The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and registrars throughout the state are part of a nationwide effort to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees obtain free copies of their birth certificates.

About 3,000 Gulf Coast residents who fled the hurricane relocated in New Jersey. Many will need certified copies of birth certificates to enroll children in school, and to secure housing, medical assistance and employment.

“Our hearts go out to the thousands of victims that have been displaced,” said Acting Governor Richard J. Codey. “These records are a vital necessity in order for many to get back on their feet and reclaim their lives. New Jersey is proud to be able to pitch in and do whatever possible to make that happen.”

The State of Louisiana is operating with about 10 percent of its normal workforce. New Jersey and other states are providing this vital records service through their affiliation with the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, which set up the process with the Louisiana Vital Records office.

Evacuees born in Louisiana and residing in New Jersey who need birth certificates should report to the DHSS Office of Vital Statistics in Trenton, or the local registrar’s Office of Vital Records. Evacuees will need to fill out a form and provide identification. Processing time is two weeks.

To locate a local registrar, evacuees living in New Jersey may call 2-1-1 or access a list posted at http://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/regbycnty.shtml.

“Katrina robbed its victims of their homes, schools and communities,” said New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D. “In New Jersey, we want to make it easier for the evacuees to begin restoring their lives and accessing the assistance they need. It’s really the least we can do.”