Health care needs

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is looking forlicensed health care professionals to volunteer their time andexpertise. Any who want to volunteer should call1-800-272-2707.

Free medication

The Mississippi Department of Health announces that select areapharmacies will offer insulin and other needed medications free ofcharge to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Pharmacy chainsparticipating include Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens andKroger. People living in areas affected by the hurricane or thosedisplaced by the storm may receive seven days of free medication byvisiting the nearest location of any participating chain.

Banking operations

Trustmark National Bank has included on its Web site atwww.trustmark.com an up-to-date list of functioning andnonfunctioning ATMs throughout the state of Mississippi. As power,data and other communication lines become available, Trustmark isrestoring normal branch operations as quickly as possible, a newsrelease from the bank said. Trustmark branches in Brookhaven areagain operational.

School enrollment

The Mississippi Department of Health is offering a 60-dayprovisional enrollment status to students transferring from areasaffected by Hurricane Katrina. The provisional status means it isnot necessary for students to present immunization records prior toadmission to any school or licensed child-care facility in order toattend classes for the next 60 days.

Meal canteens

The Salvation Army continues to serve food and drink in areasaffected by Hurricane Katrina. In southwest Mississippi, canteensserving meals today include locations in Magnolia and Summit. Forprecise locations or more information, contact Tree Davidson at(601) 969-7560 or (205) 296-1985.

College schedules

Millsaps College in Jackson will resume classes Monday.Residence halls will reopen Saturday at noon. The University ofSouthern Mississippi in Hattiesburg also plans to resume classesMonday, school officials said over the weekend.

Food stamp changes

In order to provide temporary assistance to victims of HurricaneKatrina, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing food-stampclients to purchase hot, ready-to-eat foods with food stampbenefits statewide. Purchases of hot food will be permitted throughOct. 31. If store owners have questions, they may call the localoffice of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

Employees sought

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security is attemptingto locate its employees affected by Hurricane Katrina. Employeesare urged to contact the state office at 1-877-633-7275 as soon aspossible. Residents who have any information regarding MDESemployees or WIN Job Center staff members are encouraged to callthe same toll-free number.

Habitat efforts

Habitat for Humanity leaders plan to build thousands of homesalong the Gulf Coast in what could be the Georgia-basedorganization’s largest construction project ever, The AssociatedPress reported today. Habitat plans to launch Operation HomeDelivery later this month in Jackson, where it will assemblehousing frames and put them on trucks bound for Alabama, Louisianaand Mississippi. The nonprofit group has issued an emergency appealfor donations and volunteers to assist the hundreds of thousandsleft homeless by the storm. Habitat officials said they’ve had anoverwhelming response of online donations, with more than $450,000pouring in during the four days after Katrina made landfall.