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A/S Hill remarks at ConGen GZ-sponsored walk-a-thon, June 22, 2008
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USAID Fact Sheet on China Earthquake (June 17, 2008)
USAID: BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) China – Earthquake Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 June 13, 2008 Note: The last fact sheet was dated May 27, 2008 KEY DEVELOPMENTS On May 28, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) airlifted 153 medium-sized tents, valued at nearly $940,000 including transport, to Chengdu, Sichuan Province. To date, DOD has provided a total of more than $2.2 million in disaster assistance to China. In a June 6 meeting at the American Red Cross, attended by President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore noted that the U.S. private sector has provided more than $102 million in cash and in-kind contributions to Chinese response efforts. In his remarks, President Bush praised the Government of China’s (GOC) firm response to the earthquake and conveyed the deep concern of the American people for the people of China. In order to facilitate U.S. private sector contributions to earthquake relief, the GOC Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) is working with the Asia Foundation (TAF) and the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in China to coordinate and share information on humanitarian needs with private U.S. businesses. Since FY 2006, the USAID/OFDA-funded TAF project has promoted private sector contributions to disaster assistance in coordination with MOCA. In early June, a USAID/OFDA shelter expert and a disaster specialist traveled to Beijing and Chengdu to consult with Chinese authorities on shelter recovery strategies following the May 12 earthquake. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the GOC has authorized the construction of 1.5 million temporary houses and distributed more than 1 million tents to earthquake-affected areas.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SOURCE Total Dead 69,159 GOC – June 12, 2008 Total Injured 374,141 GOC – June 12, 2008 Total Missing 17,469 GOC – June 12, 2008 Total Homeless (Estimated) 5 Million GOC - June 11, 2008 IFRC1 – June 11, 2008
Total Displaced (Estimated) 15 million GOC – June 11, 2008 IFRC – June 11, 2008
Total Affected (Estimated) 46.25 million GOC – June 11, 2008 1 International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR CHINA EARTHQUAKE USAID/OFDA Assistance to China....................................................................$1,491,789 DOD Assistance to China.................................................................................$2,204,900 Total USG Humanitarian Assistance to China ......................................................$3,696,689 CURRENT SITUATION On June 11, the GOC cancelled a flood alert on areas downstream of the newly formed quake lake near Tangjiashan, where local authorities successfully created a drainage channel to divert waters through Beichuan town. The GOC has subsequently lowered the number of people threatened by the quake lake from 1.3 million to less than 50,000. IFRC anticipates that 250,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas downstream of the lake will return to their homes in the coming days. However, IFRC reports that 33 other quake lakes in Sichuan Province continue to pose severe flood risks. On June 12, the GOC began to relocate more than 50,000 people in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, to avoid possible landslides triggered by aftershocks from the magnitude 7.9 quake on May 12.2 The GOC reportedly plans to relocate vulnerable households prior to the rainy season, which begins on June 30.
2 Chinese earthquake authorities have revised upward the quake’s magnitude to 8.0. However, the U.S. Geological Survey continues to report the earthquake at a magnitude 7.9. Humanitarian Needs Meeting the humanitarian needs associated with this large-scale displacement, as well as the medical needs of nearly 375,000 people injured by the quake, remain the primary objectives of the GOC and international community. The earthquake displaced approximately 15 million people, of which 5 million people are homeless according to Sichuan provincial authorities and the IFRC. To date, the GOC has provided more than 1 million tents, 4.76 million blankets, and nearly 14 million articles of clothing to affected populations. In addition to shelter assistance, the GOC has indicated that priority humanitarian needs include medical assistance, such as medicines and equipment, psychosocial assistance, food, treatments to ensure safe drinking water, and protective items and hygiene promotion to prevent disease outbreaks. According to the GOC and international relief organizations, remaining humanitarian gaps also include shelter recovery for affected families in rural areas; camp management and basic information services for displaced persons; the provision of community social services such as protection activities and psychosocial support; and increased longterm public awareness on disaster risk reduction particularly relating to earthquakes.
Health According to the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), the health sector response is shifting from emergency operations to recovery and rehabilitation. Immediate health priorities include wound care, disease surveillance, health care waste management, water and food safety, environmental and chemical safety, the rehabilitation of frontline health facilities, and psychosocial services to affected and displaced populations. WHO, in coordination with Chinese authorities, is conducting further assessments from June 11 to 23 to provide recommendations on rebuilding healthcare services. To date, no major disease outbreaks have been reported, according to OCHA. As a precautionary measure, the GOC Ministry of Health has dispatched a large supply of vaccines to earthquake-affected areas.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE On May 13, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., issued a disaster declaration due to the impact of the earthquake and requested disaster assistance from USAID/OFDA. In response, USAID/OFDA provided an initial $500,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to IFRC. The IFRC channeled the contribution to the Red Cross Society of China for the local procurement and distribution of emergency relief supplies to meet the immediate needs of affected individuals. To date, total U.S. Government (USG) assistance to China, including contributions from USAID/OFDA and DOD, is valued at nearly $3.7 million. In response to the GOC’s request for international assistance, USAID/OFDA donated specialized search, rescue, and recovery equipment, valued at $815,504, including transportation costs. The May 22 donation included 40 crates of saws, hand tools, hydraulic gear, concrete cutters, generators, and personal safety equipment. In addition, USAID/OFDA deployed a nine-person team of experts from Los Angeles (L.A.) County Fire Department and Fairfax County, VA, Fire and Rescue Department, as well as USAID/OFDA support staff. On May 23 and 24, the USAID/OFDA-funded team conducted a series of hands-on search and rescue workshops for approximately 40 members of the Public Security and Fire Brigade of Chengdu and the Seismic Disaster Emergency Rescue team of Sichuan Province. The sessions familiarized participants with various breeching, breaking, and cutting tools used by U.S. earthquake responders. The workshops focused on petroleum-oxygen metal cutting and vehicle extrication tools, hydraulic equipment for breeching concrete, and electric and compressed air tools for breaking metals and elevating heavy concrete slabs. The equipment donation and training were aimed at increasing the capacity of GOC earthquake responders as well as facilitating technical cooperation between the two countries during future emergencies. In response to the Chinese request for shelter assistance, USAID deployed a shelter expert and a disaster specialist to Beijing and Chengdu in early June in order to provide technical assistance and liaise with relevant GOC departments and international relief organizations. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey led a U.S. interagency team in Beijing from June 11 to 13 to assist the China Earthquake Administration with various seismic-related issues, including earthquake monitoring and preparedness. On May 18, two U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft arrived in Chengdu with emergency relief supplies, including blankets, plastic sheeting, tents, water containers, and food, valued at nearly $1.3 million, including transportation costs. In response to the GOC’s subsequent request for shelter assistance, DOD airlifted 153 medium-sized tents on May 28 to Chengdu. The total value of the shelter commodities, including shipment, is nearly $940,000. With funding from USAID/OFDA since FY 2006, TAF is working closely with MOCA to promote private sector participation in contributions to disaster assistance in China. In coordination with MOCA, which has a lead role for disaster management in China, TAF programming involves the China Charity Federation and the China Enterprise Confederation, as well as AMCHAM.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR CHINA EARTHQUAKE Implementing Partner Activity Location Amount | USAID/OFDA ASSISTANCE1 | IFRC Emergency Relief Supplies Affected Areas $500,000 | LA County and Fairfax Disaster Support, including Transport Affected Areas $815,504 County Fire Departments | Administrative Support $176,285 | TOTAL USAID/OFDA $1,491,789 | DOD ASSISTANCE2 | GOC Emergency Relief Supplies Affected Areas $1,266,300 | GOC Procurement and Transport of Tents Affected Areas $938,600 | TOTAL DOD $2,204,900 | TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO CHINA IN FY 2008 $3,696,689 |
1 USAID/OFDA funding represents anticipated or actual obligated amounts as of June 13, 2008. 2 The decrease in DOD funding from previous reporting reflects actual or committed amounts rather than preliminary estimates. PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION - The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. Information on identifying such organizations is available in the "How Can I Help" section of www.usaid.gov – Keyword: China Earthquake, or by calling The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703-276-1914.
- USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc.); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.
- More information can be found at:
- USAID: www.usaid.gov – Keyword: Donations
- The Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or (703) 276- 1914
- Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.int
- In addition to USG contributions, the U.S. private sector has actively responded to the earthquake in China. More information can be found at:
USAID/OFDA bulletins appear on the USAID web site at http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/
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