The state adjutant general's department says about 750 refugees from Hurricane Katrina are staying in ten shelters set up by the American Red Cross in Kansas.

More than a thousand are being planned for, officials said.

The department says it is planning to set up a center in Topeka to map out how the state can best serve evacuees coming to the state.

The 35th Infantry Division of the Kansas Army National Guard left Leavenworth yesterday and will travel to Alexandria, Louisiana. There the guard members will provide operational control to more than 5,000 soldiers helping in search and rescue missions.

Offices with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services will open to provide cash assistance, food stamps and other benefits for evacuees.