<p>Massachusetts to take about 2,500 refugees from hurricane</p>
<p>By Theo Emery, Associated Press Writer | September 4, 2005</p>
<p>FRAMINGHAM, Mass. --Massachusetts will take in about 2,500 Hurricane Katrina refugees in coming days, sheltering them on Cape Cod for up to two months and likely resettling some permanently in the Bay State, Gov. Mitt Romney said Sunday.</p>
<p>Romney said federal emergency officials told him Sunday to prepare for the evacuees, who will arrive in two to three days, and will be temporarily housed at Camp Edwards on Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod.</p>
<p>Otis has many amenities to accommodate the large numbers, including beds, a school, medical facilities, a gymnasium and a movie theater, he said.</p>
<p>"We have instituted Operation Helping Hands, indicating that the compassion of the people of Massachusetts is as large as our hearts and that we're going to be helping those who are victims of the tragedy in the Gulf," Romney said at a news conference at the state Emergency Management Agency headquarters.</p>
<p>Romney had no estimate of the cost of the effort, but said that it would be shared with the federal government.</p>
<p>"I want to point out at the beginning that cost is not one of our considerations. Compassion is coming first," Romney said. "We're going to worry about the money at another time."</p>
<p>Romney added that the state has a budget surplus this year, so he expects that the costs of the relocation effort can be covered.</p>
<p>The governor said that most, if not all, of the evacuees would be flown directly to Otis. The exceptions would likely be people with severe medical needs, who would fly directly into Logan International Airport in Boston for transport to area hospitals.</p>
<p>It was unclear which area of the hurricane-ravaged region the refugees would be coming from, but Romney said it was likely they were being transferred from shelters in Texas, where many refugees have been placed.</p>
<p>Romney described a massive mobilization to help the evacuees that would meet both their immediate and long-term needs.</p>
<p>The first phase of the effort will be triage when the planes arrive at Otis, to determine the medical needs of the evacuees, who they are and whether they have identification. If they don't, the state plans to provide them with a new temporary state ID, Romney said.</p>
<p>After the refugees are settled, officials will do a more detailed assessment of their needs, such as whether their children need schools, if counseling is needed and whether family members are still lost.</p>
<p>Romney predicted that refugees would only be at Otis for one to two months, but then some would settle permanently in the state. The governor said Massachusetts would have to help some of evacuees get jobs, find housing and transportation.</p>
<p>"Some will decide they want to stay here on a permanent basis, and we're happy to have them do so," he said. "Others will only need two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, and then they're going to want to go home."</p>
<p>Romney also predicted that thousands more people will probably follow on the tails of the first wave -- friends and family who will join the original wave.</p>
<p>There had been confusion on Saturday as to where evacuees would go, after Boston Mayor Tom Menino said he was offering up the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Menino said Sunday that the center "remains ready" to take in evacuees if needed.</p>
<p>"We've appreciated the ideas that have come from many cities," Romney said. "A lot of suggestions have been raised. As we met together, with all of our staff, it's clear that Camp Edwards offers resources that really can't be met in any other facility in the state."</p>