Tsunami Assistance, One Year Later

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USAID Administrator Natsios shakes hands with boy in Lampuuk village in Banda Aceh, Indonesia,after inaugurating a water facility funded by USAID on December 18, 2005.

In the days immediately following the December 26, 2004 tsunami and earthquake, swift action by the U.S. government, in cooperation with other donors and private organizations, ensured critical needs for water and sanitation were met, thus preventing a secondary disaster-related health crisis from occurring.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. government agencies launched a comprehensive reconstruction program with $656 million provided by Congress in May 2005 and signed into law by President Bush for the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund (including $25 million for efforts to combat the spread of avian influenza). When added to the funds spent by the Department of Defense on emergency recovery assistance and relief aid, as well as food aid provided by USDA, U.S. government assistance totals $841 million.

In addition to the U.S. government response, the American people responded in great numbers. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the total for U.S. private tsunami donations, including both cash and in-kind donations, is more than $1.8 billion.

Today, the U.S. government’s reconstruction efforts include supporting programs that are identified by the affected communities themselves: rebuilding roads; helping individuals return to their original livelihoods; training (particularly women) to develop new skills; strengthening the community governance and political infrastructure; and supporting host government-led early warning/disaster preparedness efforts. Additional details on the programs underway with the $656 million provided by the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund follow:

Indonesia ($400.1 million):

•  Nearly 600,000 people affected by the tsunami benefited from U.S. government relief assistance including temporary shelter, food, water purification, and sanitation to psycho-social and child protection programs.
• As of November 2005, USAID has reopened 80 kilometers of the road from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh and plans to rebuild another 10 kilometers of new road in the next eight months, as well as complete the design and fully mobilize construction of the remaining 240 kilometers. The road project will provide mobility, improve communication, create local jobs, and serve as the lifeline for economic growth in the region. 
• Fourteen health clinics were repaired, and over 100 mobile teams provided primary health care to 13,000 people in Indonesia, which dramatically reduced post-tsunami health risks. 
• Through cash-for-work programs in the immediate aftermath, which created jobs to clean up and rebuild damaged infrastructure, over 84,000 workers and their families earned income. The results of the cash-for-work programs include 1,500 water systems and 2,015 latrines built, and almost 4,000 hectares cleared. 
• The U.S. government rebuilt 17 community centers, providing space essential for re-establishing village leadership and allowing community members to meet and plan reconstruction of their communities. 
• A sewage treatment plant was reconstructed and sewage systems were repaired. 
• 17,500 small business/livelihood grants were given to restart businesses, create 141 new businesses, and repair 445 fishing boats. Additional assistance is planned to ensure integration of female entrepreneurs into the local economy through increased access to capital and local community-managed loans for training in livelihoods.
• Due to the overwhelming support from other donors for housing, USAID’s primary role in this sector is supporting the conditions necessary for reconstruction (i.e. community land/spatial planning). USAID is also improving water/sanitation for communities and will finance the construction of 1,000 permanent houses. 
• The U.S. government and the Government of Indonesia signed an agreement in June 2005 to defer and reschedule debt payments falling due to the U.S. government in 2005. The agreement will free resources for the Government of Indonesia to spend on reconstruction services for its citizens, including constructing houses and providing housing vouchers.

Sri Lanka ($134.6 million):

• More than 187,800 people received sanitation supplies, more than 122,000 received household supplies, and more than 220,000 were helped by water projects. 
• The U.S. government provided $9.8 million in food and logistics support for the World Food Program for emergency feeding programs in Sri Lanka. 
• The U.S. government provided anti-trafficking information to more than 73,500 people, and psycho-social support services to over 128,000 people to help them in dealing with their traumatic losses. 
• More than 17,700 workers earned income doing post-tsunami clean-up activities in Sri Lanka, and 9,000 transitional shelters were built, benefiting over 50,000 people. 
• More than 7,000 wells were constructed, repaired and/or desalinated and over 5,600 latrines were built. 
• More than 8,800 persons were trained for new employment, over 2,000 households received loans, and more than 9,000 community organizations and businesses were assisted. 
• Planned large-scale reconstruction includes rebuilding a major bridge in the southeast and repairing three fishing harbors. 
• The U.S. government rebuilt 52 schools, three hospitals, 34 public toilets, and restored an irrigation reservoir. 
• More than 4,500 businesses received loans and more than 18,000 businesses received grants. 
• The U.S. government provided boats, nets, and fishing equipment to restore the livelihoods of 3,000 fishermen. 
• The U.S. government provided Peace Corps Crisis Corps Volunteers to build the capacity of partners, and to assist communities in determining and implementing livelihood programs. 
• The U.S. government and the Government of Sri Lanka signed an agreement in September 2005 to defer and reschedule debt payments falling due to the U.S. government in 2005. The agreement will free resources for the Government of Sri Lanka to spend on reconstruction services to benefit Sri Lankans directly affected by the tsunami.
  

