WASHINGTON, Sept 4: Pakistan on Sunday offered to send a team of doctors and paramedics to the hurricane-hit region of the United States to support the relief agencies. “The embassy of Pakistan in Washington is in constant contact with the task force established by the US Department of State to assist foreign governments in reaching their citizens evacuated from New Orleans,” said a Pakistan embassy statement.

The embassy was also working with the Office of Crisis Management Support, which is the focal point for all the disaster relief efforts, to provide help to the affected members of the Pakistani community.

“The embassy is working closely with the members of the community and the community organizations,” the statement said.

The embassy has also established an emergency response unit to assist Pakistani nationals who are affected by the hurricane.

Information about the affected Pakistanis may be e-mailed to katrinaresponse@embassyofpakistan.org.

The information will be shared with the relatives of the affected people, and the victims wishing to inform their relatives could also contact the embassy or the consulate general at Houston, the statement said.

The embassy is coordinating the Pakistani-American community’s relief efforts with the American Red Cross.

Contributions to the disaster relief fund may be sent to the local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Online contributions can also be made by visiting www.redcross.org

Ambassador Jehangir Karamat has appealed to the Pakistani community to reach out to the affected members of the community who are in desperate need of help.

He has called upon the Pakistani immigrants to create temporary jobs for the affected community members to provide them relief in this moment of distress and despair.

There were around 2,700 Pakistanis and Pakistani-Americans in the areas affected by Katrina. Several of them have lost their homes and are now in temporary shelters, the embassy statement said.—APP