The federal government has spent $200,000 so far assisting Americans arriving from Lebanon, but most able citizens will have to reimburse the government for their domestic expenses.
More than 750 Americans fleeing airstrikes in Beirut have arrived at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport since Thursday and hundreds more are expected on five planes Saturday in Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Once in America, able citizens evacuating Lebanon will have to reimburse the federal government for domestic expenses provided, including cash assistance, airfare vouchers and overnight hotel stays.
But officials said they expect the bulk of expenses to come from transporting the evacuees on chartered flights from Cyprus to the U.S. A State Department spokeswoman declined to estimate those costs until the evacuation is complete, but the department announced Thursday that evacuees will not have to pay for transportation to America.
In Baltimore, the state?s Department of Human Resources and the federal Health and Human Services agencies are providing evacuees with food, airfare, cash assistance for hotel rooms and cab rides, as well as medical and mental counseling.
Officials from both agencies declined to estimate the total cost of the services until the evacuation is complete, but said most travelers will cover their own expenses and few required cash assistance so far.
Others signed promissory notes of reimbursement or used their own money once they arrive, they said.
“There are some people who might have left in a hurry and may have financial means, but don?t have them immediately available,” said Wade Horn, HHS deputy secretary for children and families.
“Their bank isn?t open in the middle of the night, or they forgot a credit card.”
A small percentage of evacuees are truly destitute, Wade said, and will not have to reimburse the government.
Wade says his department operates on a $1 million cap, which Congress can vote to increase.
Maryland?s emergency management spokesman Jeff Welsh said the state is “temporarily” using its funds to cover airport services and costs like overtime for employees, but expects to be reimbursed by the federal government.
