Ameren Corporation announced today the company is creating a matching gift program for employee contributions to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, which this week brought devastation and terrifying floods to the South. The company will match one-for-one contributions made by Ameren employees from Sept. 2, 2005, to Oct. 17, 2005, to the United Way, Salvation Army and Catholic Charities.

"Our employees have been touched by the staggering humanitarian crisis that faces the South, particularly the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. More than 100 of our employees are now in the area helping to restore power so this was a natural outgrowth of that effort. In addition, some Ameren employees have family members in the area, and all are motivated by a desire to help others," says Richard J. Mark, vice president, Ameren Services. "We have long experience responding to emergencies and know some of the challenges our fellow citizens face as they try to rebuild. We believe that as a Fortune 500 company and a leading utility in the nation, it is critical that we do our part to respond to this unparalleled tragedy."

With assets of more than $17 billion, Ameren through its operating companies, serves 2.3 million electric and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Illinois and Missouri.