WASHINGTON — In an effort to assist bakers affected by Hurricane Sandy the American Bakers Association has issued the following notice:

“As you know, Hurricane Sandy has caused widespread damage, power outages and fuel shortages in the greater NYC area,” said Robb MacKie, president and chief executive officer of the A.B.A. “There have been reports from bakers and customers that this is causing enormous challenges in getting product to the impacted areas. The availability of gas for route trucks is a particularly acute challenge. Baking is considered a high priority for fuel allocation, but some local officials may not be aware of that status and may be diverting fuel to other response efforts. This could lead to areas of food shortages despite plenty of available food.

“To assist you in recovery efforts and access to fuel for your route trucks, the A.B.A. is providing the following contact information. E-mail is the preferred method of communication. If you have any challenges, please do not hesitate to contact the A.B.A.”

For New Jersey, the A.B.A. said to contact Steve Gutkin at the New Jersey private sector help desk at 866-475-6546, or by e-mail at Steven.gutkin@ohsp.state.nj.us.

For New York City, the contact information is NYC private sector assistance liaison — Ira Tannenbaum, itannenbaum@oem.nyc.gov, 718-422-8916.