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| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
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US Marines here to help tsunami victims by Deepal Warnakulasuriya US Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead pledged wider humanitarian assistance from the United States with the full assistance of the US military operations in addition to emergency grants of US$ 2.6 million. As US President George W. Bush announced last Wednesday emergency grants will be distributed through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Colombo. The Ambassador addressing local and international media yesterday evening said "US Government will send more than 1000 marines specially trained to work on land and sea with one ship and 20 helicopters assisting the government's program of providing relief to tsunami victims." He also said that as the first phase 200 marines would be arriving in Sri Lanka this evening and they would carry out their relief programmes temporarily settling down at Galle. The Ambassador further added that the US relief programs would be implemented in several stages as short term and long term program. They have also planned to have assessment teams to determine where aid should be utilized and to coordinate aid efforts with the Sri Lankan Government as well as non-governmental organisations. USAID Disaster Response Assessment Team members who arrived in Sri Lanka last Friday have already started conducting assessments in three areas Galle, Matara and Trincomalee coordinating the assistance plans as part of the international aid. Humanitarian relief packages would include shelter material, water containers, water bladders and many other essentials. US Army Colonel Tom Collins who joined the press briefing with the Ambassador said that they would need the support of civilians too to carry out the operations by their fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. |
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