Attention evacuees

* The Texas Department of Transportation urges motorists to avoid travel along Interstate 45, the Gulf Freeway, to Galveston. the highway is closed south of F.M. 519, where the Texas Department of Public Safety set up a checkpoint to review credentials to continue southbound. The Galveston "look and leave" program has been suspended indefinitely, and residents of the Island will not be allowed through the checkpoint. Only residents of Bayou Vista and Tiki Island are being permitted through; however, it is important to note that electrical, water and fuel resources are scarce.

* The Brazos Valley Council of Governments is helping evacuees register with FEMA online. They can register at Workforce Centers in Bryan, Hearne, Centerville and Brenham. Centers in Grimes, Madison and Burleson counties were closed because of power outages.

* Evacuees displaced from their jobs can also apply for unemployment benefits in a Workforce Center office or over the phone.

* Before evacuees return home, they should check with the emergency operations centers in their own counties to see if it is safe.

* Texas residents who evacuated to the Brazos Valley can call 211 from any Texas land line or cell phone to obtain information on how and where to apply for food stamp benefits or to seek additional assistance.

* At the state's request, federal transitional housing assistance is now available to those Texas evacuees with inaccessible or uninhabitable homes. The list of approved hotels/motels can be found at www.femaevachotels.com. Please note that the number of approved hotels/motels is constantly being updated. To register for transitional housing assistance, visit www.fema.gov or call, toll-free, 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585.

Donate blood

Five blood drives have been scheduled over the next four days to help replenish the supply after a decrease in donations blamed on Hurricane Ike.

Patients in the Texas Gulf Coast region require more than 900 blood donations every day, so donors of all blood types are encouraged to help out.

Two drives are organized for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in Bryan: at St. Joseph Catholic High School, 600 S. Coulter St., and the Brazos Center, 3232 Briarcrest Drive, rooms 3 and 4.

Two more are scheduled for Saturday, from 8 to 11 a.m. at Saturn of Aggieland, 197 N. Earl Rudder Freeway in Bryan and from 1 to 5 p.m. at Chick-fil-A, 1729 Texas Ave. in College Station.

A drive has been rescheduled from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Zurek Hall, 1303 Roanoke Road in College Station. This drive was postponed due to the hurricane; it's in honor of Elias Gomez, 7.

For more information, call 764-5600.

Jobs for nurses who are evacuees

Texas Home Health said Wednesday that it was prepared to temporarily hire registered nurses with home care experience who had been displaced by Hurricane Ike.

Contact Texas Home Health at 846-1283 if you want to work. Many homebound patients have been evacuated to cities throughout Texas, and Texas Home Health is hiring to meet this demand.

Help for storm victims

* The federal government granted Texas a waiver to provide emergency food stamps to eligible low-income individuals and families living in any of the 29 counties that were declared disaster areas, including Grimes, Madison and Washington. Current food stamp recipients living in those areas will automatically receive replacements for a portion of their September benefits. Residents of Rusk and Leon counties will receive replacements for a portion of their September benefits because of extensive power outages in those counties.

* For a comprehensive overview of the state's activity related to Hurricane Ike response and recovery, go to www.governor.state.tx.us.

Donating

* Monetary donations are being collected only by the United Way of the Brazos Valley. Contributions should be mailed or dropped off at the United Way office, 909 Southwest Parkway East in College Station. For more information, call the office at 696-4483. Physical donations won't be accepted. Cash donations should not be made through the 211 system because it is being answered by the state.

* Residents also can donate to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Brazos Food Bank, agencies whose resources are being strained. If you wish to donate a particular item, call the Salvation Army to see if it is needed.

* Milam County has established a fund to help evacuees. Financial donations should be labeled "Milam County/Hurricane Ike" and dropped off at the Milam County judge's office or the Milam County emergency management coordinator's office.

Volunteer

* Register online at www.standingready.com.

Aggies

* Texas A&M will grant excused absences through Friday for students who have been directly affected by the storm. Online forms are available at www.tamu.edu/emergency/resources/students.html and www.tamu.edu/emergency/documents/TAMUExcusedAbsenceIke.pdf. Return them as quickly as possible so your professors can be notified. Students will be responsible for making up missed assignments or graded activities. Excused absences after this week will be evaluated case by case.

Beware of scams

This is a perfect time for criminals to ask people for money, lying about where it's going.

* The Texas Attorney General's office said scam artists often lie and say they represent charities giving money to benefit storm victims. Anyone receiving such a call should verify the charity's purpose and request brochures or other literature that describes the organization's relief efforts.

* Meanwhile, homeowners should review their insurance policies to find out what property damage is covered and should be wary of door-to-door contractors offering to make home or roof repairs.

* Before agreeing to buy a new car from a dealer in the area affected by Ike, consumers should look for water lines on the carpet or in the glove compartment.

* Another trick: Be on the lookout for scam artists pretending to be employed by a government agency. Individuals posing as government officials may attempt to obtain bank account numbers or cash from affected residents. Before providing any personal information to someone claiming to be a government official, insist on seeing proper identification.

* More tips: Keep written records and receipts of any potentially fraudulent transactions. If you need help, call the attorney general's consumer complaint hot line at 800- 252-8011 or go online to www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.

Disposing of animal carcasses

* Texas AgriLife Extension Service suggests: To find the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rules and publications on disposal of carcasses at www.tceq.state.tx.us, click on "Hurricane Response: Ike" and look under "Managing Storm Debris."

* Contact the regional office that serves your county or the central office at 512-239-0436 for assistance in obtaining these documents.

* For more information or guidance on building a carcass composting pile, call 806-677-5600 or e-mail

b-auvermann@tamu.edu or mukhtar@tamu.edu.

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