Santa Finds Katrina's Kid Victims

Volunteers Help Get Toys To Displaced Youngsters Far From Home

(CBS)  Christmas Eve found thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees anywhere but home for the holidays, nearly four months after the storm roared ashore.

In a tent city in Chalmette, La., just downriver from New Orleans, children who'd been displaced by the storm were worried that Santa wouldn't know where they are this year.

But CBS News Correspondent Trish Regan says some volunteers made it their business to put them on St. Nick's map.

She says there are nearly 2,000 people living at the facility, dubbed "Camp Premier," waiting for trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It's been up and running since October 9, sheltering nearly 1,000 Katrina victims and the same number of National Guard soldiers

But for Katrina's littlest victims, Christmas just isn't Christmas without Santa.

"We've had a lot of kids wonder about Santa Claus," says Denise Morrow. "I overheard a little girl telling her mom they had to go home. And I was like, 'Why is it so important to go home? Don't you like it here?' And she said, 'Santa can't find us.' "

So Morrow and a group of volunteers decided to ensure Santa and his gifts made it to the tent city, even if he had to come by helicopter.

And, one by one, he handed children a little bit of Christmas cheer on Christmas Eve, making many overjoyed.

"It's amazing how they adapt," says Morrow. "It's amazing how happy they are living in these tents."