ST. PAUL - The on-and-off Minnesota effort to host Hurricane Katrina evacuees apparently is off for good.
Minnesota officials received word this afternoon that they should not expect evacuees to be flown to Minnesota, said Brian McClung, Gov. Tim Pawlenty's press secretary.
Nearly 400 evacuees have come to the state on their own - mostly to stay with family and friends - but the Federal Emergency Management Agency no longer plans to send groups of evacuees.
That means the National Guard will end preparations to house up to 5,000 evacuees at Camp Ripley. A team of about 600 military and civilian personnel had been put together to care for hurricane survivors after federal officials asked Minnesota to accept 3,000 to 5,000 people.
McClung said some evacuees still could find their way into Minnesota if other states do not have enough housing for them. Local and state officials have found about 3,000 homes and apartments that could be made available to evacuees.
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Minnesota officials have waited a week and a half to find out how their facilities might be used to help those displaced by the hurricane. They geared up Labor Day weekend for immediately accepting some evacuees, but last week FEMA officials said most Gulf Coast residents did not want to be settled so far away from their homes.
FEMA's decision to not send evacuees to Minnesota came hours after the state's top elected officials unanimously voted to make it easier for them to receive benefits from state health and welfare programs.
Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer said that even if few evacuees come to Minnesota, the state still is involved in relief efforts.
"There is a lot of Minnesota going down there," she said after surveying aid collection sites for Katrina survivors.
