LANSING - Twenty-five workers from the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) departed for Alabama Thursday to assist their colleagues in the Alabama Department of Human Resources in serving survivors of Hurricane Katrina, DHS director Marianne Udow announced today.

“In the days since Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of our DHS workers have asked for the opportunity to serve the victims of the hurricane,” Udow said. “I was very moved – though not surprised – by this response. During my tenure with DHS, I’ve learned that ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ is an everyday occurrence in this department.”

The request for workers on loan came through Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement and partnership that provides a way for states to send personnel who are trained and schooled to help with disaster relief efforts in other states.

The 25 are part of a group of 51 workers from four states – Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland - traveling to Alabama to assist with the disaster food stamp program. After a training session Thursday, the volunteers will work near Mobile, Alabama from Friday, September 23, through Tuesday, September 27.

“As we thank these workers for stepping forward, I also want to salute the DHS leaders and workers who have been on the job night and day since the hurricane, resettling evacuees who have come to Michigan through the efforts of the FEMA, or on their own to be near family,” said Udow. “Hour by hour, these workers have comforted evacuees as they helped them establish themselves in apartments, in schools, and in communities – and formed real bonds with them in the process.”

Latest numbers from around the state put the number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Michigan at over 2,500. Of those, more than 1,000 have sought help from DHS. Just over 300 came to Michigan through FEMA; most of these have been resettled around the state in housing offered by citizens and businesses, many at no cost. The state’s list of housing offers now tops 15,000.