ATLANTA - Georgians might have dodged the rain and wind of Katrina and Rita, but they might not avoid all the damages, at least in terms of the costs of housing, feeding, educating and providing medical care for the thousands of refugees who washed up in the Peach State - mostly in Atlanta.

Many Georgians, including Savannah resident Mary Gifford, say they're proud their state agencies are pitching in.

"I think they should assist however they can," she said. "I would hope (Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi) would do the same for us. We do live in a hurricane zone, too."

Others, like Gary Floyd of Athens, agree, but figure Southern coastal states shouldn't carry all the load.

"The (federal) government needs to recognize this and provide monetary assistance to the states taking on these burdens," he said.

Gov. Sonny Perdue is indeed asking for federal funds, but for now state taxpayers are writing the checks. And state officials say they don't know what the total is so far.

In the meantime, the state is accommodating the evacuees who want to transfer their professional licenses to teach or do business in Georgia, processing their unemployment and Medicaid claims and educating their children.

As of Thursday, 38,347 Katrina evacuees in Georgia had applied for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But the actual number of displaced residents likely is higher, because each application represents an entire household, Georgia officials said.

"That could conceivably be up to 100,000 people, not knowing how many people might be in each household," said Buzz Weiss, a spokesman for the Georgia Office of Homeland Security-Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Georgia and other states stand to get about $1.86 billion from the federal government under one proposal to reimburse states for hurricane-related education expenses, but state officials don't know what their share will be.

It could be as high as $7,500 per student, said Dana Tofig, a spokesman for the Education Department.

More than 800 students had come to the state's colleges and universities, according to the University System of Georgia. Many have waivers allowing them to pay in-state tuition.

As of Thursday, the Georgia Department of Human Resources had processed 34,395 applications for assistance. Nearly three-quarters of those applications have been approved.

The agency has signed up people for food stamps, welfare payments and Medicaid.

More than 11,000 evacuees have signed up for taxpayer-funded health-care programs alone.

The Department of Community Health, which oversees federal-state plans for the poor, including Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, got permission from the federal government last week to provide health care for evacuees for up to five months. Evacuees have until Jan. 31 to apply for the programs in Georgia.

Julie Kerlin, a spokeswoman for the department, said state officials still hoped the federal government would allow the state full reimbursement for the costs of providing care for the evacuees, instead of the partial payback that usually comes for Medicaid and PeachCare.

"We do not have assurances about the 100 percent (reimbursement)," she said. "We certainly hope for it."

The Georgia Department of Labor so far has helped 12,233 evacuees file for interstate disaster unemployment insurance or other job assistance.

The money is being paid by the states where the evacuees were living.

Georgia's department will receive $3 million in federal money to help hurricane evacuees with short-term vocational training and to pay for advertising the unemployment-assistance process, establishing temporary offices and providing crisis and financial counseling.

Sharon Baker, who is filling in as the agency's Hurricane Katrina disaster coordinator, said FEMA officials also have indicated that the federal government intends to repay clerical costs for helping with the claims.

"Our main concern is just providing the services, and that's a daily, ongoing process," she said.

As for how long the storms will continue to cost state taxpayers, Georgia Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Lisa Ray has a blunt response.

"It will take years," she said.

Reach Vicky Eckenrode and Brandon Larrabee at (404) 589-8424 or mnews@morris.com.