The Republic of China government has officially requested the assistance of the United States and Canada to help with disaster relief in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, Taiwanese officials posted in North America said Thursday. Chang Ta-tung, Taiwan's deputy representative to the United States, said his office had submitted a list detailing the items that the country hopes to obtain. The U.S. State Department had announced a day earlier that US$250,000 had been donated through the U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to the ROC Red Cross Society, and State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said the government will do everything it can to help Taiwan. 'And we've indicated that if there are additional requirements, we would be very supportive,' he said. According to a list released by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, items most needed include specialized helicopters and pilots capable of transporting very heavy payloads such as excavators and heavy gravel trucks, as well as 1,000 prefabricated houses to provide temporary refuge for homeless flood victims. In addition, the country is requesting 100,000 bottles of phenolic disinfectant or Benzyl-p-chloropherno, 200,000 Aquatab water purification tablets, 100,000 liters of sterilizing agent for sanitation, 1,000 portable sterilizers and 500 automatic sterilizers. Meng Fan-peng, chief of the Information Division at Taiwan's representative office in Canada, said the office has asked the Canadian authorities to provide prefabricated houses, disinfectant and sterilizers. Wang Kuo-jan, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, said the office is currently coordinating fundraising efforts among the Taiwanese expatriate community in Canada and has provided three dedicated bank accounts to accept their donations. Also, the income from a golf competition slated for Sept. 26 will be donated to typhoon relief, Wang said, estimating that the amount to be generated will total in the region of US$10,000. Typhoon Morakot battered Taiwan last week with strong winds and torrential rain that led to severe flooding and mudslides in some areas of central and southern Taiwan. The death toll from the disaster had risen to at least 116 as of 10 p.m. Thursday, with 45 injured and 59 reported missing, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. 