U.S. Responds To Romania Flood Disaster
Two persons were killed and thousands of others displaced when extreme flooding wreaked havoc in Romania in late April. More than 3,700 homes were damaged and $7.5 million in crops ravaged as a result of this disaster; 330 bridges were destroyed and 364 kilometers of county roads were rendered inaccessible. In a country where roughly 40 percent of the rural population lives below the poverty line, those affected lack the personal resources to recover from this disaster independently. Additionally, these families rely on wells, which have been contaminated in the flooding, for personal and livelihood use. Many areas were left with no potable water and electricity. Overall damage estimates reach $25 million.
| Evacuated villagers from Otelec were forced to leave pets and livestock behind. A volunteer from CHF, a USAID implementing partner, has begun collecting the local dogs, keeping records on which houses they appear to belong to, and providing interim care until their owners return. |
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| A family dog finds comfort after the floods |
USAID/Romania was able to work quickly with its partners on the ground to reallocate critical resources for disaster relief. Within hours of the official declaration of a natural disaster, the U.S. committed $50,000 for the delivery of humanitarian commodities for immediate relief, including potable water, food, water purification kits, personal hygiene kits, and portable gas stoves. USAID moved quickly to modify its contracts and grants to re-direct some existing funding to provide support to victims, enabling the Agency to utilize the expertise of each of these partners to save lives and livelihoods while reducing response cost.
The Mission also took the lead in collaborating with American companies to facilitate donations that would help salvage the 2005 harvest and bring life in the region back to normal as quickly as possible. Pioneer and Monsanto donated approximately $80,000 worth of seed, and CHF will offer more than $250,000 in low-cost loans to assist displaced families in repairing or rebuilding their homes. It will also allocate $100,000 in grants to social and economic projects to address the communities’ infrastructure needs, such as rebuilding schools, market places, and access bridges. In the process, it will create jobs for the region’s residents and help people’s lives return to normal as quickly as possible. JSI Research and Training Institute is conducting health awareness campaigns to prevent the outbreak and spread of disease.
Total U.S. Government response to date is $550,000, plus the current private sector pledges of
more than $100,000. Through these efforts, USAID was able to address the immediate needs of
the victims, while providing equipment, models and training so that the Romanians are in a
better position to respond to emergencies in the future.
Rodger Garner, USAID/Romania Mission Director reports, “This outpouring of support from the private and public sector is evidence of America’s commitment to Romania, an important ally, at
a difficult time for the Romanian people.”
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| The village of Otelec, near Timisoara, is among Romania’s most severely affected areas |
Mission Director Rodger D. Garner receives seed donation from Maya Draganova of Monsanto |
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| USAID Agribusiness Specialist, Paul Trupo, unloads Pioneer seed in Timiosara |
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