Statement of Gregory C. Gottlieb

Deputy Assistant Administrator

Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance

U.S. Agency for International Development

Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment

May 20, 2008

Burma in the Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis

Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the humanitarian emergency in Burma.

I want to begin by extending the deepest condolences to the people of Burma. The outpouring of concern for Burma has been overwhelming here in the United States. I want to assure them that the American people are doing everything they can to help the Burmese people in their hour of need. And the need is immense and immediate.

CURRENT SITUATION

Tropical Storm Nargis made landfall at about 1600 hours local time on Friday, May 2, to the west of Rangoon in the Ayeyarwady River delta. At landfall, Nargis had winds of approximately 132 mph and produced a storm surge of 12 feet – roughly equivalent to a Category Four hurricane. To help illustrate how strong that is, I note that Hurricane Katrina had sustained winds of 125 mph when it made landfall in Louisiana. Although Nargis was downgraded at landfall, the subsequent storm surge, rain, and wind devastated the low-lying delta region and the farmers and fishermen who live there. The cyclone then continued east-northeast and caused extensive damage in the city of Rangoon.

The magnitude of the death and suffering is overwhelming. As of May 19, the U.N. estimated that 2.4 million people were affected. Cyclone-related deaths could range from 63,000 to more than 101,000, the U.N. reports. An additional 220,000 people were still believed to be missing. However, the Burmese government estimates are lower. On state-run TV, the GOB has confirmed 77,000 deaths and 56,000 missing persons, as of May 19.

Those who survived are suffering immensely. Aid agencies working in the region report that hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless. Some are reportedly moving from place to place in search of the very basics – food, water, medical care for injuries sustained during the cyclone, and plastic sheeting to protect them from continuing seasonal rains. At least 150,000 people are displaced in a mixture of 120 official and unofficial temporary settlements in the Ayeyarwady Delta, as of May 18. What we understand about these gatherings is that many are overcrowded, and that sanitation conditions are appalling.

Unfortunately, despite the tireless efforts of the aid personnel on the ground, the international humanitarian community still does not have a complete and accurate picture of the situation. The Government of Burma has been slow to grant visas for international aid workers, including for USAID’s team of experts. Those aid workers who receive visas are mostly confined to Rangoon city. This leaves Burmese staff – many of whom themselves lost their homes and loved ones – to carry on the enormous task of getting aid to all those in need. Their efforts are extraordinary. However, the poor and damaged infrastructure and the limited humanitarian capacity on the ground are preventing the aid community from fully understanding who needs what, and where. This is why at all levels of the U.S. Government we have repeatedly emphasized to the Burmese government the urgent need to allow humanitarian aid workers access to do what they are trained to do in these situations: quickly assess the needs and recommend the best course of action to save lives and alleviate suffering.

On May 18, U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Homes arrived in Burma to meet with Burmese government officials and visit the severely affected Ayeyarwady Delta. In addition, we received news that the Burmese government had agreed to issue visas to 30 health workers from India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and China to support relief efforts. This is a welcome initial step, but concerns linger about the ability of these staff to travel freely in order to do their job. We also continue to urge full access to experts regardless of their country of origin.

The U.S. Pacific Command is prepared to provide relief supplies, including food, water, blankets, and medical supplies; equipment; and personnel to help in the relief efforts in Burma.

There are now a total of 11,000 service members and four Naval Ships in the region that could be used for aid to the Burmese people. Our Naval assets (USS ESSEX, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Mustin, and the USS Juneau) have arrived in the international waters off Burma. They are ready, but are still awaiting a request and approval for assistance from the Burmese authorities. Aboard these vessels are approximately 14 heavy and medium lift helicopters (CH-46, MH-60, SH-60) and more than 14,000 5-gallon plastic bladders filled with fresh water.

In addition, there are approximately a dozen cargo aircraft (C-130 and C-17), along with about a dozen heavy and medium lift helicopters (CH/MH-53 and CH-46) at Utapao Air Base in Thailand, that are available for the relief effort. The U.S. military is also available to transport other countries’ relief supplies into Burma.

