News Releases
Flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans
area is visible from US President Bush's plane, Air Force One, Wednesday,
August 31, 2005. White House photo by Paul Morse.
No. 74/05
September 08, 2005
HURRICANE KATRINA: EUROPE
MOUNTS UNPRECEDENTED AID EFFORT TO SUPPORT THE UNITED
STATES
For the first time in
the history of the EU’s
Civil Protection Mechanism, 30
European countries have united in offering
assistance to
the United States following the devastation caused by
Hurricane Katrina. In response to the request from the US,
the countries (25 Member States and 5 non-EU countries)
have communicated their offers to the European
Commission’s Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC),
which is responsible for coordinating assistance in close
cooperation with the United Kingdom’s
EU Presidency.
Environment Commissioner
Stavros Dimas said:
“I am very
happy that all participating countries in the Mechanism
are now on board. We are pleased to be able to send
assistance to the US and support them in this time of
crisis. We are working closely with our American
counterparts so that aid can be delivered efficiently
where it is needed most. And by channeling their requests
through the Mechanism our member states are able to
deliver a united, well coordinated EU response.”
David Horobin, a UK expert, has arrived in the United
States to take up his role as the special coordinator for
the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
The Commission’s MIC has drawn up a detailed list of what
each country offers. The assistance consists of
intervention teams of experts in various fields (medical,
logistics, communication, search and rescue), equipment
(tents/blankets, water purification equipment, water
pumps, meals, generators, etc.) and transport. The details
of the offers are being discussed with the US by the UK
Presidency. In addition, the
EU Center For Disease
Prevention and Control (ECDC), through the MIC mechanisms, has also offered to
identify health experts to assist with communicable
disease prevention and control. The EU UK Presidency and
the US authorities will continue the process of matching
offers with needs to ensure a targeted and well-designed
aid package of the EU.
The latest list of offers is updated
continuously on the Washington Delegation's website at:
http://www.eurunion.org/News/press/2005/HurricaneKatrinaReliefEU.doc
(Word document; please refresh/reload each time viewed).
Several EU Member States have already provided assistance.
Some of them are present on site with expert teams.
Assistance delivered so far:
France: 40 tents, 400 tarps and 2,000 MREs (Meals Ready to
Eat) in 2 airlifts;
Italy: 300 beds, 300 blankets, 600 sheets, 1 pump, 11,200
chlorine tablets, 6 rafts, 5 first aid kits, 1,000 lbs.
baby formula, 6,000 foodstuffs in 2 airlifts;
UK: 7 airlifts of MREs;
Germany: 2 airlifts of MREs; a team of 98 flood
specialists is currently on its way to New Orleans with 15
high capacity pumps; the team is expected to arrive around
19:00 (Brussels time) tonight;
Experts from Finland (3 persons), Belgium (10 persons) and
Germany (7 persons) are working on the ground within Red
Cross-led activities.
LIST OF OFFERS FROM COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE EU
MECHANISM
Further Contact Information
Press and Media Relations
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
