NATCHEZ &045;&045; Ron Simmons leaned back in his chair, grateful for a cool breeze and a nice evening.

But Simmons and about 200 others had a long night ahead of them, waiting in line for assistance checks from the Red Cross today &045;&045; the last day of a massive operation to distribute the one-time checks to those in need after Hurricane Katrina.

&uot;As long as the breeze is blowing, I ain’t aggravated,&uot; said Simmons, a carpenter from New Orleans’ Ninth Ward who has been staying with his mother in Thibodeaux.

Simmons, like many of those in line Thursday night, had been in town since that morning, when the line cut off at about 10 a.m. in order to process everyone in a timely manner.

Bonnie Gibson didn’t really want to stay in line all night, but her husband talked her into it.

&uot;We had come this far,&uot; she said, as the couple settled onto blankets on the ground, their backs supported by the steel barricades used to form orderly lines.

The Gibsons are from LaPlace but have rented an apartment in Baton Rouge after a long hotel stay with their three children.

&uot;There’s nothing to go back to,&uot; Gibson said of LaPlace. &uot;We just thank God we got out.&uot;

Couples and families with children stretched out on lawn chairs and blankets, filling the side parking lot of the convention center as they waited for their turn today.

Ismael Rodas, with his wife and stepdaughter, found out about the Natchez distribution from friends. They are staying in Baton Rouge but hope to return to their home in Orleans Parish.

&uot;In Baton Rouge, Red Cross is not giving out money like this,&uot; Rodas said.

Darrell Robinson had one of the best seats in the house Thursday night &045;&045; a lawn chaise. Robinson came from Amite, where his trailer was destroyed by Katrina.

&uot;I went to Brookhaven last night,&uot; he said. &uot;But they had such a crowd &045;&045; and they had a fight. It’s more calm here, more established than it is there.&uot;

Patrice Slocum tried to receive funding from distribution sites in McComb, Hattiesburg and Brookhaven before crowds sent her to Natchez.

She agreed the Natchez process seems much more calm.

By late night, the line stretched down the block toward State Street, the longest line yet on the eve of a distribution day.