| U.S. dispatches Disaster Assistance Response Team |
By U.S. Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan Share  
Related NewsISLAMABAD (Aug. 9, 2010) – In recognition of the growing humanitarian assistance needs outlined by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah has dispatched a special Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Islamabad to coordinate U.S. response in support of Pakistan’s government. The DART is composed of experienced humanitarian relief experts – many of whom worked in Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake – who are working with Pakistan’s national and provincial disaster management agencies to monitor assistance requirements and to quickly fill identified gaps by acquiring relief supplies, locally if possible. “We are here to help Pakistan’s government meet the most pressing needs of the people affected by the flooding,” DART team leader William S. Berger said. “Our team is working closely with the National Disaster Management Authority to meet health, food, shelter, and other needs as they arise.” DART teams are only activated for major disasters, the most recent following the January earthquake in Haiti. A DART deployed to Pakistan in 2009 to provide relief to displaced families in Malakand and in 2005 following the earthquake. Last week, the U.S. announced a $35 million contribution to assist Pakistani flood victims, including $15 million to the U.N. World Food Program to purchase wheat locally and dispatch prepositioned food for emergency use, $10 million to expand existing emergency programs and add programs that address needs identified by the Government of Pakistan, and $10 million in emergency assistance to support health, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene programs. To date, the U.S. has supplied food to about 158,500 people through its partnership with the World Food Program and is currently reaching about 35,000 to 49,000 people per day. |
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