Widening the Scope of Relief

The Katrina relief effort is taking on a truly massive scope. Some federal actions you may not have heard about:

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development is working with mayors across the country to find vacant public housing units for evacuees.
• The State Department is coordinating offers of assistance totaling nearly $1 billion from 95 countries.
• The Agriculture Department is making more than

  $170 million in emergency assistance available to

  agricultural producers affected by the hurricane.

• The Federal Communications Commission is trying to make sure that wireless service providers follow the industry practice of maintaining service to people displaced by the hurricane even if they can't pay their bills.
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is working with the Federal Reserve to facilitate cash deliveries to banks.
• The National Endowment for the Humanities is providing at least $1 million in emergency grants to libraries, museums, colleges, universities, and other cultural and historical institutions.
• The Peace Corps has signed an agreement with FEMA to send "Crisis Corps" volunteers to affected regions.