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

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SUMMARY
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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.

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USAID Assistance to Maldives
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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'.


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U.S. Military Assistance to Maldives
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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.

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U.S. Geological Survey
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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