The City of Chicago improved its service delivery and emergency preparedness programs as a result of Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Richard M. Daley said today.

Six months after the hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast, the Mayor joined officials of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago to thank the many Chicago volunteers who helped in the relief effort and to review the steps the city has taken as a result of the disaster.

“Emergency preparedness starts with local citizens and with local government,” Daley said at a news conference at Red Cross headquarters, 2200 W. Harrison St. “If a disaster strikes Chicago, we won’t wait for the federal government to step in. The City, the American Red Cross and other public and not-for-profit agencies will be ready. And we want every resident of the Chicago area to be ready, as well.”

Shortly after the hurricane struck, the City opened a welcome center at Fosco Park for evacuees from the Gulf Coast region. It was staffed by representatives of the Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, the CTA and the City Departments of Health, Human Services, Aging and Housing, as well as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the United Way.

The welcome center served more than 7,000 evacuees, enrolled 251 children in the Chicago Public Schools, found housing for more than 800 people; and placed 2,061 families in case management.

The Fosco Park Welcome Center was the model for the City’s new Chicago Works For You Service Fairs, which are providing city residents with one-stop shopping for a wide array of services related to education, employment, health, finance, housing, senior citizen support, small businesses, special needs and transportation.

“It worked so well for hurricane evacuees, we decided it could work equally well for our own residents,” Daley said.

Eighteen City departments, two state agencies and 20 private or non-profit organizations are providing everything from tax assistance to blood pressure tests to food stamp applications at the service fairs.

The first fair, at Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St., attracted nearly 1,000 people. Additional fairs will be held April; 6-8 at Little Village High Schools, 3100 S. Kostner Ave.; May 18-20 at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.; July 13-15 in the Humboldt Park community; August 24-26 at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, 250 E. 111th St., and November 2-4 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.

Daley said Hurricane Katrina also provided the impetus for the Alert Chicago campaign, which tells people how to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The information is available at www.alertchicago.comand in brochures available at libraries, schools and aldermanic offices.

“The people in the Gulf region who planned ahead and paid attention were the ones who fared best,” Daley said. “There is no substitute for public awareness. Each of us has a responsibility to prepare ourselves and our families for an emergency – whether it’s a fire, tornado, blizzard or terrorist attack.”

In addition, Daley said, several City departments have been working together on programs for special populations who would need assistance during a disaster, such as the elderly and people with disabilities.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications has expanded its program to train civilians to become part of Community Emergency Response Teams.

The City hosted a meeting last month of emergency officials from the nation’s seven largest cities to share ideas on emergency preparedness. And emergency officials are meeting regularly with federal, state and suburban officials, as well as businesses and building management associations.