International Katrina Aid

Canada

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

His Excellency Frank McKenna
Ambassador of Canada
501 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001

"Dear Ambassador McKenna" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

Canada's extensive support for Katrina relief includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Canada flew 27 Canadian Red Cross and 5 other disaster relief personnel to Houston on September 3, to help with Katrina relief. Canada has also provided air transport services to FEMA, to help move supplies and personnel.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada airlifted supplies of antibiotics and other medicines, beds, blankets, and other supplies from its emergency stocks.
• Over 1,000 Canadian military personnel were deployed to the US on September 6, including a 40-member diving team that has been helping the US Navy restore water navigation and inspect levees.
• A 4-ship task group carrying emergency supplies, small boats, helicopters, communication experts, divers, and Army engineers was sent to the affected area on September 7.
• The Canadian Air Force provided two CH-146 Griffin helicopters to cover the US Coast Guard's Boston area search and rescue needs, to free USCG helicopters for Katrina operations.
• The Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC held an all-day fundraiser on September 7 that collected over $20,000 for Red Cross Katrina relief work.

(Sources: Canadian Ally; "Canadian Embassy Steps Up to Help Katrina Victims," Army News Service, September 8, 2005)

For more information, see:

Canadian Ally (a Government of Canada information Web site)

Hurricane Katrina: Canada's Response

Ambassador McKenna's Letter to Rep. Dennis Hastert, Sept. 2, 2005

I have heard from many Canadians from across Canada and from those living the United States about what they, and the Canadian government, can do to help. I am writing to you today to tell you that Canada stands with you - as friends and as family....

Open Letter to Canada by U.S. Ambassador David H. Wilkins, September 8, 2005

Four years after the devastating terror attacks of September 11, 2001, my country finds itself once again hurting deeply.

And today - just as it did four years ago - Canada has come to our aid early and eagerly.

On behalf of my grateful country: Thank you Canada for once again being there when we need you the most....

"Canadian Sailors Storm Mississippi Beach, Aiding in Hurricane Cleanup," by Murray Brewster - Canadian Press (CP), 13 Sept 2005

Armed with chainsaws, shovels and rakes, a company of Canadian sailors from two warships landed on a beach near Biloxi, Miss., to begin the task of clearing debris left by hurricane Katrina.

A shore party of up to 300 sailors is expected to spend the next couple of weeks toiling in 35 C heat, helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and other public buildings....

Mexico

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

His Excellency Carlos de Icaza
Ambassaor of Mexico
1911 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006

"Dear Ambassador de Icaza" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

Mexico's contributions to Katrina relief include (but are not limited to) the following:

• An Army convoy carrying relief supplies and almost 200 personnel arrived in San Antonio, Texas, on September 9. The supplies it brought include 2 mobile kitchens, each capable of feeding up to 21,000 people a day; mobile water treatment plants; and 15 trailers of drinking water.
• A Mexican Navy ship carrying approximately 75 Marines and half a dozen doctors and nurses is in Biloxi, where its personnel are helping the crew of the USS Bataan with recovery and relief operations in southern Mississippi.

Also see:

"Mexican Troops Arrive for Katrina Relief," by Abe Levy - The Washington Post, September 9, 2005

"Mexican, Dutch Marines Arrive to Help," by George Pawlaczyk - the Sun Herald (Biloxi), September 10, 2005 (also carried by Knight Ridder)

"Work of Mexican Marines May Score Political Points," by Edwin Garcia (in Biloxi, Miss.) - Knight Ridder, 15 Sept 2005

The Mexican marines who landed on the Mississippi coast as part of an unprecedented hurricane relief effort brought 300 specialized troops eager to rescue victims, administer medical treatment and even help locals recover the dead.

Instead, the camouflage-clothed marines, wearing blue vests with the word "MARINA" printed in white letters across their chests, spent most of their five days here handing out water bottles, clearing up debris from a school and moving supply boxes.

Their voyage to the Gulf Coast nonetheless could score much-needed political points for Mexican President Vicente Fox, who's spent years trying to get the attention of President Bush and Congress in his persistent push for immigration laws favorable to Mexicans in the United States....

