Evacuation Centers Open In North Texas As Laura Nears

Four evacuation centers for people leaving the Texas coast because of Hurricane Laura have been opened around the state. Those centers are in San Antonio, Austin, Mesquite and Ennis.

The Mesquite location is on I-20 at the Mesquite Reception Center. It is set up to provide aid to people evacuated on buses provided by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Staffers from the Texas State Guard are at the location to help people sign up for the Emergency Tracking Network.

"It's a system to provide a way to keep track of individuals evacuating areas rom the coast to inland shelter ares," said Wayne Larson, Director of Communications and Marketing for the City of Mesquite. "They'll be assigned a bar coded bracelet and that way the state can keep track of their whereabouts throughout this event."

The evacuation centers will not serve as overnight shelters.

"Its primary focus is to meet the short-term needs of the evacuees," said Larson. "This is not designed to have any long term sheltering or support services. It's basically a rest top on their way to their final destination in this event."

Large gatherings are still discouraged in north Texas because of the spread of COVID-19.

People evacuating because of the storm will be directed to find their own hotel rooms. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has signed an emergency order to set up a system to provide hotel rooms for people displaced by the storm. Dallas County and the City of Dallas will fund the program and expect to be fully reimbursed by the State of Texas.

The evacuation center in Ennis is located at the Knights of Columbus Hall along I-45 just north of Creechville Road. It is set up for people who self-evacuated from the Houston and Galveston region. People passing through can receive information about aid from FEMA and local non-profit agencies such as the American Red Cross. They will also be provided information about finding hotel rooms and shelters for their pets. The evacuation center is not designed for overnight accommodations.

The San Antonio evacuation center is located in an industrial area on Gembler Road between I-10 and I-35 on the city's west side. The Austin evacuation center is at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in southeast Travis County.

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