TFUS01: ACCEPTANCE OF AUSTRIAN ASSISTANCE OFFER FOR

UNCLAS VIENNA 003017 SIPDIS STATE FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND KATRINA TF STATE PLEASE PASS USAID/OFDA DHS FOR FEMA/OIA AND OPS CENTER - PASS KATRINA TF JOINT STAFF FOR J-5/EUR - CDR SQUIRES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR EAID PREL PGOV ASEC MARR AMGT US AU SUBJECT: TFUS01: ACCEPTANCE OF AUSTRIAN ASSISTANCE OFFER FOR HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF REF: SECSTATE ****** ¶1. Ambassador and Embassy officers will convey acceptance of Austrian offer for 500 tarps and 300 camp beds immediately to senior Austrian officials per reftel. ¶2. For 24-hour contact on assistance and relief operations, contact the Austrian Federal Alarm Center ("Bundeswarnzentrale"): Address: Federal Ministry of the Interior, A-1014 Vienna, Minoritenplatz 9, Postfach/P.O. Box 100; Tel. 43 1 53126 ext. 3800 Fax: 43 1 535 63 64 Email: fac@aon.at; or bwz-journal@bmi.gv.at; ¶3. Post's point of contact for this offer of assistance: Major General Gerhard Sulz, Federal Ministry of the Interior, Head of Department II/4 (National Crisis Management) Address: Minoritenplatz 9, Postfach/P.O. Box 100 1014 Vienna, Austria Tel. 43 1 53126 ext. 3247 Fax: 43 1 53126 ext. 3476 Email: Gerhard.Sulz@bmi.gv.at ¶4. Equipment accepted: -- 500 tarps/plastic sheeting 10m x 4 m, thickness 2 mm, stored on 5 euro pallets; weight: 2,500 kg; -- 300 camp beds; weight: 1,500 kg; stored on 10 euro pallets. According to the Austrian Interior Ministry, the equipment is worth approximately Euro 35,000 (USD 44,000). It is currently stored at the Regional Fire Brigade of Linz, Upper Austria (approximately two hours by road west of Vienna). Embassy and Vienna DAO believe it might be best to ask the GoA to forward the equipment commercially via Austrian Airlines or United Airlines passenger planes to CONUS, rather than requesting U.S. military lift capability. Post POC on this issue is POL Officer Michael De Tar. Mr. De Tar can be reached at 00-43-1-328-9013 or 00-43- 664-811-7650. Brown