Office of U. S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Annual Report FY 1983 Agency for International Development Washington, D.C. 20523 iv Administrator's Statement Latin America and the Caribbean iv Message from the Director Argentina -Floods 1 OFDA -It's Role and Mission Bolivia -Floods 2 Preparedness and Early Warning Activities Bolivia -Drought in FY 1983 Brazil -Floods (North) 10 Disaster Relief in FY 1983 Brazil -Drought Brazil -Floods (South) 14 Africa Colombia -Earthquake 16 Botswana-Drought Costa Rica -Earthquake and Landslides 18 Comoros- Cyclone Dominican Republic -Fire 20 Ethiopia -Drought Ecuador -Floods 23 Liberia -Landslide Guatemala -Displaced Persons 25 Senegal- Floods Paraguay -Floods 26 South Africa -Drought Peru -Floods 27 Sudan- Drought Peru- Drought 28 Sudan-Floods Venezuela -Fire 29 Tunisia -Floods Europe and the Near East 34 Uganda -Displaced Persons Italy -Forest Fire 35 West Africa -Expelled Persons (Benin, Middle East -West Bank Epidemic Ghana, Niger, Togo) Spain -Floods (Southeast) 42 Asia and the Pacific Spain -Floods (Northeast) 45 Australia -Bush Fire Yemen-Earthquake 46 Fiji -Cyclones 50 India -Cyclone U. S Foreign Disaster Assistance - 51 India -Floods Summary Data 53 Indonesia -Volcanic Eruption Current Fiscal Year Financial/Historical Data 56 Sri Lanka -Civil StrifelDisplaced Persons U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Summary 59 Thailand -Displaced Persons by Fiscal Year Administratois Statement OFDA Directois Statement The disaster assistance program has a vital role in This report of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster A.I.D.'s overall strategy to promote economic Assistance represents our first annual report development and self-reliance throughout the since 1973. It provides an ove~ewof the year's world. Development is a difficult, fragrle process activities in both relief and preparedness, a and I have seen natural and man-made disasters change from the individual disaster case reports play havoc on this process. This past year when issued during the past decade. We hope this new earthquakes, flooding, and drought hit several format will familiarize members of the interna- countries of South America, we responded by tional disaster relief community and other U.S. providing vitally needed assistance to millions of Government agencies with the program and men, women, and children: roads were opened goals of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster to move relief supplies, water purifiers were Assistance. deployed to provide communities with uncon- taminated water, and emergency food, medi- OFDA is organized regionally to ensure max- cines, and shelter materials were pavided to the imum collaboration with A.I.D. regional bu- homeless. reaus, reflecting the important relationship between disasters and development. Because As worldwide attention focused on the plight of disasters will continue to plague the world for millions affected by prolonged drought in regions the foreseeable future, OFDA believes strongly in of Africa, A.I.D. and OFDA worked hand in pre-disaster planning. To carry out this convic- hand with the international community to trans- tion, an increasing proportion of our budget is port needed food and relief to the affected committed to disaster preparedness and early populations from Sudan to South Africa. Civil warning programs. In the coming year, OFDA strife, too, is a disaster. For example, in response will continue to pursue its present program to the civil conflict in Sri Lanka, tents, blankets strategy as well as~eeknew ways to prevent the and other basic necessities were distributed to human suffering and yonomic hardship disas- thousands of people who had fled their homes to ters cause. seek refuge in temporary camps. Apart from immediate relief, our program is designed to help developing countries cope more effectivelywith disasters by using their own resources. This is done in part by promoting host W. Becton country disaster preparedness through training izdi and public awareness projects, and by integrat- Officeof U. S. Fom'p Disaster Assistance ing these countries into international early warn- ing systems. All OFDA's programs are carried out in close cooperation with international or- ganizations, other donor governments, and pri- vate voluntary organizations. I am confident that every American believes that victims of disasters must be helped and, as Administrator of A.I.D., I pledge to continue this humanitarian tradition. M. Peter McPherson Administrator, Agency for international Development OFDA: Its Role and Mission OFDA responds to requests for emergency as- sistance in an average of 37 disasters a year and Natural and man-made disasters are a constant monitors another 40 situations which could be- threat to people throughout