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Disaster Assistance Programs |
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 USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in Washington maintains a
worldwide, 24 hour a day response capability to prepare for, mitigate
the effects of and provide direct material and humanitarian assistance
to countries affected by natural and man-made disasters.
These resources enable USAID and the US Mission in Ecuador to provide a
wide range of support activities such as: disaster preparedness
training; technical assistance in assessing disaster response needs;
and financial and material support ranging from rapid response $50,000
grants to NGOs and agencies such as Civil Defense and Red Cross, to
multi-million dollar relief efforts to populations devastated by major
earthquakes. OFDA/Costa Rica is the regional office covering
Ecuador and is in direct contact with USAID/Ecuador on all disaster
issues.
In Ecuador over the past years several grants under this program have
been made; three to assist with the effects of Guagua
Pichincha,Tunguragua and Reventador Volcanos, several to directly
support the Instituto Geofisico (Ecuadorian version of the US
Geological Survey); one to support displaced persons from the city
of Baños; and another for helping fishermen affected by the
Jessica oil spill in Galapagos. A conference was also
supported that addressed potential impacts of disasters in the Northern
Border area of Ecuador.
This type of coordination with the local Civil Defense has increased
Ecuador’s ability to prepare, respond and mitigate the impacts of its
many disaster risks. |
