Jackson Free Press

Facing a growing crisis with evacuees who have been ejected from the Mississippi Coliseum and other shelters, with some now reportedly without a shelter over their heads and now sleeping in cars, Mayor Frank Melton told WAPT that he is going to send city workers to help the Red Cross speed the process:

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton has signed an emergency order allowing city employees to volunteer Monday with the Red Cross in hopes of providing more timely assistance to Hurricane Katrina victims. Melton said about 200 city workers will spread out across the city to speed up the emergency aid process for storm victims.

"Under this emergency order, I'm going to let a lot of city employees go over and work under the direction of the Red Cross to make sure people get processed in a timely manner," Melton said.
Melton said storm victims have waited in long lines outside the Mississippi Trademart for days. He said he hopes his emergency order will help ease the frustration that is mounting among those needing help.

"I'm not going to have human beings sleeping in the streets of Jackson, Miss., waiting to be serviced by the Red Cross, the federal government, or anybody else. We can do better than that," he said.