MALDIVES - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000283 SIPDIS STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1 USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA TSUNAMI RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM SIPDIS DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS DCHA BUREAU FOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ROGER WINTER ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER GENEVA FOR USAID KYLOH ROME PASS FODAG NSC FOR MELINE CDR USPACOM FOR J3/J4/POLAD USEU PASS USEC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID AEMR PREL PGOV CE MV SUBJECT: MALDIVES - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS: USAID/DART SITREP #4 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. On January 28, the USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Field Officer (FO) posted to Male' in Maldives departed the islands for Colombo. A summary of the U.S. Government's assistance in Maldives in response to the earthquake and tsunamis follows below. End Summary. -------------- USAID Assistance to Maldives -------------- ¶2. USAID's Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) provided 280 rolls of plastic sheeting, 2,016 hygiene kits, 9,600 10-liter water containers, and three 40,000-liter water bladders to Maldives. The cost of commodities, including transportation, was USD 163,000. The commodities were consigned to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and distributed according to the program developed by the Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM) Aid Coordination Unit. According to the USAID/DART FO, as of January 29, a small balance of these items remains to be distributed, and the USAID/DART will continue to monitor the distribution of these items. ¶3. USAID/OFDA provided USD 1.2 million to the UNICEF program described in the Flash Appeal of January 6, 2005. UNICEF, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority, is programming these funds, and the USAID/DART will monitor the progress. ¶4. USAID's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) contributed 180 metric tons of food commodities in support of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). The amount of this food assistance was USD 151,000. ¶5. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has arranged for the loan of navigational equipment and is in the process of arranging for the delivery of the equipment to the civilian airport in Male'. -------------- U.S. Military Assistance to Maldives -------------- ¶6. During late December 2004, the U.S. Military donated 45,000 humanitarian daily rations (HDR) to the GORM. In January 2005, the U.S. Military's Combined Support Group-Sri Lanka/Maldives Detachment deployed two maritime pre-positioning vessels to Laamu Atoll, where their primary objective was to deliver drinking water to communities on the islands of Isdhoo/Kalaidhoo, Maabaidhoo, Mundoo, Dhabidhoo, Gan, Kaddhoo, and Fonadhoo. From January 21 to January 29, the U.S. Military delivered 346,456 liters of water to these islands. ¶7. In addition, the U.S. Military transported one million pounds of relief and rehabilitation supplies from Male' to the Forward Coordination center at Kaddhoo, as well as to the islands of Kalhaidhoo and Maabaidhoo. These relief and rehabilitation supplies included the following: 137 large family water kits, 33 small family water kits, 12 barrels of chlorine (50 kg each), 1,403 water containers, 1,403 hygiene kits, 24 weighing scales, 25 medicine boxes, 25 medical dressing kits, 750 cases of bottled water, and 15 pallets of basic foodstuffs. -------------- U.S. Geological Survey -------------- ¶8. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the Ministry of Environment and Construction and the U.N. Environment Program to develop a terms of reference for the study of the tsunami's impact on the structural integrity of the islands. The USAID/DART FO stated that the study would assist both in guiding the immediate rehabilitation programs and in facilitating the long-term planning of the development of quote safe islands end quote. LUNSTEAD