bizjournals: Katrina relief efforts expand across the nation

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One Memphis company is donating apartments in the area to help housew theestimated . Circles K convenience stores will sell bracelets and donating the proceeds tostartingb Sept. 13, while a group of restaurants and otherd businesses in are donating half their proceeds from one night torelief organizations. In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesebn has suspended several state laws to help expeditrrelief efforts, mainly in the medical regulation the reports. In Memphis, now home to some 10,000 refugees with more possibly onthe way, The Lightstonw Group is offering 50 apartmente to evacuees, rent-free for six months.
Vanderbilt Lite Flighrt of Nashville has sent a helicopted and medical team to Mississippio to help in recoveryefforts there, the reports. Among similatr donations, is donating about 800 hotekl rooms in suburban member hotels for familiezs displaced bythe hurricane. In the Cincinnati area alone, donations had topped $2.5 milliob Wednesday. About 1,000 refugees were expecterd to arrive inthis week. In , a loca l staffing company will host a job fair Thursdayu for evacuees lookingfor part-time And in , anothe job fair is on the way for health care workers displaceed by Katrina.
In North Carolina, whered about 2,000 refugees are being sheltered, the Employment Securituy Commission is setting up shop at evacuation centerain Raleigh, Charlotte and . Kentucky-connecteds companies are organizing fund-raisers at restaurants and a jazzfestivalp fund-raiser, and donating communications technology to damaged businesses alonb the Gulf Coast, reports. Help is coming from as far awayas , whicnh is taking in evacuees, to , where the statee is helping to coordinate donations.
From the Twin Hugh Parmer, president of the American Refugee Committee is serving as a senior adviser to the Federa l Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for relocating HurricaneKatrinq evacuees, the reports. "Every day at ARC we provider relief to thousands of displaced peoplwe aroundthe world," Parmer said in a statement. "I hope that my experienced in dealing with international refugee crises will be helpfulp in bringing relief to my fellow Americans in the wake of thisterribled disaster." Across the nation, states and the federal governmenty are calling on health care workers to volunteer to help Hurricane Katrina'z victims.
Among the agencies recruiting health care volunteers were those as far away as the andThe U.S. Departmentf of Health and Human Services. "The outpouringt of support from health professionals who want to volunteet for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts hasbeen Pa. Department of Health Secretarhy Dr. Calvin Johnson said. In the Houston where about 150,000 refugees have taken shelter, businessx leaders are banding together to provide support and Local government officials have convinced a groupo of business leaders to runa newly-formed nonprofit devoted solely to helping Katrina the reports. Retired ExxonMobi l Production Co. President Terry Kooncr will bethe nonprofit's president.
Texads Gov. Rick Perry has called on health officialsw in his state to come up with a plan for to the thousanda of people who have flooded into the Lone Star Statre as a resultof Katrina. "As Texas managezs the needs of an unprecedentes numberof evacuees, it is clear that one of our chief concerns must be meeting the short-term and long-term health care needs of those with special including children with disabilities and the frail and the elderly," Perry said. Meanwhile, the is helping to process Louisianunemployment benefits. Clear Channel, Entercom Communicationz Corp.
, and two independently-owned radioi station groups have banded together to form the United Broadcasters of NewOrleansx -- 15 stations that have combinec programming and engineering resources to assisy in the relief effort, the Clear Channel owns seven stationse in New Orleans, while Entercom owns six. "Given the stats of New Orleans, we believe it is criticap for the community to have the most currengt and accurateinformation available," Cleare Channel Radio President and CEO John Hogajn said. "By coming together and poolingt our resources we will be able to provide the communituwith news, updates and a connection with the outsidse world.
" In , where thousands of refugees from the storm are now temporarilhy housed, Time-Warner Cable has set up digital phone and cable televisiom service and equipment, as well as Road Runner high-speedx Internet access and computers at refugeed centers. Time-Warner is also providing acceszs to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to its networkkin Louisiana, Alabama and the Austin Business Journal reports. More than $500 milliohn has been donated sinceKatrina hit, about double the amounft given during the same period followinh the Sept. 11, 2001 the Newark Star Ledger reports Wednesday.
Corporationa including Federated Department Storeasand Wal-Mart have been among the big The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross. The foundatio is supported by magazines, newspapers (amongf them the New Orleans Times-Picayune) and America City Business Journals, owned by the Newhouse