Gov. Ed Rendell yesterday declared a disaster emergency in Pennsylvania to secure federal reimbursement for the cost of Hurricane Katrina relief provided by the state to the Gulf Coast and its residents.

Rendell proposed an immediate $50 million transfer of federal money to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to cover disaster-related expenses including National Guard deployment to the hurricane zone. He said he would seek an additional $25 million if Pennsylvania receives substantial numbers of evacuees.

"Right now, we are prepared for more than 1,000 individuals to be relocated to Pennsylvania, but we need to be prepared in the event more people relocate here and need our help," he said.

Rendell's proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel to deal with the emergency and to waive bidding and contract procedures.

Also yesterday, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said he would declare a state of emergency to clear the way for federal reimbursement of the cost of caring for hurricane evacuees locally.

"The county is ready to accept 200 to 300 evacuees in the next 24 to 48 hours," Onorato told County Council, but he indicated the region will receive many more once officials see the capacity the city has.

Flood victims will be processed at the 911th Military Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh International Airport before they are taken to housing on the North Side.

President Bush yesterday approved emergency declarations by West Virginia and several other states that are hosting refugees from the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. Rendell's request seeks to add Pennsylvania to that list.

The action allows for the immediate release of federal funds to pay for the round-the-clock work of volunteers, emergency management workers and National Guardsmen deployed by the states to house, counsel and feed people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"The evacuations can put a strain on resources," said Kathy Cable, spokeswoman for FEMA in Washington, D.C. "The emergency declarations allow the states to get money so they can help us take immediate care of the evacuees."

West Virginia Army and Air Force National Guard units deployed six C-130 transport planes to Texas over the weekend to bring hurricane victims to Yeager Airport in Charleston, from which they were bused to the West Virginia National Guard training base, Camp Dawson, in Kingwood, W.Va., about 30 miles east of Morgantown.

More than 170 displaced residents of New Orleans arrived Saturday at the camp, where National Guardsmen and West Virginia University medical staff treated them and prepared for 200 more evacuees who were expected to arrive last night.

Officials had no specific estimate of how long it would take to prepare evacuees to adjust to life in their new state.

"You name it and we're trying to provide it," said Joe Thornton, spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.