BRUSSELS, September 5 (RIA Novosti, Alexander Shishlo) - Twelve European Union countries have sent teams of specialists, food and equipment to southern regions of the United States to help federal and local authorities cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the European Commission reported Monday.

The types of aid dispatched were checked against a list of priorities that Britain, currently holding the rotating EU presidency, had received from U.S. authorities Sunday.

The EU's civil defense administration has been put in charge of coordinating the aid for Katrina-stricken areas.

Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom contributed to the relief effort.