Our reports indicate that while supplies are slowly getting out to affected areas, at best 20 percent of the 2.4 million people who are affected had received any aid as of May 19.  Only 250,000 of those 2.4 million people had received food aid through the World Food Program.  Our own 20 relief flights of USAID commodities completed between May 12 and 19 will serve more than 106,000 people with merely a fraction of the supplies they need. Furthermore, health experts predict that if medical staffs do not have full access to affected populations, major outbreaks of disease could develop in the coming weeks, making this phase only the beginning of a much graver emergency.

Burma exemplifies the kind of situation where immediate access to food is critical and where having the authority to use up to 25 percent of the P.L. 480 Title II appropriation for local and regional procurement in P.L. 480 Title II could significantly improve the U.S. ability to respond effectively to this disaster.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

I have touched on some of the needs, but I would like to explain in further detail the extent of the aid that is required to help those affected by the cyclone. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that critical needs include water and sanitation, food, shelter, and medical care.

Our leading concerns continue to be the provision of safe drinking water and the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with poor water and sanitation conditions. Aid agencies are extremely concerned about insufficient access to safe drinking water; a lack of water containers; and issues with sanitation and hygiene.

The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that an increase in the area in which mosquitoes and other insects can breed is expected to result in higher than usual numbers of people becoming sick with malaria and dengue fever within weeks. Even during an average rainy season in the delta, incidence of these illnesses is high. If medical staff cannot get to those in need to provide preventative and curative care, the outcome may be dire. WHO and other agencies are pre-positioning drugs and rapid test kits, as well as distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets where possible.

Urgent relief needs include safe drinking water, shelter materials, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, food, medicine, and sanitation facilities. USAID, as well as other donors and relief agencies, continue to airlift emergency relief commodities into Rangoon, but our efforts are not yet enough to begin to meet the needs.

Food security is also a major concern for relief organizations. Even in good times, the nutritional status of those living in the delta region is poor. The U.N. notes that in cyclone-affected areas more than 30 percent of children under five years old are chronically malnourished. This condition results from a combination of factors, including insufficient nutritious food, poor health care access, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, poor maternal and child care, and few livelihoods opportunities. As of May 18, the World Food Program had dispatched more than 1,240 metric tons of rice, high-energy biscuits, and beans to Burma’s cyclone-affected areas. However, WFP estimates that only 250,000 people have actually received food. WFP estimates that it will need to move 390 tons of food every day if it is to reach the 750,000 people it is targeting over the next 30 days.

The cyclone hit at the beginning of the rainy season in Burma, which lasts from May until October. This means that heavy rains and harsh weather will continue to exacerbate conditions and hamper efforts to help the Burmese people begin to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, and plant their crops for next year’s food supply.

USAID RESPONSE

The USAID response to the crisis in Burma has three components: technical assistance; relief supplies; and funding to the United Nations and our non-governmental organization partners on the ground working with those in need.

The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team, which we refer to as a DART, remains in Bangkok, Thailand, where they are coordinating with DOD and U.N. and NGO partners. We have repeatedly sought Burmese government approval to deploy our team to Burma to support relief efforts; however, the Burmese government has not approved this request.

Our DART includes experts with various specialties. With many years of disaster response experience, the technical assistance personnel on a DART are usually relied on by local officials and implementing partners as expert consultants in disaster settings worldwide. In a large-scale international disaster, the most important role a DART plays is that of field-level hands-on coordinators. A DART can help identify gaps and priorities and efficiently target assistance to those who need it most. In addition, the DART can oversee firsthand the proper management and accountability of American taxpayer dollars, a responsibility we take very seriously.

