Published: September 23, 2008 07:25 pm      

Ike at a glance for Tuesday evening

LSC-O

LSC-O will resume classes on Monday, October 6. Details about class resumption and the calendar for the Fall semester are posted on our website.

Faculty and staff should report to the Academic Center on Monday, October 29 for a 10 a.m. briefing on the status of campus recovery. Staff and faculty should report for duty as usual on Tuesday, October 30.



Red Cross update

As residents continue returning to Orange County following Hurricane Ike, the Red Cross today announces the opening of an additional shelter in Orange County at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 1600 N. Main St., Vidor, TX 77662. This shelter complements one at West Orange Middle School that opened yesterday at North 13th St., Orange, TX 77630. These shelters will provide evacuees a safe place to sleep, shower, minor fist-aid, counseling and hot meals as they begin their recovery effort. People coming to Red Cross shelters should bring: pillows and bedding; diapers and formula for children; prescription medicines; toiletries; and food to meet any special dietary needs. At this time, Red Cross shelters cannot accommodate pets.

Further resources in the Orange County community are as follows:

1. The Red Cross and FEMA have coordinated to provide hot meals from lunch to dinner at VFW Post 2775, 5303 16th St., Orange, TX 77630. Service time is 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

2. Hot food will be provided from mobile Emergency Response Vehicles at lunch and dinner at the Bridge City Wal-Mart point-of-distribution and Rose City Hall. Mobile feeding from additional Emergency Response Vehicles will be covering the West Orange, Rose City and Bridge City communities distributing lunch and dinner.

3. The Red Cross and the Baptist Disaster Relief team are partnering to provide hot meals at Old First Orange Baptist Church, 7929 IH-10 East, Orange, Texas. Meals are served 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and from 4:30-7:00 p.m.



Tetanus vaccinations

Orange County Health Department will be at the Bridge City Community Center Wednesday, September 24th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. or while supplies last, to give the Tetanus vaccination. People over the age of 64 or under the age of 25 are advised not to get the vaccination.



West Orange-Cove ISD reopens

West Orange-Cove ISD schools will reopen for classes on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

All schools will be prepared to welcome students, with the exception of North Early Learning Center. Students who attend North Early Learning Center will attend Oates Elementary campus.

All campuses will observe an abbreviated school day. Elementary students will attend classes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Middle School and High School students will attend classes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all students. Bottled water will also be available.

Standardized dress will not be required.

Transportation to and from school will also be provided to all students.

First Student Transportation asks parents to know that prekindergarten and elementary students will only be allowed to get off of a school bus at the end of the day if their individual parent/guardian is at the home/shelter to receive them.

Transportation will also be provided to students who are displaced due to the Hurricane and living locally, although these students may be out of the WO-C school district zones. This includes WO-C students currently displaced and living with extended family in the Little Cypress and Vinton areas. Please notify First Student Transportation regarding these special transportation needs at 886-1855.



OC donations

We are receiving citizen and community inquires regarding Hurricane Ike. The calls primarily involve citizens who want to offer assistance or make donations to Hurricane Ike victims. It is important that such good intentions do not create the potential for a disaster within a disaster. Therefore people who wish to offer assistance should do so in as effective a manner as possible.

Individuals or organizations that want to provide assistance to victims of hurricane IKE should first work through their local disaster relief organizations. These may include the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the Texas Baptist Men Feeding Organization, the Adventist Community Services, the Second Harvest Food Banks, etc. People can find these organizations listed in the Telephone Book Yellow Pages under "Social Service Organizations."

Cash is the best contribution since items can be purchased within the affected areas to meet the specific needs of victims. To contribute cash, contributions should be sent to the Orange Chapter of the American Red Cross.

If people prefer to donate goods or service, they should still work through their local disaster relief organizations. These organizations know the immediate needs of people in the affected areas, how best to meet those needs, and how to ensure assistance is appropriate, adequate, and delivered to the right places. The disaster relief organizations can tell potential donors what is needed and what is not needed and how to package and transport those goods that are needed to the disaster area.

We encourage people not to send unsolicited donations to the disaster area. Unsolicited donations may not reach the proper people or even would meet their current needs. If donors plan to travel to the disaster area, they may find that lodging and other services are unavailable and they may add to problems in the disaster area rather than helping.