NASA has opened a dedicated toll-free number to take information and provide assistance to individuals seeking information about family members that may be sheltering at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., or the Michoud Assembly Facility, near New Orleans.
The NASA Hurricane Relief Call Center is: 1-877-470-5240.
Inquiries From the Public
Members of the public who have general questions about NASA’s Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts can call:
866/779-7462
NASA can also take e-mail inquiries from the public about general storm recovery activities. Use "Assistance – Katrina" in the subject line, and send to:
public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov
Recovery efforts at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans are progressing better than originally anticipated, almost three weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck. Power has been restored to the entire complex where space shuttle external fuel tanks are made. Temporary repairs have been made to damaged buildings.
Due to the progress, the Space Shuttle program has decided to keep tank work at Michoud. The program had explored the option of moving some tank work to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Officials determined that by the time Kennedy's facilities were outfitted to do tank work, Michoud would already be operational. The agency is now assessing the work force needed to start and maintain minimal operations at Michoud. The main priority will be to ensure temporary housing for NASA civil servants and contractors whose homes were destroyed by Katrina.
Preparations are also under way to ship two external tanks from Kennedy back to Michoud by barge. External tank #120 is expected to arrive at Michoud in early October. It will be examined and portions of it dissected to better understand why foam came off during Space Shuttle Discovery's launch last July. External tank #119 will be sent back to Michoud in late October.
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin recently spoke to agency employees after touring the installations. He praised workers who oversaw agency facilities during and after the storm. "You can't buy the kind of dedication that I saw down there from our folks for money, for any amount of money," he said. "It is not about salary or about holding a job. It is about dedication to the program."
Administrator Griffin also stated that NASA wants to make certain that our colleagues and their families affected by Hurricane Katrina get the help they need. The NASA Family Assistance Fund will provide a grant of up to $400 and an interest free loan of up to $600 for people living in declared disaster areas.
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