WASHINGTON - Medical disaster assistance teams from across the country were deployed to the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Red Cross sent in 185 emergency vehicles to provide meals. And President Bush cut short his vacation Tuesday to return to Washington to focus on the storm damage.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president will chair a meeting today of a White House task force to coordinate the federal response and relief effort.
"We have a lot of work to do," the president said of the storm FEMA director Michael Brown has termed catastrophic.
"This hurricane has caused devastation over a wide area," Brown said.
Brown's agency said medical specialists from Washington state were joining similar teams from Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida to assist people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
FEMA's emergency medical teams are designed to be self-sufficient, being able to triage and treat as many as 250 patients in 72 hours.
The teams can handle trauma, pediatrics, surgery and mental health problems.
The American Red Cross, meanwhile, reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area.
Red Cross said it had 185 emergency response vehicles on the scene or en route. These trucks provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to storm victims. Some 2,000 Red Cross volunteers from across the country were joining workers in the area.
FEMA said it has 500 trucks of ice, 500 trucks of water and 350 trucks of military meals ready to eat scheduled for distribution over the next 10 days.
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