US donates Rs 350 million to build flood affected houses

The government of America has extended a donation of Rs 350 million to assist the program carried out by the Sri Lankan government to build the houses destroyed by the adverse weather condition, a statement from the Presidential Secretariat said.

Ambassador of the United States of America Atul Keshap handed over this donation to President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday at the Secretariat. The government of America has also shown its interest provide a grant of Rs.12 million to help improve the technical knowledge of the youth in Sri Lanka. The grant will be staggered for the next four years.

The Ambassador stated that a group of American representatives is engaged in clearing the damaged schools in Kalutara District. He said those activities will be carried out continuously.

According to a statement issued by US embassy in Colombo, the aid will be used to provide safe drinking water, hygiene kits, emergency shelter materials, home repair kits, and critical health care services to stave off diseases.  A portion of the assistance will be provided through Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan nongovernmental and charitable organization.

"Americans and Sri Lankans have shared a deep bond throughout the history of our two countries,the people of both countries have always stood side-by-side in times of need.”” said US Ambassador Athul Keshap. 

The assistance will be provided through the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 2001, OFDA has provided approximately LKR 19 billion ($125 million) in disaster assistance and disaster risk reduction to Sri Lanka.

In addition to the relief supplies, disaster experts from USAID/OFDA and the Civil-Military Support Element (CMSE) attached to the U.S Embassy are helping organize U.S. response efforts, conducting damage assessments, and working with Sri Lankan government officials and humanitarian partners to evaluate needs on the ground. The U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and the U.S. Embassy’s Pacific Command (PACOM) Augmentation Team are cleaning and repairing flood damage at schools in the Kalutara district in coordination with CMSE, the Disaster Management Centre, and local officials. Families of the U.S. Embassy community have also provided personal donations to Sri Lanka Unites, a youth-led organization.

The United States also continues to support long-term projects to reduce the risks of future disasters. USAID has provided disaster-resilient water systems to ensure safe drinking water, developed flash flood warning systems, and worked with government and local communities to strengthen disaster response and management capacity. In addition, since 2011 the U.S. Embassy has provided over LKR 2.3 billion ($15 million) to construct new facilities in schools and health care centers that serve as temporary shelter for those displaced by natural disasters.