Hurricane Ike evacuees began applying for assistance Tuesday to move to hotels and motels after the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened a transitional sheltering program.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/The Associated Press

A man rests on a cot at a Red Cross shelter inside Wooster Baptist Church in Baytown, Texas. The FEMA program will pay for eligible evacuees' lodging through Oct. 14.

FEMA will pay for eligible families' lodging through Oct. 14.

More than 180,000 had registered by 11 a.m. A more recent figure was not available.

Officials urged evacuees to register online if possible because of long waits on the 24-hour hotline.

"We want to make sure people ... will be patient because of the number of calls coming in," said Carlos J. Castillo, FEMA's assistant administrator for disaster assistance.

More than 3,600 people stayed in 30 shelters in 12 North Texas counties on Monday night, according to the Dallas-area chapter of the American Red Cross.

FEMA released a list of participating hotels that includes the Dallas area and cautioned that many in East Texas already were booked.

Officials advised people already in hotels not to check out because of the limited availability.

If the hotel does not participate in the program, FEMA may be able to help.

The temporary housing program is available to evacuees whose home is in a county that has been designated as a disaster area and whose home is inaccessible or uninhabitable because of damage or lack of power.

FEMA also must be able to verify the evacuee's identity.

Kenny Shaw, director of Dallas' Office of Emergency Management, said he had heard reports of people showing up at hotels without authorization.

He expressed concerns that the FEMA program will not pay for evacuees' food, transportation or incidental expenses.

"If they don't have money for food or anything else, that leaves them out," he said.

•Register online at www.fema.gov. A list of participating hotels and motels is at www.FEMAEvacHotels.com.

•Call 1-800-621-FEMA, though long waits are expected. Try the 24-hour hotline during off-peak hours.