When a DART is not present during a large-scale emergency, we are not able to adequately assess and coordinate efforts with our international counterparts and local officials. We cannot talk to those who are affected, to see damage firsthand. It takes us longer to determine the best course of action and use of our resources. We have to work hard to learn of gaps in assistance through third parties – requiring us to try to de-conflict third-party reports – and use our years of expertise to make sense of what we are hearing. This is exactly what our team is doing in Bangkok now.

Our team is also coordinating the movement of all US supplies to Burma, since Bangkok is currently serving as a staging ground for the entire relief operation, thanks to the cooperation of the Royal Thai Government. The provision of these supplies is the second component of our assistance.

Between May 12 and 19, the Department of Defense completed 31 airlifts of emergency relief commodities, including 20 airlifts of USAID commodities such as USAID stocks of hygiene kits, insecticide-treated bed nets to protect against malaria, containers for drinking water, and plastic sheeting for shelter. These supplies will help more than 106,000 people.

USAID Administrator, Henrietta Fore; Admiral Timothy Keating, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN Scot Marciel; and DART team leader Bill Berger accompanied the first airlift of relief supplies to Burma on May 12. Administrator Fore and Admiral Keating were met in Rangoon by a Burmese delegation that included the Commander in Chief of the Burmese Navy, the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister, and the Burmese Deputy Minister of Social Welfare.

The Burmese officials expressed their thanks for the relief supplies, and Administrator Fore and Admiral Keating talked about what further assistance the U.S. was prepared to offer. Both delegations agreed that water and food were top priorities. Our military forces have remained poised to support this effort for more than a week.

The supplies were handed over to the Burmese authorities who had helicopters assets capable of moving the much-needed supplies to the victims in the delta region. While on the ground in Rangoon, Administrator Fore and Admiral Keating witnessed Burmese helicopters, loaded with U.S. Government relief supplies, take off for the delta region. U.S. Embassy staff members have been monitoring the off-loading of U.S. relief supplies on subsequent flights, and as of May 15 had not found any verification of the rumors that U.S. aid had been diverted. Others on the ground also have reported that they have not witnessed our supplies being sold on local markets or diverted. That said, U.S. helicopter capability could add significantly to the aid distribution effort.

On May 16, USAID began handing over supplies directly to non-governmental organizations, which have the ability to transport supplies into the affected areas and distribute them to beneficiaries. This shift will provide more accountability to ensure that U.S. supplies are getting to the Burmese people.

As I mentioned earlier, the provision of these supplies is the second component of our assistance. The third component is the funding we provide to NGOs and U.N. organizations that are working in the affected areas.

As of May 19, the U.S. Agency for International Development had provided $17.5 million in aid to Burma. Through the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID provided an initial $250,000 on May 5. Those funds went to UNICEF, the U.N. World Food Program, and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for immediate emergency relief assistance.

Another $1 million has been channeled through the American Red Cross, and more than $2 million channeled through World Vision, Save the Children, and Pact–NGO partners, who are currently working in the disaster region. OFDA is also providing $1 million to the World Food Program to support logistics services for humanitarian organizations. USAID's Office of Food for Peace is providing $12 million of P.L. 480 Title II food aid to be provided through the World Food Program.

When combined with the cost of relief supplies and funds to the Department of Defense for logistics, this brings total U.S. Government humanitarian assistance made available as of May 19 to more than $30 million.

THE WAY AHEAD

This is a disaster of immense proportions with serious consequences for Burma.  Historical experience shows that even the best-prepared country facing a disaster of this magnitude requires international assistance. 

USAID is working to fund NGOs and U.N. agencies that are currently operating in the affected areas. We will rely on these trusted partners to help us understand the humanitarian needs and provide appropriate aid to those who need it. We’re also continuing efforts to persuade the Burmese government to allow in more experts and aid workers. We are closely monitoring reports that would indicate deteriorations in the health situation, and we are working to ensure relief supplies and services reach those who need them.

Above all, I want to emphasize that USAID still remains ready to help. We continue to stand by the people of Burma during this difficult time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for taking time to discuss this important issue. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.