USDA PROVIDES EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR NEW YORK CITY AND PENTAGON RESCUE EFFORTS

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2001-The U.S. Department of Agriculture is aiding in the rescue efforts in New York City and at the Pentagon by mobilizing Forest Service incident management teams skilled in managing large emergency situations through their experience with wildfires.

"During this unprecedented time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making available every resource we have that can be helpful in rescue and recovery efforts," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. "Our hearts go out to the thousands of families that are suffering from these horrific acts."

An incident management team is on site in New York as well as one in Washington, D.C. Three other teams are currently standby ready to assist when called upon. Furthermore, additional Forest Service employees have been deployed to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency operations that are on a 24-hour schedule. Fire crews, communications gear, and other resources from the Forest Service are available to be used as needed by FEMA.

Additional ways in which USDA is assisting the victims of these terrorist attacks include:

- Members of the Office of Inspector General's staff are working with the NYC police department and the FBI in crime scene investigation work.

- USDA's National Finance Center, which does payroll operations for federal facilities that were housed in the World Trade Center, is assuring that payroll checks are processed without delay.

USDA employees continue to deliver services to customers throughout the country. For updated information about USDA programs and services, please visit http://www.usda.gov .

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