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Roosevelt Greenwood, area director of the American Red Cross, said the shelter reopened at noon Saturday.
"We worked hard to get everything back in place again," he said. "We've got a good working area and a good group of volunteers."
Greenwood said there were plenty of clothes and canned goods left over from the previous shelter.
"What we need now is personal items and money," he said. "We got a call from Utah saying they would send some clothes. We had to turn it down."
Greenwood said representatives from the national Red Cross were curious why he didn't ask for help.
"I told them we didn't need any help because the community is helping us," he said. "We probably have some more students coming. We'll have to work it out as needed."
Clarksdale Public Utilities General Manager Bob Priest said his crews were ready for the oncoming storm.
"We're just trying to get prepared," he said Friday. "We don't know exactly where it will come ashore, how far inland and how close we'll be to any of the severe weather."
Priest said the utility trucks were all fueled up and stocked with materials while crews wait to see what happens.
"We've got several folks lined up to go in to the office to handle phone calls if we do get hit," he said. "We started running generation yesterday (Thursday) and will run around the clock until sometime next week.
"The further west it comes ashore, the less damage we'll get," Priest said. "If it comes too far east, we will probably get a significant amount of damage."
Dr. Wilma Wade, Clarksdale Municipal Schools superintendent, said the district would be open should the need arise for more evacauted students.
Wade experienced the effects of Rita firsthand as she is housing family members that fled Texas Thursday.
"They were coming from Seabrook to I-10 and it took them 5 1/2 hours," she said of the traffic jam. "It usually takes them about 20 minutes. It was easier once they reached I-10 because they were coming to Mississippi versus the northern part of Texas."
Ron Hudson, executive director of the Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce, said the area was "waylayed" by hurricane relief last time.
"It started by us having a dinner and, virtually overnight, it became a disaster relief center," he said. "The community deserves a pat on the back.
"The outpouring of support was overwhelming," Hudson said. "The Sheriff did a fantastic job."
Hudson noted the many victims of Hurricane Katrina that still reside in the area.
"Some of them plan on being long-term residents," he said. "They lost their businesses or their homes. It's an emotional thing for somebody's life to be changed like that.
"The community should be proud for what they have done," Hudson said. "We are now trying to get housing and furniture together and make arrangements for those staying here long-term."
District 4 Supervisor Johnny Newson said Hurricane Katrina was the "shot heard round the world."
"We are all involved in the situation on the coast," he said. "It (Katrina) was felt by everyone in the United States and the world."
Newson said he was inspired by the action taken by Clarksdale residents after the storm.
"Some say things aren't as great as they used to be," he said. "If someone asked me how things we going, I would say great. We have pulled together and are maintaining and doing good in Clarksdale."
District 2 Supervisor Chris Overton echoed his sentiments.
"I've heard lots of comments one way or the other, but there's been a lot of positive," he said. "People think we weren't ready for this, but we've had it."
Overton said there have been meetings for years regarding disaster relief thanks to the Homeland Security initiative.
"Two months ago, we already discussed what if," he said. "We knew we didn't have everything we needed and got that fixed."
Overton said the volunteers that came out for Katrina were on a call list and the Red Cross "came through like gangbusters."
