Katrina Refugees Line Up for Debit Cards

By PAM EASTON
Associated Press Writer

September 8, 2005, 4:24 PM EDT


HOUSTON -- Because of a misunderstanding, hundreds of Katrina refugees crowded impatiently outside the Astrodome on Thursday, waiting for the debit cards that had been promised by relief agencies.

Some were overcome by the heat and taken away by ambulance. Police had to be called in for crowd control.

"We have a very dynamic situation outside," said Coast Guard Lt. Joseph Leonard, who is heading up the shelter operation.

The cards, which enable storm victims to buy necessities, were made available by the American Red Cross.

Late Wednesday and early Thursday, the Red Cross handed Astrodome residents cards with an appointment time to receive their debit cards. But many survivors -- because of either confusion or eagerness to have some money in their pockets -- started lining up outside the processing center across from the Astrodome before dawn.

As the sun rose, the crowd grew and hundreds were milling about.

Those who qualified for the cards -- and were hardy enough to wait five hours in line -- were given them on the spot. The amount of money on the debit card depended on the size of the applicant's household.

As for the large turnout, Leonard said: "We are refining our process now. This is the largest shelter operation in U.S. history. None of us have a playbook."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday that it would issue its own debit cards, for up to $2,000 each. Word quickly spread through the Astrodome and refugees began to seek them out, but workers said the distribution of those cards would not place for a couple of days.

Shalon Matthews, 30, a New Orleans hotel worker, said the long lines were just part of her post-Katrina life.

"We are kind of used to all of the processing going on," she said. "It's second nature now. We know they can only do so much. We have nowhere else to go."

Relester Cain, 39, of New Orleans waited for five hours but emerged with a debit card. The wait was hard, she said, but "it was worth it."

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Details About Hurricane Aid Debit Cards

By The Associated Press

September 8, 2005, 3:31 PM EDT


Details about the debit cards that the government is giving hurricane victims evacuated to the Astrodome in Houston:

* $2,000 per household.

* Recipients get a card and a PIN number. Funds will be loaded onto the card within 24 hours.

* Cards can be used at any automated cash machine or any location that accepts bank cards with the MasterCard logo.

* Debit cards also may be offered in other large shelters, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

* In other natural disasters, the agency has provided similar amounts of money via checks or automatic funds transfers. Those methods are being used this time, too.

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