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(CNSNews.com) -- As graphic and disturbing footage of the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina fills TV screens around the world, the U.S. government has received numerous messages of condolence as well as offers of assistance from more than 20 countries.

"Anything that can be of help to alleviate the tragic situation of the area affected by Hurricane Katrina will be accepted," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"America should be heartened by the fact that the world is reaching out to America at a time of need."

Offers of general or specific help had come from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, he said, adding that the list was growing all the time.

Offers have also come from the United Nations, NATO and the Organization of American States.

McCormack said the department was passing along foreign proposals to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security, which would then try to match up the capabilities on offer with needs.

The Australian government offered specialists with expertise in the area of community recovery following disasters.

Canberra said the officials worked with Indonesian officials following last December's Indian Ocean tsunami disaster "and are very familiar with the pressure on communities following major urban disasters."

"Normally when natural disasters strike, the U.S. is called upon to be the deliverer of aid, and it has not been found wanting," Sydney's Daily Telegraph said in an editorial. "But now, the roles are reversed ... because of the close relationship between Australia and the U.S., we should be first in line."

Prime Minister John Howard said he did not take the view that "America can help everybody else out but in her hours of need people should ignore her."

Israel, another country with extensive experience in emergency-relief, offered to send specialized teams, and Germany offered water treatment facilities, mobile shelters and anything else that may be of help.

"Of course, we know that the United States of America has enormous resources of its own," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a statement released by the German Embassy. "But we want, at least, to be prepared if in one case or another assistance is needed and we are able provide it - and we are able to provide a lot in this sector."

The embassy also launched a private initiative to raise funds from German citizens, companies and organizations in the U.S.

A decision by President Bush once again to ask his father, former President George H.W. Bush and former President Clinton to oversee fundraising efforts will remind many in Asia of America's response in the aftermath of the tsunami, which cost more than 200,000 lives.

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