Host states count Katrina costs

A worker of SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) rescues a dog in the flooded streets of New Orleans Friday. Rescuers claps their hands to catch the attention of the dogs until they start barking. Hundreds of animals were abandoned during the evacuation of the city after Hurricane Katrina devastation. PHOTO: AFP

It may be weeks before they have a firm handle on the amount of the costs, but state officials said on Friday they were spending to help evacuees first and would sort out their costs later with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Fema has promised us 100 percent reimbursement on our expenses," said Jim Harris, a spokesman for Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "The governor said he didn't want to hear about one human need that did not get met because of the paperwork."

Arkansas had at least 60,000 evacuees early this week, including people who left neighbouring Louisiana on their own before the storm hit. But that number is rapidly shifting as people start to make alternative arrangements to leave shelters, he said.

Harris said it was impossible to gauge how much is being spent at the state and local level, but added that many church groups had stepped in to offer help, including camp facilities.

Huckabee initially has set aside $10 million from the state's emergency fund to aid the disaster relief operations.

Texas has more than 202,000 evacuees, including about 97,000 at shelters and another 105,000 in hotels, private homes and other locations, according to the state's Emergency Management Division.

"We've asked for all Texas officials to keep an accurate accounting of costs that are directly related to the relief effort so that we can ensure these are reimbursed," said Steve McCraw, director of the state's Office of Homeland Security.

It is not yet clear whether all expenses will be covered, but McCraw said he wants documentation for everything just in case -- from police overtime to hotel bills to school expenses for evacuees.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has appealed to the federal government to cover millions of dollars in Medicaid funds that the state will pay to care for evacuees.