Quake response offers friendship and $3.7 million

"I extend my condolences to those injured and to the families of the victims of the earthquake in China's Sichuan province," United States President George W. Bush wrote on May 20 in the condolence book at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.

"The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the Chinese people, especially those directly affected. The United States stands ready to help in any way possible," he wrote.

Reinforcing the president's views, US Ambassador to China Clark T. Rand, Jr. issued a disaster declaration on May 13 due to the impact of the earthquake the previous day and requested disaster assistance from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which extends assistance to countries recovering from disasters.

In response, OFDA provided an initial $500,000 through the US Embassy in Beijing to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The IFRC channeled the contribution to the Red Cross Society of China for local procurement and distribution of emergency relief supplies to meet the immediate needs of affected individuals.

In a June 6 meeting at the American Red Cross, attended by President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore noted that the US private sector provided more than $102 million in cash and in-kind contributions to Chinese response efforts.

In his remarks, President Bush praised the Chinese government's firm response to the earthquake and conveyed the deep concern of the American people for the people of China.

In order to facilitate private US contributions to earthquake relief, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs is working with the Asia Foundation and the American Chamber of Commerce in China to coordinate and share information on humanitarian needs with US businesses.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Chinese government authorized the construction of 1.5 million temporary houses and distributed more than 1 million tents to earthquake-affected areas.

To date, US government assistance to China, including contributions from OFDA and the defense department, totaled nearly $3.7 million.

Provided by the US Embassy in China

(China Daily 07/04/2008 page21)