'Every one of us at Microsoft is deeply saddened by the destruction of property and personal lives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,' says a statement on the Microsoft web site, 'and our hearts go out to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected by the storm and its aftermath.' As reported earlier at SYS-CON.com, Microsoft has pledged $1 million in cash to relief organizations, including the American Red Cross.

Microsoft and its employees are contributing to the relief efforts in a variety of additional ways. Its business teams are working with local and state governments, businesses, and educational institutions to help them repair their information technology systems as quickly as possible; the company is matching employee donations to nonprofit organizations; three of Microsoft's senior technologists have been deployed to Red Cross operations in Washington, DC, to work in partnership with Intel, Cisco, and SBC Communications on a technology plan to assist the relief operation – a plan that will help to support the 240 relief centers.

The company has made three buses fully equipped with satellite communications systems available for use as relief operation centers, and Microsoft employees are responding as volunteers in Red Cross relief Centers in Dallas and other locations.

Lastly the company has dedicated space on Microsoft.com, MSN.com and other Web properties to highlight the disaster and encourage giving to the Red Cross and other relief organizations.