| Press Statement Sean McCormack, Spokesman Washington, DC August 30, 2005 Status of New Orleans Passport AgencyWe have all witnessed the devastation suffered by Americans across the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast region. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we express particular concern today for those who work at the New Orleans Passport Agency and their families. Their safety and welfare is our primary concern and first priority. We are striving to learn more about our people as well as the agency itself. Our agency in New Orleans is a critical part of our passport production infrastructure, processing 17% of our nation’s passport applications. As with many other government facilities in the region, it is closed until damage assessment is possible and remediation steps can be taken. However, we are working urgently to address workload concerns by rerouting new cases to other locations, and tracking those cases that are currently in New Orleans. For additional information, please call our National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778 (1-877-4USA PPT), or refer to our website at Travel.State.Gov. 2005/820
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