Eagerness to help is good, but along with that eagerness, there needs to be an organized plan.

Cheraw has agreed to take in 40 families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. While it is still up in the air whether or not they will relocate here, the town has worked out some of the details like providing them with housing and sparing them initial costs as they get settled. But as Cheraw Town Administrator Bill Taylor said, the problem is going to be in the second month if these people are still without money and needing jobs. And the months that follow.

Which is why local officials and others wanting to help should take note as to what Columbia is doing with its hurricane relief center. The center has provided money, lodging, transportation, medical attention and mental health services to 1,700 evacuees in less than two weeks. Many have applauded its success, and it may become a national model for helping evacuees in a crisis.

While Columbia is providing hotel rooms versus a shelter for hurricane victims, the town of Cheraw is on the right track by offering lodging in a newly constructed apartment complex. This gives these families a place that feels like a home, instead of just a square on a floor and a cot to sleep on.

Also, many organizations conducting hurricane relief drives have begun thinking about keeping some of these supplies for families that may relocate to the area versus sending the donations to the Gulf Coast.

However, these people are also going to need transportation to grocery stores, department stores, banks, service agencies and other places to get their lives back in order. While Cheraw and Chesterfield County don't have a trolley system like Columbia, with the help of volunteers we do have church vans and other vehicles that can be used to create a pseudo public transportation system. And, the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority's routes could be redirected to help the new families.

Also, at the relief center in Columbia, a one-stop shop provides medical screenings, job offerings, day care, school registration, and a dozen other services. This way, people can take care of many of their needs and not have to travel to a dozen different places.

Another factor of the success of Columbia's relief center is "shepherds," as they are being called. They provide guidance through the whole system and help answer questions as they arise. Just imagine being plucked out of your comfort zone and dropped hundreds of miles away. Wouldn't you like to have someone to guide you in all the right directions?

Our community has a big heart and many volunteers, but it's going to take a good plan to make it all work and to help these people to become contributing members of society versus an added burden. Some good ideas are coming out of Columbia, and we should not be afraid to duplicate a good thing.