As the University looks to accommodate displaced students and help rebuild at least one academic institution destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, Providence city officials and citizens have sought to provide everything from rescue assistance to pet supplies for a broader population of the storm's victims.
Shortly after the hurricane hit, Mayor David Cicilline '83 contacted the U.S. Conference of Mayors to offer Providence's support to mayors and citizens of the Gulf Coast. At the same time, local and state emergency agencies began operating under a unified chain of command designated for extreme situations, even though the disaster hit nearly 1,500 miles away.
"With state, local, public and private agencies all working together, it was amazing to see that with that much bureaucracy at play, so much was able to happen," said Angie Moncada, communications director for the Rhode Island Red Cross.
Although City Hall has not explicitly coordinated relief efforts, Cicilline has publicly urged Providence residents to assist in charitable efforts. Over the weekend, he attended an event concerning U.S. cities' response to Katrina. In an official capacity, he has approved both the departure of city workers for the Gulf Coast and the entry of evacuees into the city.
"Like other cities, we have felt for the victims of the hurricane, and we have felt the need to help and reach out," said Karen Southern, Cicilline's press secretary.
Requests for help on the Gulf Coast have come largely from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and have then been answered by state and local emergency agencies.
Rhode Island's emergency agency organized the resettlement of 106 Gulf Coast evacuees who arrived in Quonset on a private aircraft commissioned by FEMA, said Peter Marinucci, deputy director of the Providence Emergency Man-agement Agency.
Some individuals transported by FEMA have since left to reunite with family elsewhere, but those remaining are being housed with "self-evacuees" - people who fled on their own - in a former Navy housing complex in Middletown.
"(The apartments) were spiffed up and put into use right away," Marinucci said.
PEMA workers also assisted the resettlement by accounting for evacuees using a photo identification system.
Meanwhile, as PEMA has been preparing and providing for evacuees, more than a dozen city employees have departed for the Gulf Coast since Katrina hit.
After a request from FEMA for additional rescue workers, Cicilline last week encouraged Providence Fire Chief David Costa to dispatch seven firefighters from the city's force. Now in Hancock County, Miss., the firefighters were trained as part of Rhode Island's Urban Search and Rescue Team - formed two years ago to respond to large-scale disasters - and are at work searching the debris of collapsed buildings for bodies.
Six other Providence firefighters were released by Cicilline earlier this month and are still in Louisiana, where Assistant Chief Michael Dillon said they are assisting in administrative duties as well as rescue efforts, allowing local workers to tend to their own lives after little or no time off in the past month.
The firefighters are operating under FEMA, not the fire department, but Dillon said the station communicates with the firefighters daily via e-mail.
Although eight Newport firefighters scheduled to depart last week for New Orleans were held up by Hurricane Rita, those from Providence have not reported any disruption.
"Their spirits are very high, and you know ... the thing could have been run better, but they're down there doing their part," he said.
The firefighters' living conditions are less than comfortable, Dillon said. But he added that these circumstances are "what these guys volunteered for." So far, their only requests have been for new apparel.
"We sent them down some shirts because FEMA is not exactly people's favorite government agency, and some people wearing FEMA shirts were getting threatened," he said.
Rhode Island National Guard troops have also been sent to the Gulf Coast by the Department of Defense, which coordinates National Guard activities. Although most of these 171 relief workers dispatched to the region have since returned, a 15-person airlift supply team remains on the ground, bringing supplies to those in need, said Lt. Col. Michael McNamara.
Even as state and city officials have responded to every direct request for support in the Gulf Coast's recovery, Pro-vidence citizens have surprised seasoned Red Cross workers by donating money and belongings, surpassing the organization's expectations.
As of Sept. 20, the Rhode Island Red Cross chapter alone had received $1.1 million in donations. That figure does not recognize donations Rhode Islanders may have made to the Red Cross nationally, Moncada said.
The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received 60 tons of food and supplies from civilians, intended for animals affected by the disaster. The Providence Journal reported that these unanticipated donations exceeded RISPCA's ability to transport goods to the region.
Moncada said Rhode Island Red Cross workers have been training local residents eager to go to the Gulf Coast, and the chapter has already sent 385 volunteers to do everything from hand out water to manage Red Cross operations. In addition to answering individuals' inquiries as to how they can help from home, Rhode Island Red Cross workers are assisting the nearly 400 self-evacuees and other evacuees sent officially by FEMA.
Those resettled in Middle-town have been given personal care products donated by CVS, furniture from Cardi's and other items from Ocean State Job Lot.
"As long as we have space, we'll continue to bring in other people who have come to Rhode Island," Moncada said.
A month on, she added, "we're really in high gear for Katrina response."
