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U.S. Committed to Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction in Pakistan

02 November 2005

USAID prepares to help earthquake survivors through winter months

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- U.S. assistance to Pakistan in the wake of the October 8 earthquake that struck the northern part of the country, killing an estimated 73,000 people, will consist of simultaneous relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts for at least several months to come, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Assistant Administrator Michael Hess.

Speaking to reporters at a November 2 briefing, Hess said that relief operations following an earthquake are typically short-lived as the damage is immediate and catastrophic, but explained that relief efforts in this situation would last much longer.

“In this case, we’ve got a larger problem because of the onset of winter.  We think this relief operation will continue probably until March or April,” he said.  He added that USAID is deploying recovery teams this weekend and preparing for the reconstruction phase at the same time.

“This is going to be a continuum of relief, recovery and reconstruction happening simultaneously …. It’s going to be a tricky operation, but we need to do that throughout the winter to make sure that people have a great chance of survival,” he said.

Hess noted that an estimated 400,000 winterized tents are needed to provide shelter for the survivors in regions where nighttime temperatures are already dipping below freezing.  Because it will take at least two months to manufacture and deliver that many tents, USAID is working to prepare temporary shelters in the structurally sound buildings that remain, he said.

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs E. Anthony Wayne said that the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the U.N. Development Program have deployed teams to assess the region’s reconstruction needs.  The teams will present their findings to the international community at a donors’ conference in mid-November.

Wayne said that the United States will be at the donors’ conference and is committed to providing long-term assistance to Pakistan as the reconstruction needs are identified.  “We are committed not only to stand beside Pakistan at this time of tragedy, but we’re committed to working with and standing with Pakistan in the long run as they are both rebuilding, but also as they continue their very important efforts to build their economy up and create prosperity and stability over the longer term,” he said.

Brigadier General Carter Ham, who serves as deputy director for regional operations with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, outlined the U.S. military’s relief operations to date.  He said that U.S. helicopters have delivered 1,700 tons of relief supplies and that strategic airlifts have transported 3,700 tons of supplies to the country.  (See related article.)

Ham noted that the U.S. military is working in close coordination with the government of Pakistan in relief efforts.

“On a U.S. helicopter flight, there will be a Pakistan military official with that flight.  It helps us, because there’s someone who’s familiar with the routes, with the area …. And it’s very helpful on the ground to the people to whom the materials are being delivered to have a representative of their government on the ground with them,” he said.

For more information on the relief effort, see U.S. Response to the Earthquake in South Asia.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)