Abilene ready to shelter Rita evacuees

From the city of Abilene:

ABILENE, Texas – The City of Abilene, in cooperation with the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, stands ready to provide mass care shelter for Hurricane Rita evacuees, according to the city’s mass shelter plan.

The Salvation Army facility at 1709 Butternut Street is already open and ready to shelter up to 100 evacuees. When that shelter begins to reach capacity, the City of Abilene will open its G.V. Daniels Recreation Center, 541 North 8th Street (corner of North 8th and Treadaway) as a mass care shelter. The local Red Cross will supervise and staff the shelter. Meals will be provided by ARAMARK, the company that provides dining services to Abilene’s three universities. An additional City of Abilene recreation center will be on standby for use as a shelter if necessary.

All Rita evacuees needing shelter are asked to report to the G.V. Daniels Center to register for assistance or to telephone 2-1-1 Texas A Call for Help. The Texas Department of Public Safety has placed informational signs on highways coming into Abilene to direct people needing shelter to phone 2-1-1 Texas or the Salvation Army at 325-677-1408. The TxDOT message boards are located east of the Elmdale exit on I-20, on Hwy. 36 near Abilene Regional Airport and near the intersection of FM 707 and US 83/84 south of Abilene.

Citizens who want to help in some way with the sheltering effort are invited to contribute to the Abilene-Taylor County Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 82, Abilene, Texas 79604. This fund supports the efforts of the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and other local nonprofits providing services to Gulf Coast guests in the Abilene community. The shelter locations will not be equipped to accept donations of materials or supplies.