Venezuela's Citgo Sets Up Hurricane Relief Centers, Country Plans 1 Millio [View All]

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Venezuela's Citgo Sets Up Hurricane Relief Centers, Country Plans 1 Million Barrel Gasoline Donation

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. has set up disaster relief centers in Texas and Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and has begun providing humanitarian aid to thousands of American victims, an official said Monday.

Volunteers at Citgo refineries in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas, are providing medical care, food and water to a total of about 5,000 people, Venezuela emergency management director Col. Antonio Rivero told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, volunteers from the company's Houston headquarters have provided similar help to some 40,000 victims, Rivero said. snip

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered to send the gasoline plus US$5 million (euro4 million) in disaster aid and a team of 200 humanitarian workers drawn from a special force of soldiers, firefighters and other specialists.

At the same time, he has sharply criticized the U.S. government for failing to evacuate the victims before disaster struck.