USAID Partners with American Red Cross to Help the Burmese People

Contact: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Press Office, 202-712-4320; Public Information, 202-712-4810

WASHINGTON, May 8 /Standard Newswire/ -- The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide $1 million of the initial $3.25 million in emergency assistance for Burma through the American Red Cross. This assistance will help provide for ongoing community assessments, mobilization and distribution of relief supplies from pre-positioned Red Cross stockpiles, follow-up monitoring and coordination, and the local procurement, transport, and emergency storage of temporary shelter materials.

"USAID is pleased to work with the American Red Cross to provide assistance to the Burmese people," said USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore. "Many have suffered a great deal during and in the aftermath of the storm, and we offer our support and assistance in their time of need."

USAID assistance is being allocated by its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), which is currently pre-positioned in Bangkok awaiting permission to enter Burma. It is important that USAID disaster experts - along with experts from international and non-governmental organizations - be allowed access to the affected areas so quick and efficient emergency relief assistance can be provided.

"The scope of the disaster is massive, and our hearts go out to the families who have been impacted by this crisis," said David Meltzer, senior vice president, International Services of the American Red Cross. "Through this collaboration with USAID, we will be able to strengthen our relief efforts and provide urgently needed supplies to those in the affected area."

For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, please visit: www.usaid.gov, keyword: Nargis or directly at www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/countries/burma/cyclone_nargis.

For more information about the American Red Cross relief efforts, please visit: http://www.redcross.org/news/in/profiles/Intl_profile_MyanmarCyclone.html.

The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.