FOCUS ON THE FAMILIES L.A. RELOCATIONS TEMPORARILY HALTED.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday temporarily halted the relocation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to Los Angeles County after many said they didn't want to be that far from their homes and families.

The city and county had identified eight sites that could serve as shelters as well as several other potential sites containing hundreds of beds.

Despite the temporary halt, officials said the Salvation Army and other charities are working to renovate a 120,000-square-foot warehouse in Bell to serve as a shelter. Focus for the short term also will be on aiding evacuees currently staying with family, friends or nonprofit organizations such as the Dream Center.

``Our work is not done simply because FEMA has not evacuated families to our county,'' Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Gloria Molina said. ``Although the formal transfer of evacuees was put on hold, this situation could change again at any moment - and if it does, Los Angeles County must be prepared.''

So far, the county Department of Public Social Services has received more than 500 applications for assistance.

On Friday, the West Angeles Church of God in Christ distributed $25,000 to hurricane victims at the Dream Center in Echo Park, which also held a job fair and received visits from California first lady Maria Shriver and Patti Davis, daughter of former President Reagan.

Meanwhile, Department of Children and Family Services officials said Friday they have located all but one of 85 foster children originally from the county staying with relatives or in pre-adoptive homes in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

Earlier in the week, DCFS officials had been unable to locate 30 of the children.

Sheriff Lee Baca said he planned to send a search-and-rescue helicopter to the last known address of the missing boy, Larry Polk, 14, who has been living with a relative in New Orleans.

``We have the boy's address,'' Undersheriff Larry Waldie said. ``I don't know if that particular address is under water or not, but we'll do everything we can to help locate this boy.''

Dozens of city and county law enforcement officers, firefighters, and public works and health employees are traveling to or already in the Gulf states. Besides medical and law enforcement teams,the county also dispatched an Operational Area Team to New Orleans at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's request to operate city government in conjunction with the remaining New Orleans staff.

More than 100 District Attorney's Office employees have volunteered to go to the Gulf Coast and nine have been chosen.

``It's just so overwhelming that if everybody just does their little part, everybody will benefit,'' said Craig Renetzky, a deputy district attorney in Van Nuys. ``Some people are donating money, other people are donating clothing. It's just as important to donate time to make it all work.''

The county Department of Mental Health has also sent licensed mental health professionals to locations where evacuees are staying to provide mental health services.

``In some cases, current California residents might even feel anxious or depressed after watching the human suffering on television and worrying about family and friends living in the states impacted by the hurricane,'' DMH spokeswoman Kirsten Deichert said. ``They can call our hotline if they need to talk to someone.''

The DMH Access hotline provides 24-hour confidential emergency psychiatric services at [phone].

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Veronica Brown of New Orleans, who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and is now staying at the Dream Center in Los Angeles, tells her story to California first lady Maria Shriver, center, and Patti Davis during a visit Friday.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer