USA / BRAZIL – The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $100,000 in immediate assistance to support people affected by severe flooding in the Bahia State of Brazil, which has impacted nearly 800,000 people, including displacing more than 73,000 people from their homes.
This funding will support the local procurement of non-food relief items for flood-affected populations. In addition, through existing programs and through its partner the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), USAID is providing cleaning kits, including brooms, buckets, and cleaners for nearly 800 families, and USAID partner Caritas Brasileira is providing bedding, kitchen sets, and hygiene supplies.
USAID disaster experts in the region and in Washington, DC, are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with humanitarian partners and the US Embassy.
Meanwhile, administrator Power met with Daniel Endres, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for East Africa, to discuss how USAID can work together with the UN to address humanitarian needs across Ethiopia and overcome major challenges to providing life-saving assistance to people in need.
Administrator Power expressed her deep concern about the growing humanitarian needs across Ethiopia, as an estimated 900,000 people face famine-like conditions in Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions due to conflict, and as the crisis in the north converges with worsening drought in the south.
Administrator Power and ASG Endres discussed the urgent need for unhindered humanitarian access in Tigray, noting that just a fraction of the life-saving supplies needed have been able to reach Tigray, and that the response has been chronically hampered by systematic restrictions on aid, including fuel, cash and critical medical supplies.
They also spoke about the importance of the restoration of essential services across the north, including electricity, banking, fuel supply, and telecommunications. Administrator Power emphasized the challenges faced by donors in the year ahead in addressing the growing needs throughout Ethiopia with limited financial resources.
