The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced Sunday that it will offer food supplies to the United States in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

"The United States has requested NATO relief support in the form of food supplies. NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) is coordinating responses to this request by allies and NATO partners," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in a written statement.

The NATO headquarters said a liaison officer has also been dispatched to Washington to work with US authorities, in particular the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"NATO stands ready to continue to support the United States as it recovers from this natural disaster," said the statement.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said last week the bloc will do anything it can to help the United States, based on US requests.

Katrina, which was recorded at Category 5, the maximum on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind speed scale, swept the US states of Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi last week, leaving at least 198 people confirmed dead. However, the death toll continues to rise, with estimates reaching into the thousands as bodies are recovered from the worst-affected areas.

Material losses could reach 25 billion US dollars, according to estimates by insurance firms.

Source: Xinhua