India ($17.9 million):

• More than 100,000 people have better access to clean water, and more than 40,000 people have newly-built toilets. 
• Cash-for-work programs provided 275,000 person-days of income for affected families. Results of the cash-for-work programs include 1,500 temporary shelters built and 1,100 water systems repaired. 
• More than 4,000 women have received micro-loans. The U.S. government will initiate skills training and job placement services projects in India to benefit thousands of vulnerable women and youth over the life of the projects.
  

Maldives ($10.1 million):

•  The U.S. government provided temporary shelter materials benefiting 750 people, safe drinking water for 24,000 people, and hygiene kits benefiting 10,000 people. 
• The U.S. government will also begin work on repairing harbors and sewage systems in the Maldives.
  

Thailand ($5.3 million):

•  The U.S. government replaced 20 fishing boats and provided 50 loans and small business training to 250 micro-entrepreneurs, which helps sustain 77 businesses. The U.S. government continues to provide loans and training to help people make a living in small businesses and fisheries. 
• The U.S. government provided Peace Corps Crisis Corps Volunteers to build the capacity of partners, and to assist communities in determining and implementing livelihood programs.

Regional Programs ($41.6 million):

•  Assistance was also provided to Malaysia, Somalia, and the Seychelles.
• Through the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) program, the U.S. government is developing early warning capabilities for tsunamis and other hazards through monitoring changes in the ocean floor and connecting local communities to a warning system. The U.S. government is also supporting UNESCO’s International Oceanographic Commission as it takes the lead role in developing an international warning system with data sharing for 16 countries.

Other ($46.4 million): 

•  In addition to the amounts listed above, the $656 million in the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund also includes funds for administration and oversight ($21.4 million) including the transfer authorized for support services for U.S. citizen victims and related operations, as well as funds for activities to prevent and control the spread of avian influenza virus ($25 million).

This U.S. government assistance to the tsunami-affected countries also includes activities such as:

Public-Private Partnerships:

•  The U.S. government has partnered with the private sector and non-governmental organizations to help channel ideas, efforts, and resources to assist with reconstruction in the tsunami-affected countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Nine public-private partnerships, based on USAID’s Global Development Alliance model, leverage more than $11 million in private sector funds for reconstruction in tsunami-affected countries. There are another eight alliances pending finalization in Sri Lanka worth $4.3 million, bringing the total for all Global Development Alliances to $15.3 million.
• Current and pending partners in post-tsunami reconstruction include: Chevron, Unocal Foundation, ConocoPhillips, Mars, Microsoft, Prudential, Caltex, Mercury Marine, JAAF/MAS, Sampath Bank, 3M, Black and Decker, Singer Lanka, Coca-Cola, the Rotary Club of Thailand, and the Mellon Foundation.
  
  

Coordination:

•  Given the unprecedented level of donor resources made available, ensuring that needed resources fit together to create a total package of assistance was critical. Such coordination is important to ensure that the worldwide outpouring of support to the people affected by this disaster is used in the most effective way possible. 
• U.S. government donor collaboration took many forms. Examples include: direct grants for other donor organizations, such as UNICEF in Maldives and the World Food Program in Sri Lanka; information sharing through participation in the United Nations Development Program-led development assistance databases; contributions and steering committee leadership for the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Aceh and North Sumatra; and U.S. government managed activities initiated after careful assessment of other donor investments, such as USAID spatial mapping and planning to guarantee that the large private and public contributions for housing were well used in Indonesia.
  

Technical Assistance:

•  The devastation caused by the tsunami on the population, livelihoods, and infrastructure has severely taxed the ability of the local and national governments to respond. The U.S. government has provided technical assistance in the areas of audit and financial management, spatial planning, and information and communication technology to the tsunami-affected country governments to support their ability to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction services. For example, the U.S. government helped establish an online project tracking system for the Government of Indonesia and donors to monitor assistance and program results.
  

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