The last Vicksburg shelter for evacuees of Hurricane Rita was closed this morning, as parts of three families were housed in area hotels.

“We’re headed back to the office to see how we can service the rest of them still staying in the area,” said Emergency Services Coordinator Janice Sawyer.

Calvary Baptist Church served as a shelter, housing as many as 43 evacuees last weekend, mostly from southwest Louisiana and the upper Texas coast.

Calls poured into the local chapter office all day Wednesday, Sawyer said, concerning applications for both Katrina and Rita.

“We will not service them with assistance for both storms,” Sawyer said, adding that national headquarters only sent the new list of ZIP codes for Rita assistance Wednesday afternoon.

As for their efforts with local residents who had property damage due to last weekends floods, damage assessment teams with Red Cross again staged a service center at Porters Chapel United Methodist Church Wednesday.

Residents were given vouchers, redeemable at selected retail outlets, for food, cleaning supplies and clothing.

“Our guidelines are to shelter and to feed. We’re meeting those needs,” Sawyer said.

As for federal aid in Warren County, officials with FEMA confirmed 3,960 county residents have registered for individual federal assistance, either via the national hotline or the agency’s Web site.

An office to assist evacuees and locals was delayed indefinitely.

Statewide, 447,388 residents have applied for assistance, with the agency paying out $409,482,993.43 in aid money.

Those not registered for federal assistance can do so by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by logging on to www.fema.gov.

Most registrants will receive an information pack at a location they can receive mail. The 14 Disaster Relief Centers in Mississippi are set up to answer questions and provide other advice, such as with Social Security and low-interest loans for small business.

“They can ask about the status of their claim, they can see where things stand,” said Kati Corsaut, a public information officer with the agency’s Joint Information Center in Jackson.

DRCs currently in operation in Mississippi are in Jackson, Purvis, Hattiesburg, Laurel, McComb, Biloxi, Gulfport, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Pass Christian, Picayune, Poplarville and Waveland.

The Jackson center, closest of the 14 to Vicksburg, is located in the Metro Center in the Old Ruby Tuesday’s, 3645 U.S. 80, Suite 1002.