The Getty Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation to fund the first three months of the National Trust's recovery and outreach efforts to the regions damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The grant will cover the expenses necessary to send volunteer teams of architects, conservators, and engineers to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to assess the damage caused to historic buildings and districts by the storm and flooding.

The National Trust will work in collaboration with other preservation organizations, state historic preservation officers, and federal agencies to ensure that preservation is taken into consideration before buildings are marked for demolition.

The Getty Foundation and the Getty Conservation Institute have long worked with the National Trust on preservation initiatives. Through its Museums Emergency Program Education Initiative with ICOM and ICCROM, the GCI also assists museums and other cultural institutions around the world in the development of emergency preparedness and response plans.

For further information on the National Trust's hurricane recovery efforts, visit its Web site.