Report on United
States
relief efforts for the tsunami disaster – what types of aid and who is
providing it.
By: Jeffrey Goldberg
The Tsunamis that
stuck in the Indian Ocean
on December 26 was caused by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake
in the Indian Ocean.
The death toll is striking and it is estimated that over 2 million
people are displaced and will require assistance from a multitude of
worldwide
relief organizations. The United States Government has pledged $350
Million in
Humanitarian and Recovery Assistance and has already delivered over
$119
Million to affected areas. The relief is coming in forms of emergency
food
assistance, relief supplies, shelter, water and sanitation, health,
livelihood
recovery, psychological and social support, logistics and coordination
and
rehabilitation activities for affected communities.
United
States
is also pledging the use of the United States Military to provide
support to
those that are affected. The Department of Defense reports that as of January 31, 10,500 U.S. military personnel are involved in delivering
more than
22.3 million lbs of relief supplies and equipment to the affected
region. Of
the 1,808 military personnel currently on the ground, 1,297 are in Thailand, 445 in Sri Lanka, 53 in Indonesia, 12 in Maldives, and 1 in Malaysia. With 13 ships and 47 aircraft, the U.S. military has delivered a total of 8,466,688 lbs
of relief
supplies to the governments of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other affected nations, including 5,256
gallons of
water; 98,500 lbs of food; and 65,620 lbs of relief supplies in the
last 24
hours. Most recently the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship soon will be
providing
medical care to the people of Meulaboh and Calang. The Mercy’s 250-bed
ward
will provide both primary and referral medical services.
The
relief is not just coming from
the US Government. The American Red Cross reports that nearly
$253.9 million has been pledged as of Jan. 28, 2005. There is also a lot of financial
support being pledged by
individual Americans. Such generosity was seen when Americans pledged
an
estimated $18.3 million in donations during the “Tsunami Aid: A Concert
of
Hope,” hosted by NBC on Saturday, Jan. 15 for the American Red Cross
International Response Fund for the tsunami victims. The Red Cross is
not the
only organization working in the region. There are countless other
services
with thousands of volunteers working to better the lives of those
affected.
“The United States
has a long history of extending a helping
hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover
from a
disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is
this
caring that stands as a hallmark of the United
States around the world -- and shows
the
world our true character as a nation.” Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International
Development.
Sources: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.reliefweb.int