to deal with any issues that arise.
