Contrary to rumor, evacuees not expected in the Hudson Valley

Monroe — A report that Stewart Air Base in New Windsor would be processing 500 evacuees from the flooded Gulf Coast region for re-location in the Hudson Valley was "speculation," said Dennis Mischalski, assistant director of communications for New York State Emergency Management. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has stopped all flights because temporary housing is no longer needed, said Mischalski. Most evacuees have asked to remain as close to their homes as possible. If the need should arise, Governor George Pataki said, New York stands ready. The governor has said the state was ready to receive 5,000 people from the flood-ravaged area. There is, however, a need for a national inventory of longer-term housing that would accommodate evacuees for six to 18 months. Pataki has announced a "NYS Katrina hot line" — 1-888-7-NYS-AID — that is now in operation Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the need for vacant housing, the governor is asking that evacuees who have moved into the state through relatives, friends, or church organizations to also call the hot line so that they may receive the support and benefits they deserve. The Monroe-Woodbury School District has received calls from one or two local residents inquiring what the procedure would be if a niece or nephew came to live with them. "We would accept those children who have gone through such a tragedy with open arms," said John Canzoneri, interim superintendent .