People who have fled US Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria are seeking a safe haven in Massachusetts, and local officials in some communities are scrambling to cope.

In Worcester, officials held a community meeting at the Rock of Salvation Church Thursday to address ­resettlement plans for evacuees from the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, both US territories. Since Hurricane Maria, more than 200 total evacuees have arrived in the city and 113 new students have enrolled in the city’s public schools.

“Cities step up. This is what we do,’’ Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty said in a statement.

“Evacuees are not just coming to Worcester but to cities like Boston and Holyoke and New Bedford,’’ he said. “We are committed to working with our community and state partners to make sure that the people of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are cared for and are receiving the services they deserve. We will not back down from our commitment to our fellow Americans.’’

At the Worcester meeting, officials asked people to contact the multicultural nonprofit CENTRO by calling 211 to let the organization know about new arrivals in town who might need assistance.

“The City of Worcester has been working with our non-profit service providers for the past several weeks to convene working groups to address all of the major issues incoming evacuees face: case-management, housing, employment, education, healthcare, and community support. If you’re planning on bringing family here, call 2-1-1 and let Centro know who is coming and when they can be expected,’’ City Manager Edward M. Augustus said in the statement.

The city is also working with the nonprofit Amor Para Puerto Rico, which was recently established to respond to the influx of evacuees.

“Amor Para Puerto Rico stands in solidarity with all Puerto Rican Americans,’’ City Councilor Sarai Rivera said. “Our city is now your city, and we are here to help in your transition.’’

Worcester is not alone in facing an influx of hurricane evacuees. Earlier this week, the city of New Bedford asked Governor Charlie Baker to help that city with its response to the relocation of Puerto Rican families after Irma and Maria.

While the city has formed a working group to address housing, health, and education resources for the evacuees, it needs more help.

In a Tuesday letter to the State House, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell wrote Baker to “advocate for resources to support these families’’ arriving in New Bedford.

“Nowhere has the immediate impact been felt more than in our schools,’’ Mitchell said. While more than 50 Puerto Rican students have enrolled in city schools since the hurricanes, additional state funding for schools is not typically available for students added after Oct. 1 — a policy Mitchell asked Baker to overrule this year.

“I encourage you to consider providing municipalities with relief from the Oct. 1 deadline so that state aid can better reflect true need,’’ Mitchell wrote. “This relief is especially important, as the arriving population of students may be designated English Learners or require special education or other student services.’’

Mitchell also asked for aid in housing newly arrived evacuees, as New Bedford’s subsidized housing wait list was already 2,000 people long before the storms.

“Not unlike other cities, we do not have the permanent housing stock to accommodate large-scale relocation to the city, and there is not sufficient temporary shelter to offer,’’ he said.

In September, Bakerannounced the formation of a task force to address state preparations for the arrival of Puerto Ricans, and the creation of the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico fund intended to support reconstruction and relief on the island territory.

“Our hearts break for the people of Puerto Rico and their Massachusetts-based families and friends, whose lives were turned upside down by the devastation of these merciless hurricanes,’’ Baker said at the time in a statement. “We stand ready to extend heartfelt welcomes to disaster survivors who seek temporary or permanent residence in Massachusetts and will provide any and all personnel and equipment requested throughout the recovery process.’’

The fund, through the Boston Foundation, has already raised more than $2 million and made grants to support hurricane relief efforts, ­according to Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s office.

In Boston, 78 students from Puerto Rico have enrolled in the city’s public schools since Sept. 20, a Boston Public Schools spokesman said.

Ben Thompson can be reached at ben.thompson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Globe_Thompson.