Oh Canada

[Carrie]

Thanks for the help guys, we sincerely appreciate it. *thumbs up*

Canadian medical supplies arrive in U.S

By LORI FAZARI

EDMONTON (CP) - With Canada's first contributions to the
hurricane Katrina relief effort in place or on their way,
the extent of what more it will take is becoming clearer
by the day, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said
Monday.

A planeload of medical supplies arrived Sunday in Atlanta
for distribution to areas of need. On Tuesday, four ships
loaded with more emergency supplies will sail from
Halifax and are expected to arrive on the U.S. Gulf Coast
by the end of the week.

McLellan said aid from Canada likely will continue
flowing for weeks.

"Quite clearly this is a human disaster of enormous
proportions. We have tens and tens of thousands of
displaced people across the United States," McLellan told
a news conference.

"It is going to take a very long time for them to be able
to resume their lives and even in some cases I'm sure
determine whether they want to return to homes that have
been largely destroyed or whether they want to start over
somewhere else."

McLellan said the American Red Cross has asked Quebec for
cots for refugees staying at evacuation centres and that
other services had been requested from Ontario.

"The government of Canada continues to be ready to deploy
both human resources and other kinds of services as
requested," McLellan said.

"If the requests continue, we will continue to meet them.
Provinces will probably also step up to the plate with
their emergency stockpiles."

She said the government isn't concerned at this point
about tallying the cost of sending aid but it's in the
tens of millions of dollars.

So far there hasn't been any suggestion of Canada taking
refugees flooded from their homes in New Orleans and
other southern U.S. communities, but McLellan said
officials are looking at how to meet that need if it's
requested by U.S. authorities.

Prime Minister Paul Martin was expected in Halifax on
Tuesday to see off 1,000 military personnel and the four
ships headed for Louisiana.

He planned on touring HMCS Athabaskan, one of three
warships being deployed along with a coast guard vessel
and three Sea King helicopters.

"For Canadians to take part in the rescue efforts is an
extremely significant show of support, and the prime
minister chose to be there to send off the Canadians who
are going to help in this very tragic situation," said
Martin spokesman Marc Roy.

Naval crews were busy all weekend loading the ships with
gear and supplies, ranging from massive tents to diapers
and baby wipes.

"It's going to be a great feeling to know that the
supplies that are going to reach people who are very much
in need," Cmdr. Elizabeth Steele said Sunday as he
oversaw the loading operation.

Navy divers have also been dispatched to New Orleans from
Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C., to help their U.S.
counterparts clear navigational hazards such as loose
barges and inspect damaged levees.

The supply ships and divers are part of a broader
Canadian aid mission, dubbed Operation Unison.

The medical supplies being run from blankets and beds to
syringes, surgical gowns, latex gloves, bandages,
dressings and even tongue depressors.

Although the emphasis for now will be on basic supplies,
as time goes on Canada could consider sending more
sophisticated equipment, such as mobile hospitals.

The material is coming from stockpiles maintained by
Canadian authorities as part of their own disaster
preparedness plans.

As supplies and personnel make their way south, the
effort continues to locate any Canadian tourists still
stranded in the Gulf Coast. American authorities have
barred foreign diplomats from entering New Orleans
because of transportation and security issues.

Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary for Canadians
abroad, said Monday there are now nine Canadians
unaccounted for, up from the previous estimate of five on
Sunday.

That doesn't mean they're in danger or hurt - they just
haven't been tracked down. But McTeague said he feels
upbeat. "Things have improved," he said.

No Canadian deaths have been reported, and McTeague said
there don't appear to be any Canadians in the hardest-hit
areas.

[Evil Chris]

you're welcome.

[Nickatilynx]

No problem.

Just a little warry of going to getting involved in GW's war.

;-))

Didn't mind Afghanistan ............well until you started bombing us