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U.S. to provide up to $2 million for Burma earthquake relief; USAID teams en route, spokesperson says
Summary
The State Department announced up to $2 million in U.S. assistance to Burma after a March earthquake and said USAID experts and humanitarian partners are working on the ground; officials said visa and access questions are still being resolved.
The U.S. Department of State announced that the United States will provide up to $2,000,000 "through Burma based humanitarian assistance organizations to support earthquake affected communities as an immediate response to the March," a State Department spokesperson said at a press briefing.
The announcement said a USAID team of humanitarian experts based in the region is traveling to Burma to identify urgent needs including emergency shelter, food, medical care and access to water. "We know they're in the process. I think we'll have a firm, word perhaps this evening, but they're they're in the process of of being present right there," the spokesperson said when asked about DART-team presence.
The spokesperson said U.S. disaster experts based in Bangkok, Manila and Washington are monitoring the situation and coordinating with U.S. government counterparts in the region. He also described the U.S. response as working through existing humanitarian partners on the ground rather than solely by deploying large U.S. search-and-rescue teams.
Reporters pressed on whether DART personnel had received visas and on how quickly teams could get full access; the spokesperson declined to give precise timing but said the formal request from Burma authorities had been received and that that "unlocked a bit more of what we now are able to do." The briefing repeatedly emphasized coordination with international donors and regional partners.
The spokesperson said the United States offers its condolence for lives lost and will provide more information later in the day as assessments continue.
