Governor Rell Announces Statewide Effort to Collect Supplies
for School Nurses� Offices in Louisiana
On Katrina Anniversary, Governor Sends Message to Gulf States:
Connecticut Stands Ready to Help
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Governor M. Jodi Rell today is calling on Connecticut residents, businesses and schools to join her in undertaking another statewide relief effort to aid the people of the Gulf States region who are still coping with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Governor Rell is seeking donations to help schools in Louisiana replenish healthcare-related supplies used in school nurses� offices and school-based clinics. The list of supplies needed by school nurses include the following: new, unopened boxes of band-aids (assorted sizes); calamine lotion; cotton balls; dental floss; flashlights and batteries; gauze and gauze rollers; Kleenex; gloves; Q-tips; liquid soap in a pump; adhesive tape; thermometers; tongue depressors; and tweezers.
�Tuesday marks the first anniversary of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. The images we have seen on television and newspapers remind us that the Gulf States, especially Louisiana and Mississippi, are long way from full recovery and are still rebuilding. Connecticut again stands ready to help in anyway we can,� Governor Rell said.
Governor Rell spoke with Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana last week in anticipation of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Noting how generous the people of Connecticut were last year to the relief effort, Governor Rell asked Governor Blanco how the people and businesses of Connecticut could help this year. Governor Blanco said that with the start of the school year, school nurses� offices need to be restocked after their respective schools were decimated by the hurricane.
Governor Rell�s staff has also contacted the office of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to make the same offer regarding donated supplies for school nurses� offices.
�The relief effort demonstrated by our state last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina showed how compassionate and generous the people and businesses of Connecticut can be in times of need. I was deeply touched by the citizens� response. Now, as children head back to school in Louisiana and Mississippi, one way we can continue to help is by making sure school nurses have everything they need to deliver appropriate care to students on a daily basis,� Governor Rell said.
The following Connecticut National Guard armories have been designated for drop-off sites for the recommended supplies: State Armory in Hartford at 360 Broad Street in Hartford; New Haven Armory at 290 Goffe Street in New Haven; New London Armory at 249 Bayonet Street; Norwich Armory at 38 Stott Avenue in Norwich; Stratford Armory at 63 Armory Road in Stratford; and the Waterbury Armory at 64 Field Street in Waterbury.
The armories will be collecting the school health-care related supplies starting Thursday, August 31 through Friday, September 8. The armories will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday over Labor Day weekend. The armories will be open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Last year, Governor Rell launched a statewide hurricane relief effort to help aid the residents of the Gulf States immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Tens of thousands of bottles of water, pallets full of food, diapers, blankets, tarps, tents and animal food were brought to Connecticut armories and then flown and trucked to the GulfState region.
