In the spirit of generosity for which Maritimers are famous, some residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are offering shelter to the homeless survivors of hurricane Katrina.

In Halifax, Cynthia Hellesoe's family and friends spent Labour Day making a welcome sign they plan to display if the province opens its doors to the storm victims.

"We have a house, and although we don't have lots of money, still -- we have someplace people can go and feel comfort for a while," Hellesoe told ATV News.

Hellesoe says she feels compelled to help for a number of reasons, including her empathy for the survivors after having lived through Hurricane Juan herself two years ago.

"It's a sense of familiarity, and my heart says the right thing to do would be to try to help."

From providing temporary homes for stranded passengers after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on Washington and New York, to taking in over 5,000 Kosovar-Albanian refugees in 1999, this wouldn't be the first time Maritimers have extended a hand to those in need.

It's an offer the federal government says it will convey to U.S. officials.

"My view is that if there are displaced people who need accommodation, that we would be there," Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan told reporters Monday.

McLellan, also the minister of public safety, says her department is discussing with the U.S. national security advisor the possibility of Canadians billeting American storm evacuees .

Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer said it's not just shelter that Canada should be offering.

"We could offer our services through our various airlines. We have our armed forces personnel. We could offer to send planes to bring people here if we so desire -- it's not that much," Stoffer told ATV News.

Marilyn Price knows firsthand what it's like to offer relief to those in need. After the September 11 attacks, the Price family was one of many Maritime families to offer food and shelter to the hundreds of stranded airline passengers diverted to Halifax and Moncton.

"When 9-11 happened, we wanted to help -- so we put our names in, and they gave us a family of six," Price told ATV News.

Her guests from Louisiana were of Acadian heritage, and Price says the deep connection of Atlantic Canada's Acadians with the American South is likely one of the many reasons Maritimers feel so compelled to help again.

In Memramcook, N.B., Acadian-Canadian Claude LeBlanc is rallying to help his Cajun cousins affected by hurricane Katrina.

Leblanc says he's far from being a wealthy man, but wants to help any way he can. Clutching a jar-full of change and standing in front of Memramcook's centuries-old levee system, Leblanc told ATV News he wants Acadian Canadians across the country to join him in donating to the relief effort.

"The exact same levees behind me now, I'm sure some of the same people worked on the same levees here and in Louisiana. But the levees let go and these poor people are flooded, so please help any way you can."

Based on reports by Jodi Cooke and Andy Campbell with ATV News in Halifax, N.S. and Memramcook, N.B.