Relief effort: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has said Ireland will offer emergency aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The move follows an official request from the US to the European Union and Nato for emergency equipment including first aid kits, blankets, water trucks, and 500,000 prepared meals.
Mr Ahern held informal discussions on the question of aid with his EU counterparts in Britain on Friday. He will discuss what aid the Irish Government could separately offer with the Taoiseach this morning.
The EU confirmed yesterday it would respond positively to the American request.
The European Commission confirmed that the US has asked for thousands of blankets, 500,000 prepared meals, first aid kits and several water trucks providing clean drinking water to help its emergency operation.
Stavros Dimas, the EU Environment Commissioner, said it was "ready to contribute to the US efforts aimed at alleviating the humanitarian crisis" in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The European Commission said its aid co-ordination office would manage the aid from European countries and had drafted a preliminary list of materials, teams and equipment being pledged by EU member states.
"Specialist teams from several member states are on standby and ready for immediate deployment," the commission said in a statement.
America has also appealed for help from Nato, it emerged yesterday. The 26-country alliance said the US had asked for Nato relief support in the form of food rations for the thousands of people evacuated from New Orleans and other areas.
In the last few days, pledges of aid have begun arriving from countries across the world, including Afghanistan, whose government is financially propped up by US money, and countries not considered allies.
In London, the Ministry of Defence said a consignment of 500,000 military ration packs will be flown to the devastated region today. The armed forces meal boxes contain a 24-hour supply of high energy food.
Kuwait announced it was donating $500m worth of oil products and other humanitarian aid while president Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has offered $100,000 in aid.
In Rome, a plane packed with aid was scheduled to take off last night. The military transport plane was carrying enough blankets, cots, bed supplies, inflatable dinghies, water purifiers and first aid kits to benefit about 15,000 people, said Luca Spoletini, spokesman for the Civil Protection Agency.
Australia has promised ten million Australian dollars, with the bulk going to the American Red Cross. The Chinese have offered $5m in aid, as well as rescue workers, including medical experts.
Cuban president Fidel Castro offered to fly 1,100 doctors to Houston with 26 tonnes of medicine to treat victims. Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez, a vocal critic of the US, offered to send cheap fuel, humanitarian aid and relief workers.
A German army Airbus landed in Florida on Saturday with ten tonnes of food rations.
A second plane loaded with emergency food rations took off yesterday and was expected to land in Pensacola, Florida, late last night with 15 tonnes of rations.
Sri Lanka will donate $25,000 to the American Red Cross.
Mexico is sending 15 truckloads of water, food and medical supplies via Texas, and the Mexican navy has offered to send two ships, two helicopters and 15 amphibious vehicles.
Russia has offered to help with rescue efforts, but is still awaiting a reply from Washington. Spain expects to receive a formal request to release gasoline stocks to the US and is prepared to grant it, an industry ministry spokesman said.
Iran has offered to send humanitarian aid to the US even though president Bush has labelled the country part of the "axis of evil". "The victims have complained about the lack of timely assistance and we are prepared to send our contributions to the people through the Red Crescent," said Hamid Reza Asefi, a foreign ministry spokesman.
Saudi Refining, a Houston-based subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's state oil firm, Saudi Aramco, will donate $5m to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts.
* The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it had no confirmation of press reports that an Irish citizen was among those killed when the hurricane struck New Orleans.
A spokeswoman for the department said the Irish vice-consul in Chicago, Ms Úna Ní Dhubhghaill, had gone to Dallas, Texas to co-ordinate attempts to locate some 10 Irish people who were still missing.
About 40 Irish citizens had already been traced, the department spokesman said.