12 November 2009
Additional Funds Push U.S. Filipino Relief to Nearly $20 Million
Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States is providing an additional $5 million in relief funds to help the Philippines recover from three devastating typhoons that hit its territory in 2009.
Announcing the aid, which comes on top of $14.2 million the United States pledged in the aftermath of the disasters, Clinton also said November 12 at the Marikina Flood Relief Site in Manila that she was proud of the cooperation between U.S. and Filipino military forces in “saving lives and rescuing people.”
She told Filipino students that the new U.S. support “will help rebuild schools like this one, construct new classrooms, and provide 300,000 books and desks for 15,000 students. It will also help to repair damaged water and sanitation systems to prevent the spread of disease, and it will help to refurbish clinics to provide medical supplies and assistance.”
U.S. officials say the typhoon disaster response, which involved close coordination between the Filipino government and military, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and U.S. military forces, has reinforced both the benefit of having relief supplies prepositioned, as well as having a Visiting Forces Agreement in place which allowed U.S. forces to quickly deploy and use their assets to help the people of the Philippines.
Speaking in Washington November 10, USAID acting Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Susan Reichle said the United States had emergency materials in a Dubai warehouse ahead of the storms. These materials were rapidly transported to the Philippines in the aftermath of the disaster. (See “Briefing on Secretary Clinton’s Upcoming Trip to Philippines.”)
Reichle said the U.S. response has been ongoing in the face of “startling” statistics on the damage and human toll.
“More than 10 million people have been affected by this storm. Up to a thousand people have lost their lives, 150,000 are living in shelters [or] have been displaced from their homes, and 260,000 homes have been … damaged or destroyed,” Reichle said.
U.S. supplies so far have included 340 rolls of plastic sheeting to create temporary housing, 50,000 bars of soap and 23,424 hygiene kits to help address health issues, and water provisions, including 23,000 10-liter collapsible containers.
In addition, Reichle said, U.S. food assistance has been continuing. Since October 1, the Obama administration has provided 720 metric tons of emergency food through the World Food Programme, worth $1.2 million, and has also given 7,680 metric tons, or $8.4 million worth, through the Food for Progress program.
Reichle added that U.S. military service personnel, who were in the Philippines at the time of the storms to participate in exercises with Filipino forces, had played an essential role in the response, particularly through the transport of relief equipment and supplies, logistics support, and search-and-rescue missions in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
USAID and the U.S. Defense Department’s Pacific Command collaborated in providing medical relief “in order to basically screen and assist 9,000 patients, as well as providing dental care to 350 people,” she said.
“DOD flights transported more than 260 people and moved nearly 115,000 pounds of cargo, as well as conducting assessments on debris and cleared roads,” Reichle said.
Joe Yun, director of the State Department’s Maritime Southeast Asia office, said the Visiting Forces Agreement in place between the United States and the Philippines “made it a lot easier for the military … to deploy assets,” because they were already in place and had prior permissions established with the host government.
“It’s important for the military to know that they can leave immediately and there’s no problem with landing permits, overflight issues and so on,” he said.
Secretary Clinton will answer questions from students across the Philippines on www.abs-cbnnews.com in an event beginning at 8 a.m. November 13 in the Philippines (00:00 GMT). Join the event and chat with fellow watchers at www.abs-cbnnews.com/ancliveevents. Join the discussion on Twitter by using the hash tag #ANCCLINTON.
