Drug store chains flock to hurricane victims' aid.

NEW YORK -- As federal, state and local emergency relief workers rush in to coastal Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, retail pharmacy chains and key suppliers also stepped up to answer the call. By Friday, more than $50 million had been committed by National Association of Chain Drug Stores members and associate-member companies --a tally sure to rise exponentially in the days and weeks ahead.

Aid announcements from major drug chains included:

* An estimated $1 million from Walgreens, including a $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and a dollar-for-dollar matching-funds program for …