USAID Pledges Over $10M for Emergency Food for Bangladesh
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2007
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged to make available more than $10 million of Food for Peace assistance for the relief and immediate recovery efforts for the Cyclone Sidr response in Bangladesh.
This assistance includes more than 3,000 tons of Food for Peace assistance already in Bangladesh as part of CARE and Save the Children grants provided through USAID. These in-country stocks will be distributed immediately, and additional commodities will follow.
Including the food aid being distributed by CARE and Save the Children, the United States has provided more than $14.4 million in emergency funds, commodities and transportation to assist relief efforts in Bangladesh to date.
"This food aid is not just a life-saving measure but a visible demonstration of the goodwill of the American people to Bangladeshis in their time of need," said Michael Hess, USAID Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.
The U.S. Government is mobilizing all appropriate resources to support Bangladesh in responding to and recovering from the cyclone. A nine-person USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is in Bangladesh to help manage the U.S. response in coordination with the Government of Bangladesh. The DART - composed of sectoral specialists including those in food security, water and sanitation, health, shelter, and livelihoods - is working alongside local authorities to conduct field assessments that will identify additional needs and areas where the U.S. might be of assistance.
In coordination with the government of Bangladesh, the U.S.S. Kearsarge and the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief efforts in the affected areas. The U.S.S. Tarawa is en route to Bangladesh to assist as well. An 18-person U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) medical team and a 23-member DOD Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team is also assisting in relief efforts.
For more information about USAID's relief and recovery efforts in Bangladesh, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/cyclone_sidr/.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
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