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	04/28/06: Reconstruction Update #31 (PDF) Countries: • Indonesia • India • Somalia • Sri Lanka • Thailand • Other Affected Countries Sectors: • Relief and Rehabilitation • Transition from Camps to Communities • Rebuild Infrastructure Better • Technical Assistance and Good Governance • Early Warning, Disaster Preparedness, and Damage Prevention   Get Adobe Reader
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Summary of Tsunami Assistance

Somalia

Following the December 26 Tsunami disaster which affected parts of coastal Somalia, USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) channeled $1,034,331 through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to provide a variety of emergency relief activities, including assistance with shelter material, household kits, safe drinking water, and emergency medical supplies. USAID/OFDA has also contributed funds for the effective coordination of the relief effort in Somalia.

In addition to the USAID/OFDA assistance, USAID Food for Peace (FFP) provides more than 50 percent of the U.N. World Food Program's (WFP) commodities in Somalia. WFP has three teams in place in the tsunami-hit areas and is currently meeting the needs of more than 30,000 of the most vulnerable people with 477 metric tons of food aid. WFP welcomed the "speedy and generous response of the U.S. Food for Peace office of USAID and the US Department of Agriculture for prompt donations."

An inter-agency report summarizing the effects of the Tsunami in Somalia was released March 5 by the Tsunami Task Force, a group made up of U.N. agencies, NGOs, and donors. The purpose of the assessment, conducted in early February, was to identify gaps in humanitarian response and identify the recovery needs of affected communities. The report noted that the disaster primarily affected a 650-kilometer stretch of coastline between Hafun and Gara'ad (in northeastern Puntland), and that approximately 22,000 people (mostly fisherman who lost boats and equipment) would require extended assistance due to their loss of livelihoods. The final death toll was reported to be 289. The report suggests that health conditions, and access to food and water in the affected area, returned quickly to what they were before the Tsunami. Damage to infrastructure was minimal. The report concluded that international resources made available for the response (including those from USAID) were sufficient to address emergency needs.

The tsunami disaster came at a time when 1.2 million people across Somalia are already suffering the effects of an ongoing humanitarian emergency caused by civil strife, drought and food insecurity. The U.S. Government is the largest bilateral donor to Somalia, and currently funds several humanitarian relief programs in the country. Since 1990, the U.S. Government has provided more than $476 million to Somalia for humanitarian assistance activities.

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