AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci has ordered Maine state departments to survey their staffs for available resources and expertise that could help in Gulf Coast states that have been hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Examples of Maine relief workers who could be sent to the flood-ravaged areas are veterinarians, logistics personnel, public safety officials, licensed equipment operators and health care workers, Baldacci said in a memo to members of his Cabinet.

“Along with the rest of the nation, I have been intently watching the news of Hurricane Katrina and her progress across the southern United States,” Baldacci’s memo said. “Maine has a rich history of helping other states with disaster response and recovery, and this event should be no exception.”

Maine participates with the other 49 states in the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which coordinates help for disaster-stricken areas. EMAC has already received requests for water rescue teams, incident command teams and public information officials, Baldacci said.

The first teams to go into affected areas are usually from nearby states that can quickly mobilize. But other states such as Maine may be asked to send a “second wave” of volunteers to assist during the recovery period, the governor said.

Baldacci reported that the Maine National Guard had been asked to provide slings for helicopter assists. Those slings were expected to be flown Wednesday night from Bangor. The Guard also is identifying other assets, such as security personnel, trucks, helicopters and Air Guard assets, that could be useful to those affected by the hurricane, he said.

The Maine Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation, Conservation (Forest Service) and Attorney General also were developing lists of personnel, plus their skills and equipment, that could be made available, Baldacci announced.

Responding to a call from the Maine Emergency Management Agency, medical professionals from around the state are stepping forward to offer their services.

Rayna Leibowitz, chief of the planning division at MEMA, said Wednesday the state of Louisiana has requested help from emergency room physicians, surgeons, pediatricians, nurses and respiratory therapists. Mississippi and Alabama may make similar requests soon, she predicted.

The agency is building a database of qualified volunteers, some of whom may fly south as soon as Thursday, Leibowitz said. Others may be called weeks from now to replace exhausted medical staff already on the scene. Upward of 50 medical professionals had contacted MEMA by the middle of Wednesday afternoon.

Among those responding are Dr. Erik Steele, Bangor physician, health care administrator and Bangor Daily News columnist. Steele said Wednesday several other professionals at facilities within the Eastern Maine Healthcare System have indicated their interest in serving in the disaster area.

Several nurses and physicians employed at the state’s Bureau of Health also are among the volunteers, according to Kris Perkins, the bureau’s public health preparedness coordinator. Perkins said the bureau is working closely with MEMA to identify qualified medical staff willing and able to make the two-week commitment needed in the disaster area.

But she cautioned there’s no telling how soon the volunteers might leave.

“We’re being told that the conditions are so deplorable down there, there are really no sites to send people to,” she said. Many hospitals and nursing homes in the disaster area are flooded and being evacuated, she said, with some patients being transferred to health facilities in other states.

Both Leibowitz and Perkins stressed that well-intended people, including medical professionals, should not simply light out for the Gulf Coast on their own. For one thing, the situation is so chaotic that relief efforts must be well-planned in order to be effective. For another, formal policies between states affect medical liability and reimbursement processes, Leibowitz said.

Baldacci announced Wednesday that a total of 24 trained disaster aid workers from the Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross were heading to the region.

Eleven volunteers from the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross, representing Eastern and Northern Maine, have gone to Texas to aid with disaster relief in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

“Most of them have gone to a staging area in Houston, Texas,” Suzan Bell, the chapter’s executive director, said Wednesday.

Bell said she has not heard from any of the Maine volunteers who left yesterday from Bangor International Airport, but noted that communication is difficult with telephone service not working in many areas in and around New Orleans.

“If people would like to help locally, there’s three things that people can do,” Bell said. They include:

. Monetary donations:

“The most effective way people can help is by a financial donation,” Bell said. “No amount is too small. Every dollar helps.”

The Red Cross doesn’t collect tangible items. “The cost of getting those items to Louisiana would be more expensive than the actual donation,” Bell said.

. Volunteer:

All volunteers must receive Red Cross training.

“We’re starting up classes to accommodate people who would like to go,” Bell said. “We also need volunteers on a local level, too.”

. Give blood:

Blood supplies commonly are low in the summer months, and blood will be needed in all affected areas. “The magnitude of this disaster is incredible,” Bell said.

The governor also noted that the best way for citizens to help the disaster victims is by sending money to reputable relief agencies.

FEMA has listed a number of organizations, in addition to the American Red Cross, needing money to help victims:

Operation Blessing (800) 436-6348; America’s Second Harvest (800) 344-8070; Adventist Community Services (800) 381-7171; Catholic Charities USA (703) 549-1390; Christian Disaster Response (941) 956-5183; Church World Service (800) 297-1516; Convoy of Hope (417) 823-8998; Lutheran Disaster Response (800) 638-3522; Mennonite Disaster Service (717) 859-2210; Nazarene Disaster Response (888) 256-5886; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (800) 872-3283; The Salvation Army (800) 725-2769; Southern Baptist Convention (800) 426-8657; United Methodist Committee on Relief (800) 554-8583.

The Better Business Bureau recommended that donors check its Web site to make sure charities are legitimate before giving. It also urged caution in giving online, especially when agencies ask for credit card numbers.

Businesses throughout the state were responding Wednesday to the call for help as well. In particular, WKIT 100.3, Bangor’s classic rock radio station, let listeners make a pledge of a minimum of $10 and request a song – any song.

By 3 p.m. Wednesday, the station had collected $20,000 in pledges. Stephen and Tabitha King, owners of WKIT, promised to match the amount collected when pledging ended at 6 p.m.

Go to Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance: www.give.org or www.bosbbb.org

BDN reporters Meg Haskell, Aimee Dolloff, Emily Burnham, and Katherine Heidinger contributed to this report.