the world. Not only come disasters. When disaster strikes, OFDA do disasters cause death and suffering, but they mobilizes U.S. Government resowes and coor- destroy infrastructure vital to the social and dinates the U.S. Government response with that economic functioning of the affected country. of voluntary agencies, international organiza- Developing countries are particularly vulnerable tions, and other donors. To rapidly deliver emer- as they have fewer resources to deal with the gency relief to the disaster site, OFDA maintains often devastating effects of disasters. stockpiles of disaster supplies at five regional locations'worldwide. The beneficiaries of this Providing assistance to the victims of natural and relief are primarily those in developing countries man-made calamities in other nations reflects the who are least able to survive without outside deep-seated humanitarian concern of the Amer- assistance. ican people and is an important aspect of U.S. foreign policy. It is the Ofice of U.S. Foreign Beyond emergency relief and immediate rehabili- Disaster Assistance (OFDA) in the Agency for tation, a principal focus of the disaster assistance International Development (A.I.D.) that coordi- program is on strengthening countries' abilities nates the U. S. Government response to foreign to cope with disasters through increased reliance disasters. As mandated by Congress, OFDA on their own resources. This is accomplished provides assistance not only for international through country preparedness programs and the disaster relief and rehabilitation, but also for development of early warning systems. OFDA disaster preparedness, prediction, and con- works with U.S. Missions and host governments tingency planning. to identdy and develop effective pldgrams which will reduce the damage and loss of life caused by disasters around the globe. Preparedness and Early Warning Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation: Public Activities Awareness and Training In 1983 OFDA supported a wide variety of Underlying all OFDA initiatives is the recogni- programs in fulfillment of its mandate to aid in tion that most of the burden of disaster relief falls preparedness, prediction, and contingency plan- on the affected community itself. Host country ning for natural disasters abroad. From working training includes helping country officials to directly with local emergency managers in disas- establish national disaster organizations, disaster ter-prone countries to contributing financial and plans, and emergency operations centers, as well administrative support to international prepared- as providing training in specialized areas such as ness efforts, OFDA has been instrumental in hazard identification, shelter management, fire- providing both theoretical and practical tools for fighting, airport safety, and damage assessment. dealing with disasters around the world. A major In Jamaica, OFDA has supported the govern- goal of OFDA is to help developing countries ment's efforts to promote local disaster aware- increase their own capabilities through prepared- ness in a variety of ways. OFDA has helped to ness and early warning. develop an island wide vulnerability and haz- The preparedness dimension includes training of ard management study and has funded work- host country officials and support of in-country shops in housing construction patterns, shel- programs to increase public awareness of preven- ter management, and airport safety. With the tive measures. Early warning activities consist of Jamaican Office of Disaster Preparedness, research, development, and application of tech- OFDA has promoted the development of nologies which enable disaster managers to hurricane awareness programs in the elemen- anticipate disasters before they strike or before tary and secondary schools and has provided their worst effects are manifested in the audiovisual materials and curriculum planners community. to work with Jamaican teachers. In Haiti, OFDA and the AID Mission have Often, OFDA works with other agencies in funded a consultant in disaster management responding to the training needs of disaster- to work with Haiti's newly decreed Pre-disas- prone countries. ter and Relief Organization. This specialist has Following a fire in an electrical power plant in been working in Port-au-Prince for the past Venezuela and a forest fire in the Dominican year to help the Haitian government organize Republic (see Part 11, Venezuela-Fire and Do- its Emergency Coordination Center, compile minican Republic-Fire), representatives from data on in-country resources, and identlfy these and other countries in the region re- hazards which threaten the country. quested training in fire management. Through In Peru, OFDA sent a curriculum develop- the U. S. Forest Service, OFDA arranged for