Gov. John Baldacci has authorized creation of a Hurricane Katrina Assistance Task Force to bring together state and volunteer agency resources to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Maine residents who want more information on Maine’s relief efforts may call the new hurricane hot line at (800) 452-8735. The state Web site, www.maine.gov, has a link for those who want to assist the hurricane relief effort.

Direct access to the Web site is through: www.maine.gov/mema/help.htm. The site has instructions for donating cash or goods and information on how to volunteer. Maine residents who want to offer homes as potential shelter locations for displaced hurricane victims may register at: www.maine.gov/katrina.

For more information, call 624-4400.

Members of the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing Medical Group of Bangor got word Friday afternoon that they will deploy as early as Sunday to aid in the relief efforts, according to a press release Friday.

The 11 members of the medical team will travel on a KC-135 refueling tanker to an undetermined location in Mississippi and are scheduled to remain there for 30 days. The unit will deploy with medical equipment and supplies to last them up to 10 days, and upon arrival will fall under the 38th Infantry Division at Camp Shelby, Miss., according to the press release.

The wing’s Security Forces Squadron is on standby and also could be sent south to aid in the relief efforts, according to a Guard spokeswoman.

The number of evacuees displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are seeking refuge in Maine continues to grow “exponentially,” Suzan Bell, director of the Pine Tree Chapter of the Red Cross, said Friday.

The total number of cases had grown Friday from five to 17.

“They all have housing,” Bell said. “We’re finding that they’re all here because they know someone – family, loved ones, friends.”

Pine Tree covers the northern region of the state from Newport north.

Residents are urged to beware of investment scams in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Maine Department of Professional Financial Regulation’s Office of Securities has issued a warning, stating that officials have seen evidence that con artists are attempting to exploit the tragedy by tricking people into fraudulent investments.

Maine Securities Administrator Michael Colleran is urging Mainers to:

. Hang up on cold-callers and ignore unsolicited e-mail messages and faxes promoting any kind of investment.

. Not let good salesmen prey on your sympathy for hurricane victims.

. Use common sense. Anything that sounds too good to be true, or too strange to be real, probably is.

. Never provide money or financial information to strangers or in response to unwanted solicitations.

. Make sure to check out an investment fully before you invest.

Consumers can call the Office of Securities at 1-877-624-8551 to get information about an investment, including whether the seller and the investment are properly licensed and registered in Maine. Maine investors also can call if they have been the target of any solicitation for an investment involving Hurricane Katrina.

Blue Seal Feeds N Needs at 876 Stillwater Ave. in Bangor is accepting donations from the public to help displaced dogs and cats from Hurricane Katrina. Blue Seal Feeds Inc. will match donations and use the funds to purchase and distribute dog and cat food to pet rescue organizations involved with the rescue effort. The collection, “Cause for Paws,” officially begins Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 16, but the Bangor store already has received some donations.

Medical staff and employees at St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor are organizing several ways to help with the relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to keeping in close contact with the Maine Emergency Management Agency, the American Hospital Association and the Maine Hospital Association, staff and employees are contributing in the following ways:

. The hospital is matching employee monetary donations, which will be given to The Salvation Army.

. The medical staff is donating funds to purchase essential medication such as pain relievers and antibiotics to be delivered to medical personnel in Mississippi and Louisiana.

. The hospital is working with St. Matthew’s Parish in Hampden to fill a tractor-trailer truck with basic necessities and clothing to be distributed to parishes in the affected Southern states.

The public is invited to drop off donated items at the hospital’s Broadway entrance. For a list of suggested items to donate, visit www.stjoeshealing.org.

Penn National Gaming Inc., which is opening Hollywood Slots in Bangor, suffered a severe loss when Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to a letter from Chairman and CEO Peter Carlino. The company is reaching out to its nearly 2,000 affected employees at two of its casinos, Casino Magic-Bay St. Louis and Boomtown Biloxi.

The first priority continues to be locating and providing immediate assistance to affected employees and their families. Penn National has set up a hot line, (800) 598-0756, for employees to call and “let us know they’re OK,” Carlino wrote. More than 1,400 employees already have contacted Penn National, and their paychecks were direct-deposited into their bank accounts Sept. 2.

The company’s human resource departments have been instructed to keep open all available positions at sister properties for existing Gulf Coast employees who are able and willing to relocate. In addition, sister companies are being asked to help provide temporary housing.

The company is in the process of establishing a fund to allow employees companywide to donate. “Those heartbreaking images on every major news channel of survivors wandering the streets in search of possessions, in search of their home, are our co-workers, our friends. This tragedy has touched the entire Penn family,” Carlino wrote.

– From Staff and Wire Reports