Help for Katrina evacuees in Vicksburg got a boost today and during the weekend as more people found homes away from shelters and officials began to accept applications for assistance.

A count of evacuees today showed 393 in the city’s four shelters, down from 588 Sunday.

“Some have received distributions of assistance in one form or another. Some were able to either return home if they could or with relatives,” said volunteer Julie Marcy at a briefing of governmental and volunteer entities at the Joint Command Center established at Vicksburg Convention Center.

An early-morning “nose count” showed 125 at Vicksburg Convention Center, down from 308, First Baptist Church with 124, Bowmar Baptist Church with 122 and Eagle Lake Baptist Church with 22.

Officials with Bowmar Baptist and First Baptist plan to move evacuees into more permanent housing by Friday.

Just after Hurricane Katrina slammed the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts Aug. 29, 1,200 were housed in the shelters – not counting those in homes of family and friends.

Figures released today by MEMA show 116 American Red Cross shelters housing 11,852 evacuees were open in Mississippi. Additionally, five special-needs shelters house 333 patients.

In addition, about 200 evacuees who were receiving USDA food stamps before Hurricane Katrina hit Aug. 29 had made application for and received assurance they would receive assistance from the Warren County Department of Human Services. The applications were available at the DHS offices on Openwood Street and at the shelters.

DHS officials said this morning that another 200 applications were expected to be taken by Thursday.

As for local residents, a DHS news release said Warren County residents not currently receiving food stamps may apply for a one-time expedited allotment as soon as the date, place and other information become available.

Mayor Laurence Leyens said today that, despite earlier announcements, he doesn’t know if local residents affected by the storm will be eligible for assistance.

“The DHS state office contacted us and said they don’t know anything about this,” Leyens said. “The bottom line is DHS does not know when aid will be available.”

FEMA has said it expects to be in Warren County a week from today.

In other developments: