Mayor: Detroit Willing To Accept Evacuees

DETROIT -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Thursday afternoon that the city would open its doors for victims of Hurricane Katrina, Local 4 reported.

Kilpatrick said he has been working with Alphonso Jackson, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other White House officials to find local housing for evacuees.

"We have told the federal government that we here in the city of Detroit are willing to step up and accept evacuees from both Louisiana and Mississippi," Kilpatrick said.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and local hotel owners have also been meeting with city officials and have determined that about 2,000 to 3,000 rooms would be available for hurricane victims, according to the mayor.

Kilpatrick said he also has the cooperation of Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nancy White.

Federal authorities are currently in talks with airline officials about moving evacuees out of southern areas and into other cities, Kilpatrick said.

"We've been in contact with several airlines to tell them that Detroit stands ready to accept families here in our city and in our metropolitan area," he said.

Large barrels in which people can place donations will be placed at select locations in downtown Detroit, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival and Ford Field.

Medical Professionals Team Up For Hurricane Victims

The Detroit Medical Center is among 34 hospitals in Wayne, Washtenaw, Livingston and Monroe counties that are mobilizing volunteer medical personnel to be deployed to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Local health officials plan to set up temporary hospitals with 250 beds each to treat injured or sick people, the station reported.

Michigan health care workers volunteering for the mission will divide into 100-member teams to staff one hospital each. Officials plan to have 10 hospitals running by this weekend and 10 more by next week, the station reported.

"We sort of anticipate what they're going to need and we put the call out and the enrollment is beginning this afternoon at different sites across not only southeastern Michigan, but every hospital in Michigan," said Dr. Jenny Atas, of the DMC. "All of this is being coordinated with the Michigan Department of Community Health in conjunction with the Michigan Hospital Association."

Officials have asked medical personnel not to attempt to go down to hurricane-stricken regions on their own, but to coordinate their efforts with the hospital-organized volunteer effort.

The DMC has set up a form on its Web site for health workers interested in volunteering for the effort.