PANORAMA
In this section:
OFDA Speeds Relief to Disaster Victims
OFDA Invests in Liberia
OFDA Emergencies, January-September 2004
OFDA Speeds Relief to Disaster Victims
 |
|
A satellite sees Hurricane Ivan September 9 nearing Jamaica, two days after it devastated Grenada. The destructive Category 5 hurricane then had sustained winds of 160 miles per hour.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|
From hurricanes and floods to wars to famine, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) races across the globe to offer help. Even in the absence of diplomatic ties, OFDA rushed to Bam, Iran, to serve the displaced after its December 2003 earthquake.
Some 6,000 blankets and 600 tents were airlifted to survivors of Algeria's May 2003 earthquake, and 10,000 water containers were sent to Kenya after extensive floods.These are a few examples of OFDA's work.
In fiscal year 2003, the office, which is a part of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance and recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, spent $290 million on disaster response projects.
In recent years, much of OFDA's work has focused on "complex emergencies"—wars and conflicts. This has often involved working with displaced people and dealing with the effects of conflict on agriculture, the backbone of many developing countries' economies. Examples of such work include Iraq, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
In case of an international emergency—whether manmade or a natural disaster—OFDA can immediately provide up to $50,000 to a U.S. Embassy or mission to purchase relief supplies locally. The money can also be contributed to a relief organization in the country or other groups carrying out relief projects.
OFDA's Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) are designed for rapid deployment to anywhere in the world requiring humanitarian assistance. Though a typical DART team is primarily made up of OFDA staff, representatives from Food for Peace, the Office of Transition Initiatives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the State Department are also often assigned.
Disasters lead to the displacement of thousands of people, who typically move away from their homes to a shelter area. Providing a place to sleep and feeding the victims of disaster are the first concerns.
OFDA works with NGOs and international relief agencies. For instance, after Tropical Storm Jeanne caused severe floods and mudslides in Haiti in late September, USAID provided more than $2.7 million, including contributions to CARE, the Pan American Health Organization, the U.N. World Food Program, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies.
Beyond immediate disaster response, OFDA supports programs that provide seeds and tools to farmers, drill wells, and repair water systems. It also works on drought early warning systems.
OFDA Invests in Liberia
 |
|
After helping assess water, sanitation, and health needs, the DART supplied one latrine per 100 displaced people in Liberia.
Fred Wiseman
|
MONROVIA, Liberia—Since 2003, OFDA has invested more than $23.5 million for the humanitarian effort at the end of this country's civil wars, which destroyed much of Liberia's infrastructure, paralyzed its economy, and left hundreds of thousands homeless and without adequate food, medicine, education, and other services.
The office has supported humanitarian relief programs through NGOs and international agencies such as UNICEF.
In early July, a soccer match was held in Samuel K. Doe Stadium after the departure of the last of the 14,000 displaced Liberians who took shelter there at the peak of the crisis. Today, 16 percent of Liberians still rely on food aid.
In August 2003, a DART was deployed to Liberia after President Charles Taylor fled the country.
The greatest challenge, according to Fred "Sky" Wiseman, a public health consultant who was part of the team, was to assess accurately humanitarian needs and provide assistance for large numbers of displaced people living in extremely crowded conditions.
The DART assessed the water, sanitation, and health needs of the affected population. Then it carried out programs to immunize people against measles and keep cholera and malaria under control.
"The situation in and around Monrovia was very difficult," Wiseman said. "At the beginning of the response, the availability of water and sanitation facilities in the numerous shelters was well below international humanitarian standards. A tremendous effort by a wide range of international partners was needed to…improve conditions."
A DART typically provides immediate emergency relief supplies, such as plastic sheeting, blankets, hygiene kits, water jugs, water storage bladders, and portable emergency water treatment plants.
Yet much remains to be done. Despite the U.N. Mission to Liberia's (UNMIL) deployment of 15,000 peacekeeping troops since last October, five of the nation's counties remain strongholds for rebels, who harass civilians and exploit the rubber and timber trades.
As of July 19, 2004, UNMIL had disarmed 4,838 children—about a quarter of the number estimated to be participating in the conflict, according to Amnesty International. More than 65 percent of the disarmed children have been reunited with their families, according to UNICEF.
OFDA Emergencies, January-September 2004
Accident
North Korea
Complex Emergencies
Uganda, Burundi, Liberia, Sudan, Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, Iraq, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Chad
Cholera
Togo
Cyclones
Vanuatu, Madagascar
Drought
Laos, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan
Earthquakes
Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan
Explosion
Indonesia
Fires
Guinea, Paraguay
Floods
Brazil, Namibia, Djibouti, Haiti, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Georgia, Nepal, India, Tajikistan, Romania
Hostage-Taking
Russia
Hurricanes
Cuba, Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica
Locusts and Infestations
Mali, Morocco, Mauritania
Mudslides
Kyrgyzstan
Storms
Eritrea
Typhoon
Taiwan
Back to Top ^
|
