SALEM (AP) -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered 107 Oregon National Guard troops to Louisiana Thursday to help in the hurricane relief effort.

Kulongoski's spokeswoman Holly Armstrong said the 1186th Military Police Company would help local law enforcement authorities and medics in the relief efforts.

The unit has troops based at the Salem Armory and in Milton-Freewater. They will leave today for the England Air Base in central Louisiana. The unit recently returned from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Kulongoski also directed Adjutant General Raymond Rees, the Oregon National Guard's military head, to begin preparing other medical, engineering, communications, water purification and transportation specialists for potential mobilization as needed for the hurricane relief work.

Kulongoski said he had talked with the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and "let them know that Oregon was standing by ready to help as soon as our assistance was needed."

Across the state, insititutions, corporations and individuals are stepping forward to help people living along the stricken Gulf Coast.

The University of Oregon offered to take in displaced university students from the region on a temporary basis.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina," said John Moseley, senior vice president and provost. "The University of Oregon is ready to accommodate students who cannot get to campuses that have been devastated by the hurricane, as well as students who were planning to attend the University of Oregon and might encounter delays in traveling back to Eugene."

The university will work to admit students affected by the hurricane on a provisional basis through fall term, he said.

Meanwhile, Portland General Electric said it would donate $25,000 to the relief effort and also would match 50 percent of donations made by employees to any of four relief organizations.

Scott Simms, spokesman for the state's biggest utility, said Thursday it hadn't yet been decided to which organizations the company contribution might go. He said the money will come from shareholder funds, not ratepayer revenue.

Simms said the company will add one-half to donations that employees designate for the Red Cross, Mercy Corps, Northwest Medical Teams or Salvation Army and forward the money to the organizations.

Also, operators of the new Bridgeport Village shopping center at Tualatin south of Portland said customers will be able to donate to Northwest Medical Teams to help the nonprofit organization's disaster relief efforts.

Josie Smith, marketing director for Bridgeport Village, said Northwest Medical Teams volunteers will be at the shopping center Saturday afternoon to take contributions.

Northwest Medical Teams is assembling two medical teams to staff mobile medical clinics being sent to Louisiana and Mississippi and sending emergency health supplies to FEMA. The group said 96 percent of donations will directly support the needy in the disaster.

------

On the Net:

www.nwmedicalteams.org