Volunteers Still Needed - Sept 8 2005

[editor]

DATE: 9/8/2005

NEWS RELEASE - While Resident Population Declines, Volunteers Still Needed

To: Houston Regional Media Outlets

R E L I A N T C E N T E R

J I C

Joint Information Center

NEWS RELEASE

While Resident Population Declines, Volunteers Still Needed

Although the population of residents at Reliant Park and the George R. Brown Convention Center is gradually declining, those remaining still need the help and generosity of Houston area volunteers. Mark Sloan, who coordinates the Harris County Citizen Corps, said, to date, nearly 45,000 people have volunteered locally, but he urges more to get involved.

"We appreciate the response we've received, but we still need help, especially between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.," said Sloan. Individuals and companies wanting to lend a hand should contact Volunteer Houston at 713-965-0031 to sign up. Along with general volunteers, medical professionals remain in great demand.

At last count, the overall population in all of the cities is 8,610. A fact sheet has been distributed that provides a city by city breakdown.

As residents begin to transition to other housing, the Reliant Arena has been closed to general residents. Only about 200 people remain housed there. They are primarily individuals in need of continuing medical care and their immediate family members. All social services with the exception of Social Security and the United States Postal Service are now housed at Reliant Arena.

The Houston Police Department reports that the general security situation remains stable. There have been fewer than 50 total arrests and most of those have been for minor offenses.