SHREVEPORT, La. — International Truck and Engine Corporation has offered use of a 7,750-square-foot facility in Shreveport, La., to serve as a logistics center or staging area to help distribute emergency relief supplies to victims of the devastating hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast Monday.

The company has offered 10 dump trucks for immediate deployment to deliver supplies or to begin removing debris as the region digs itself out and assesses damages from Hurricane Katrina. In collaboration with the United States Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), International Truck and Engine also has made available five water tankers to carry up to 5,500 gallons of drinkable water to victims in various locations, with the potential for significantly increasing the number of tankers available.

"In this tragic time, we want to do what we can to help the people who were hit so hard by this terrible disaster," said Dee Kapur, president of International Truck and Engine Corporation’s truck group. "International Truck and Engine is providing tactical, on-the-ground support which we believe will be instrumental to relief agencies and the government as they help the region recover."

The company’s support of Hurricane Katrina victims adds to the company’s past contributions to victims of previous natural disasters, including the Tsunami in Asia.