WASHINGTON: With the South Asian tsunami disaster growing “both in size and scope,” President George Bush on Friday authorized a tenfold increase in humanitarian financial aid from the United States, to 350 million US dollar (1,9 milliarder dkr).
The dramatic boost in U.S. aid–first announced at a mere 4 million, then raised to 15 million dollar and then 35 million – followed a week in which American generosity had been called into question.
With international aid pledges exceeding 1,1 billion US dollar, UN officials said the major problem was no longer raising money but finding ways to transport supplies to devastated areas.
There were growing fears that lives might be lost in some hard-to-reach areas because aid could not get there quickly enough.
Other officials were not as pessimistic, and the financial pledges by the U.S. and other nations raised the spirits of some aid workers.
UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland – who earlier in the week had criticized Western nations, including the U.S., for being “stingy” on aid – said he was impressed Friday by new pledges being made “by the hour.”
In addition to the U.S. pledge of 350 million dollar, Britain has promised 95 million, Sweden 75,5 million, Spain 68 million, China 60 million and France 57 million dollar.
– The disaster around the Indian Ocean continues to grow both in size and scope. . . . Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clear, Bush said in a statement from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he has been monitoring developments.
The U.S. is committing personnel, equipment and supplies along with money.
U.S. disaster relief officials already are in South Asia, the White House noted.
More than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft have been dispatched. One cargo jet took blankets, medicine and the first of 80.000 body bags to Banda Aceh, the devastated city on the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and an amphibious ship carrying a Marine expeditionary unit also were on their way to the region.
The president has assigned his younger brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, to go to South Asia with Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday for an assessment of relief efforts.
Following a meeting at UN headquarters with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Powell said Bush had decided to increase the financial aid package after receiving assessments Friday morning from Powell and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew Natsios.
– I am not sure 350 million dollar is the end number. It is the number we have settled on for now, Powell said.
Powell said some of the money would come from the State, Defense and USAID budgets, but the rest would require congressional approval.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) issued a statement promising, “The Congress will do its part to help.”
Annan said the destruction was so extensive that emergency shipments of drinking water, food and medical supplies were not getting through to the places where they are needed.
The problem is particularly acute in the Indonesian province of Aceh, where roads and air strips were damaged by the tsunami.
Egeland said the death toll continues to rise and was approaching 150,000.
Among the highlights of the UN’s relief effort are:
– Indonesia: On Sunday, the UN will start to airlift 400 tons of emergency housing supplies and other relief goods for an initial 100.000 people in Aceh province.
– Maldives: The UN Population Fund is providing medical kits so some 4.000 pregnant women will be able to deliver their babies safely.
– Sri Lanka: UNICEF is distributing sheets, towels, drinking water bottles, and cooking utensils to displaced and stranded villagers.
– India: With contaminated water presenting the greatest threat of deadly diseases in the tsunamis aftermath, UNICEF has begun moving nearly 2.500 large water storage tanks to relief camps and distributing 3 million water purification tablets.
– Somalia: The World Food Program has stockpiled 83 tons of food for the hardest-hit areas.
Kilde: The Push Journal
