29 December 2006
U.S. Provides Assistance to Indonesian Flood Relief Efforts U.S. aid agency
funds will help provide shelter, cooking utensils
By Michelle Austein
USINFO Staff Writer
An Indonesian survivor carries with a pail of drinking water distributed
by U.S. aid at Banda Aceh, Indonesia. (© AP Images)
Washington The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
has provided $100,000 to assist emergency relief efforts on the flood-damaged
Indonesian island of Sumatra.
During the past month, heavy rains have caused flash floods and triggered
landslides in three Sumatran provinces Aceh, North Sumatra and Riau. Reports
indicate that more than 120 people have died and more than 250,000 have been
displaced. Several hundred are reported missing. People in the region are at
risk for diseases from unsanitary conditions caused by the flooding.
The funds will go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies and its local partner, the Indonesian Red Cross/Palang Merah
Indonesia. These organizations are distributing plastic sheets, water
containers, cooking utensils and sleeping mats.
According to USAID, the Indonesian government has identified food, safe
drinking water and general relief supplies as priority needs. The Indonesian
government is providing assistance in transporting these relief items.
USAID reports that the flooding and landslides have blocked roads to the
affected regions, making rescue and relief efforts more difficult. Although
water levels in many areas have receded, more rain is expected soon.
The U.S. government continuously has provided assistance to Indonesia since
the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami ravaged nations in the region. Among the
$841 million in recovery assistance the United States has provided to these
countries, $405.7 million went to Indonesia. These funds have helped provide
community health clinics, train midwives and caregivers, reopen roads, build
homes and expand access to clean water. (See related article.)
According to the U.S. Embassy in in Jakarta, Indonesia, the U.S. government
and the government of Indonesia recently signed several agreements totaling
$963 million over the next five years to assist Indonesia's democratic
transition, economic growth and educational reform.
The full text of the USAID press release is available on the agencys Web
site.
The full text of the press release from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta is
available on the embassy Web site.
For more information, see Humanitarian Assistance.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
http://aceh.net
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