The Diplomad: The USA Responds, and the UN?

We received a fact sheet laying out what the USA has done (as of January 18) to aid quake and tsunami victims in Indonesia; we haven’t yet received read outs on our aid to Sri Lanka, Maldives, East Africa, or Thailand. The UN, as we reported before, is apparently going to hold a major press event around January 26 to sum up all that the UN has done since the December 26 quake and tsunami. We would be very interested in seeing how the UN puts a shiny gloss on its rusty performance.

US Responds to the December 26 Tsunami Disaster in Indonesia

(updated January 18, 2005)

The USG, thus far, has provided $33.5 million in direct humanitarian assistance to Indonesia in response to the disaster– this is in addition to military assistance and support (which is estimated to cost some $5 million/day.) No other country or organization comes anywhere close to this figure of assistance ACTUALLY provided. With USG support, emergency humanitarian services began Sunday (December 26), immediately following the disaster:

– With $2.3 million from USAID, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) began providing emergency services to victims, including shelter, water, food and medical services.

– With $3.5 million from USAID, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) began transporting and delivering relief supplies (water, food, plastic sheeting, generators, fuel and medical supplies).

– Embassy staff in Jakarta, Banda Aceh and Medan are coordinating with the U.S. Military on logistics, especially to prioritize the delivery of relief items. TNI (Indonesian military) are assisting in loading relief planes and are accompanying U.S. helicopter sorties and trucks delivering relief supplies.

– On average we have four C-130 aircraft/day airlifting support to Jakarta, Medan and Banda Aceh for transport of relief supplies, including shelter, water, food and medical services.

– Eleven USN ships and one USCG vessel are operating near Indonesia and supporting the relief work there.

– Thirty-eight American helicopters are delivering supplies (16 from USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Group; 22 from the USS BONHOMME RICHARD Expeditionary Group; another 4 are on the way from the USS FORT MCHENRY). The USS BONHOMME RICHARD is ferrying supplies to shore via amphibious landing craft (LCACs).

– U.S. Navy/Marine pilots have flown 600 humanitarian missions.

– Water-production facilities are being established working with the Indonesian government.

– The Combined Support Group – Indonesia has flown 1,056 sorties to deliver 1,447,700 lbs of food, 989,200 lbs of water and 1,067,800 lbs of medical supplies, and evacuate 420 Indonesian tsunami victims. CSG-I has delivered more than 3 million pounds of material to tsunami survivors.

– Some 8000 Marines and Sailors are assisting in this relief effort.

– The majority of U.S. service members are ?afloat?. Approximately 200 personnel on the ground in Indonesia.

– To aid reconnaissance and humanitarian relief planning, the US has flown P-3 aircraft, which provide real time imaging and damage assessment of the hardest hit areas.

– With USAID support, 220 IOM trucks are distributing relief supplies in and near Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. [Note: Despite UN attempts to claim IOM as one of its “agencies,” IOM is an NGO, which in Indonesia receives the overwhelming bulk of its funds from the USG.]

– With USAID support, CARE is working with 30 centers at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps to prevent needless deaths– especially of mothers and children. They have trained 40 volunteers on basic primary health care and education, and provided information regarding safe water systems (SWS) and the importance of SWS for staying healthy. USAID/CARE has provided hygiene improvement kits to 30,000 IDPs. SWS and hygiene kits are being distributed in 96 IDP camps in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, and Aceh Jaya.

– 70,080 bottles of Safe Water System (SWS), a home water chlorination kit pioneered by the US Centers for Disease Control (USCDC), have been provided by USAID. One capful purifies about 20 liters of water (5-6 gallons.) [Note: it tastes lousy, but it’s safe.]

– The USG provides 16,400 metric tons of food daily to victims.

– 40,000 liters of USG-purchased UHT milk packed in school packs for children has been airlifted from Jakarta.

– The USS Abraham Lincoln is supplying thousands of families with potable water.

– Two USAID-chartered planes have delivered thousands of water containers, jerry cans, and other relief supplies to Medan, including plastic sheeting to shelter over 5,000 families.

– USAID-funded partners are providing hundreds of generators, refrigerators for medicines, communications equipment and basic emergency and shelter kits for families, temporary water and sanitation facilities, trauma counseling, clean up and access to other basic services.

– USAID approved nearly $300,000 to International Medical Corps (IMC) for 25 to 30 medical personnel and logistics coordinators to provide emergency services in Aceh.

– USAID provided $250,000 to the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) to establish a sentinel health surveillance system for tsunami-affected areas of Aceh and Northern Sumatra provinces. [Note: WHO personnel are being flown around the region by US helicopters.]

– USAID provided $579,000 to establish a US Navy “WHO Reference diagnostic laboratory” in Banda Aceh to diagnose diseases posing the greatest risks: cholera, malaria, dengue, Hep A &E and others.

– USAID provided $1.5 million to UNICEF for child protection activities in Aceh Province.

– USAID provided $5 million to Development Alternatives, Inc. for immediate rehabilitation interventions, such as focused cash-for-work clean-up programs, short-term employment schemes, and community-based, small social infrastructure activities.

– USAID awarded four grants, using $2 million in emergency funds immediately after the tsunami: $249,985 to World Vision for shelter and household kits, $285,428 to International Relief and Development (IRD) for water and sanitation; $254,023 to Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) for maternal and child health activities, and $292,060 to Mercy Corps for emergency response activities.

– As part of the contribution to UNHCR?s regional appeal, USAID designated $2 million for emergency shelter programs in Indonesia.

– USAID provided $2 million to IMC for mobile health units, rehabilitation of local health clinics, malaria control, and psychosocial support in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.

U.S Private Sector support:

– American corporations have been quick to help, especially those based in the region. According to the American Chamber, “American companies and their employees with offices in Indonesia, have so far contributed in excess of $97 million in cash, products and services toward earthquake/tsunami relief and reconstruction.”

– The American people have responded. It is difficult to tabulate private contributions, however the most recent estimates put private contributions by the U.S. public at large at over $325 million for the region.