But politics was furthest from the minds of the marines, who worked side by side with the     U.S. Navy before departing for home.

At Biloxi's First Baptist Church, which is doubling as a massive Red Cross relief center, two physicians sorted boxes of prescription medicine, a radio specialist helped load boxes onto pushcarts, and several marines distributed plastic water bottles to motorists in a drive-through lane formed by boxes of supplies....

Marine Lamberto Escobar, who worked the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, gripped the wheelchair of 75-year-old Betty Price, waiting in a shady area to push her to her car.

"This time the job has been easy," Escobar said. "But on other occasions we've had a very difficult assignment, digging for bodies and transporting the injured...."

Singapore

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

Her Excellency Chan Heng Chee
Ambassador of Singapore
3501 International Place, NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Ambassador Chan" or "Dear Madam Ambassador"

• Singapore has provided 4 Chinook helicopters and crews to help with rescue and resupply operations in disaster areas. The first 2 helicopters were in action on September 2 and as of September 5 had transported several hundred evacuees and rescue personnel, and carried over a thousand tons of relief supplies. (The crews and helicopters had been in the US for training when the Hurricane struck.)

For more information, see RSAF Deployment to Assist in Hurricane Katrina Relief Operations - Ministry of Defence News Release, Republic of Singapore, September 2, 2005

The Netherlands

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

His Excellency Boudewijn Johannes von Eenennaam
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
4200 Linnean Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Ambassador von Eenennaam" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

The Netherlands has provided a range of support for Katrina recovery, including (but not limited to):

• Three water pumps to help drain flooded areas, with personnel to operate them
• Water control experts to help inspect New Orleans' levees
• A Navy frigate and approximately 200 crew, including medical personnel and rescue crews, is in Biloxi. The Dutch are working in cooperation with personnel of the USS Bataan and Mexico's ARM Papaloapan to deliver food and water to hurricane victims, provide security, and conduct recovery operations. Helicopter crews from the HNLMS Van Amstel have conducted a number of flights in support of these operations.

For more information, see:

"Dutch Frigate in Biloxi Assists in Hurricane Katrina Efforts" - Press release, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington, DC, 9 September 2005

"Mexican, Dutch Ships Send Troops Ashore to Help with Cleanup," by George Pawlaczyk - Knight-Ridder, 9 September 2005

Afghanistan

Thank-you notes may be sent to:

His Excellency Said Tayeb Jawad
Ambassador of Afghanistan
2342 Wyoming Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Ambassador Jawad" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

• Afghanistan pledged $100,000 for Katrina relief. (See this AP report.)

Albania

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

The Honorable Mirosh Sako
Chargé d'Affaires
The Embassy of Albania
2100 S St., NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Mr. Sako"

• Albania pledged $300,000 for Katrina relief. (See this AP report,)

Armenia

Thank-you notes can be sent to:

His Excellency Tatoul Markarian
Ambassador of Armenia
2225 R St., NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Ambassador Markarian" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

• Armenia pledged $200,000 for Katrina relief. (See this AP report)

Australia

Thank-you notes can be sent to:

His Excellency Dennis Richardson
Ambassador of Australia
1601 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036-2273

"Dear Ambassador Richardson" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

• Australia has pledged $10 million for Katrina relief, and offered the services of disaster relief experts. (See this AP report and this Australian Broadcasting Corporation report.)

Austria

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

Her Excellency Ewa Nowotny
Ambassador of Austria
3524 International Court, NW
Washington, DC 20008-3027

"Dear Ambassador Nowotny" or "Dear Madam Ambassador"

• Austria has provided crisis personnel, water pumps, and relief supplies. (See this Reuters report.)
• The Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC has established a Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

Azerbaijan

Thank-you notes can be addressed to:

His Excellency Hafiz M. Pashayev
Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan
2741 34th St., NW
Washington, DC 20008

"Dear Ambassador Pashayev" or "Dear Mr. Ambassador"

• Azerbaijan has pledged $500,000 for Katrina relief. (See this AP story.)