The establishment of a FEMA office to assist evacuees has been delayed indefinitely, Warren County Emergency Management director L.W. Callaway said.

“They won’t even go out on a limb and give us a date anymore,” Callaway said.

Callaway spoke with officials with the federal agency today. Their staffing resources are still focused on assisting residents of the Gulf Coast, he said.

“We’re blessed that we don’t have people living in roofless homes up here, but at the same time the immediate need is down south,” Callaway said.

For weeks, Callaway’s office has been in contact with officials at the joint MEMA/FEMA headquarters in Jackson. Today was the earliest date given for FEMA to set up an office here.

For the time being, evacuees were urged to register for federal assistance online at www.fema.gov or by calling the agency’s hotline at 1-800-621-3362.

Once set up with a registration number, a representative of FEMA will coordinate with the registrant at their property.

In other developments: