In the wake of the destruction resulting from Cyclone Pam, the United States Government has awarded $400,000 in disaster assistance in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
This funding has been given to international programs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are providing on-the-ground disaster assistance in these two cyclone-affected countries.
In Solomon Islands, the U.S. Government awarded $50,000 in disaster assistance funds to WorldVision to help individuals and households affected by the devastation from Cyclone Pam.
Using this assistance, World Vision will immediately help families affected by cyclone damage in Tikopia, Anuta, and Reef Islands by providing basic hygiene, household, and livelihood needs.
The U.S. Government has awarded $350,000 in disaster assistance to NGOs in Vanuatu. Following the initial devastation, the U.S. Government awarded $100,000 to the French Red Cross to help with disaster recovery efforts.
Yesterday, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) also announced that OFDA had contributed $250,000 to the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) to support humanitarian logistics in Vanuatu,as efforts to assist the disaster stricken nation continue.
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.
The U.S. Government continues to work closely with the governments of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, non-governmental organization partners, and other nations to deliver relief assistance and to identify the most effective ways to immediately help those people affected by the devastation of Cyclone Pam.
USAID’s OFDA disaster relief team in Port Vila, Vanuatu continues to assess the damage and devastation. OFDA personnel continue to identify the best methods for providing disaster assistance and how the United States can best help the people of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. The U.S. Government wishes to express its ongoing support and assistance to the people of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands who have been affected by the cyclone’s devastation.
