Record Details:

USAID - 2010 Pakistan Floods

Main/General Business Number: 202-712-4320
Website: http://www.usaid.gov/

Other Contacts:(hidden)

Mission: This Is USAID

The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world -- and shows the world our true character as a nation.

U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world. Spending less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget, USAID works around the world to achieve these goals.

USAID's history goes back to the Marshall Plan reconstruction of Europe after World War Two and the Truman Administration's Point Four Program. In 1961, the Foreign Assistance Act was signed into law and USAID was created by executive order.

Since that time, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our Work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting:

* economic growth, agriculture and trade;
* global health; and,
* democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.

We provide assistance in five regions of the world:

* Sub-Saharan Africa;
* Asia;
* Latin America and the Caribbean,
* Europe and Eurasia; and
* The Middle East.

With headquarters in Washington, D.C., USAID's strength is its field offices around the world. We work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations, indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses, international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. government agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500 American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary organizations.





This organization provides Temporary or Permanent Service? Temporary

Notes:

USAID Sends Additional Aid to Pakistan Flood Victims
August 10, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today an expansion of its ongoing humanitarian assistance for victims of flooding in Pakistan, which has included providing shelter materials, emergency food supplies and preventative medical care to curb potential disease outbreaks.

The additional $20 million brings the total financial assistance to date from the United States to $55 million. As the flood waters recede and the overall needs in Pakistan become better known, these contributions may continue to grow.

This new money will be used to expand existing programs and activities through flood-affected regions of the country, including in the south, where there has been a light humanitarian presence until now. The initial funding was used for flood assistance in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, where USAID is already working with a network of NGOs and UN agencies.

USAID continues to actively monitor the flood's path. As it moves south, the additional funding announced today will be used to expand grants to NGOs and UN Agencies to allow them to work further south, in Sindh and Baluchistan Provinces. This assistance will be provided through the international humanitarian community, as well as through an existing mechanism that provides funding to Pakistani humanitarian organizations, which have unique access to many of the flood-affected areas.

USAID's presence in Pakistan continues to grow in response to the flooding. A Disaster Assistance Response Team is on the ground and will be expanding to eleven disaster assistance experts by the end of the week.

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for flood response efforts in Pakistan can be found at www.interaction.org. Information on organizations responding to the humanitarian situation in Pakistan may be available at www.reliefweb.int .

Cash donations 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.

The United States stands ready to provide further assistance as additional needs are identified by the Government of Pakistan.

For more information about USAID and its programs around the world please visit www.usaid.gov .

USAID Pakistan Floods Fact Sheet #2
Key Developments

* To date, USAID/OFDA has awarded more than $10 million to programs in the sectors of health, shelter and settlements, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as to an umbrella grant that allows USAID/OFDA to fund Pakistani NGOs for a range of activities throughout flood-affected areas.

* On August 10, USAID/OFDA pledged an additional $20 million in humanitarian assistance for flood-affected communities in Pakistan, bringing the total USAID/OFDA commitment to $30 million to date. USAID/OFDA will use the new funding to expand existing programs throughout flood-affected regions nationwide, including in the south where few humanitarian organizations were operating prior to the floods.

* A USAID/OFDA flight carrying 1,153 rolls of plastic sheeting and 17,000 blankets arrived in country on August 10 for distribution in flood-affected areas of southern Pakistan. The plastic sheeting is expected to provide emergency shelter assistance for approximately 11,530 families, or 66,000 individuals, and to complement ongoing emergency shelter programs in affected areas.

* On August 8, USAID/OFDA activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) in Pakistan to assess humanitarian conditions and coordinate U.S. Government (USG) relief efforts in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan (GoP), U.N. agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In addition, on August 9, USAID/OFDA stood up a Washington, D.C.,-based Response Management Team to support the USAID/DART.

* On August 6, the GoP National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) announced a two-track donor funding framework for international flood-response assistance. Donors may contribute to a U.N. response plan or to a GoP response fund that NDMA will establish. NDMA plans to disburse funds to the provincial disaster management authorities for emergency and recovery activities, with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society as the implementing agency. To ensure oversight and transparency, the NDMA also plans to establish a fund management committee, including representatives from development banks, the U.N., and donor governments, to monitor funds.

* According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), access to affected populations in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPk) Province is the greatest challenge as of August 10. In contrast, access does not present an issue in Punjab and Sindh, but the number of affected individuals in those provinces�estimated to be more than 8.8 million people collectively�will likely generate significant humanitarian needs in coming weeks.

Load Legend: Rejected Problem Offered Accepted/Committed Ready To Ship En Route Arrived Unloaded
Needs:

Available:

Incoming Loads: