The American Trucking Associations' Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort team is working with the Mississippi Emergency Management Administration (MEMA) in Jackson, Miss., to determine trucking needs for MEMA’s current relief effort.

The following information is being issued in an effort to update and coordinate the trucking industry’s volunteer process.
For at least this week, 20 dry vans are needed daily to deliver pre-sorted relief supplies from Jackson, Miss., to damaged coastal areas. MEMA is operating the truck deliveries from a 17-door staging/area warehouse. Destination sites are manned with unloading crews and/or forklifts.
Carriers wishing to participate in the Jackson-based relief supplies in-state delivery system should contact MEMA Volunteer Coordinator Blake Wilson at (800) 748-7626 (MS Chamber of Commerce HQ) or (601) 940-2877 (cell).
Carriers or organizations with relief supplies to be delivered to Mississippi should contact the Mississippi volunteer hotline, (866) 230-8903, to exchange information and to receive instructions. As a backup, trucking-related operations should also contact Blake Wilson at the above numbers.
In addition to the MEMA set-up, the Jackson-based Mississippi Trucking Association is in operation and aiding relief efforts. Carriers and organizations can contact Steve Boudreax at (601) 354-0616 (office) to coordinate assistance. Boudreax is an excellent source for local and state trucking information, local aid contacts, and – for carriers or volunteer groups with partial loads – can direct them to smaller locales where the aid is needed.
Meanwhile, the American Trucking Associations maintains its “Katrina Relief Effort” dedicated site on www.Truckline.com. The package has latest trucking related and relevant information for motor carriers and others wishing to help with the relief effort. ATA will update the site as new information arrives.