USS Tarawa to take over from Kearsarge
A second US amphibious naval ship 'Tarawa' will join the current cyclone relief operation soon, as American Marine Commander Brig Gen Ronald Bailey said usually it takes two weeks to meet the emergency relief needs, reported UNB.
A French company, TOTAL, through its subsidiaries TOTAL E&P Bangladesh and TOTALGAS Bangladesh, yesterday announced a relief donation of US$100,000 to be distributed by Friendship, an NGO.
Bangladesh Medical Association of North America, an organisation of expatriate Bangladeshi physicians in the USA, donated $10,000 to the Chief Adviser's Relief and Welfare Fund, reported UNB.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a US contribution of $5 million for an emergency operation designed to support 2.2 million people in nine districts whose lives and livelihoods had been devastated by cyclone Sidr.
At a press briefing in the American Club in the capital Brig Gen Ronald Bailey said they have yet to finalise the date for completing the emergency relief operation in the cyclone-battered coastal areas.
The US ship Kearsarge entered Bangladesh territorial waters on November 22 and had started full-scale 'Operation Sea Angel-11' a week before catering to the immediate need of pure water for the victims.
Since November 29, the Kearsarge delivered over 12,000 gallons of water by helicopters to different hard-to-reach localities along the coast.
In reply to a question, Brig Gen Bailey, Commander of the 3rd US Marine Expeditionary Battalion (MEB), said it will take 3 to 4 days from tomorrow for the Tarawa to take over the charge from the Kearsarge and carry forward the operation, UNB reported.
Having the same capability as the Kearsarge, the Tarawa already conducted 'Operation Sea Angel' in Chittagong after the devastating cyclone and tidal wave in 1991, which left 1.5 lakh people dead.
In reply to a question, Charge d'Affaires Geeta Pasi said as a friend and a long-term partner of Bangladesh, the United States is 'ready to do whatever is needed on short, medium and long-term basis'.
Pasi informed the media that the US so far provided $19.5 million in cash and kind, including $15 million in food aid, which she said is an important issue for the country.
The US envoy said they are waiting to receive full briefing from the chief adviser in a couple of days on what to do next in the cyclone-hit districts.
Geeta Pasi and Brigadier General Ronald L Bailey held meetings yesterday with Bangladesh Food and Disaster Management Adviser Tapan Chowdhury, and Army Chief of Staff General Moeen U Ahmed to discuss the progress of the ongoing relief operations and the plan for the coming days.
Managing Director of TOTAL E&P Bangladesh Olivier Wattez said his company's contribution will be mainly dedicated to water wells, pond cleaning, and house reconstruction.
Former president of Bangladesh Medical Association of North America Dr Ehsanur Rahman handed over a cheque of $10,000 to Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza M Azizul Islam at his planning ministry office yesterday, UNB reported.
Expatriate physicians are expected to provide more assistance for the cyclone-victims, an official handout said.
WFP will utilise the US relief contribution to distribute around 5,500 metric tons of rice and 1,100 metric tons of edible oil among the poor people devastated by the cyclone.
WFP already delivered over 300 metric tons of biscuits and 750 metric tons of rice to more than 1.2 million people in the worst hit areas by land, air and boat. It also launched an emergency operation to give life saving food assistance to 2.2 million people, appealing for $51.7 million.
WFP representative in Bangladesh Douglas Broderick also handed over a cheque of Tk 3.56 lakh to Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury as personal donations from WFP staff in Bangladesh offices, for depositing in the chief adviser's relief fund.
Meanwhile, an American university yesterday declared December 3 to 9 a week of fundraising for the cyclone victims of Bangladesh, reported ENA from New York.
Donation boxes will be placed on every campus of the university and the total fund collected will be sent to Bangladesh for the Sidr survivors.
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