Embassy Press Release

Ambassador Taubman Announces Flood Assistance

Ambassador Taubman (L) announces the U.S. assistance for the flood victims in Romania, during a telethon on Monday, August 4, 2008 (Lucian Crusoveanu, Public Diplomacy Office)

Bucharest,
August 4, 2008

Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman today expressed his condolences to the victims of the floods and their families and announced that the Government of the United States will provide over 100,000 RON (US$50,000) in immediate flood relief assistance to help Romanians recover from the recent devastating floods in the northern part of the country. The funds allocated are the maximum allowed under the U.S. Government’s guidelines for immediate emergency assistance. The Embassy provided the funds in response to a request from the Government of Romania for relief assistance due to flooding in the country.

The U.S. Government funds will be used to purchase and distribute emergency supplies such as blankets, water, food, temporary shelter, and personal hygiene items. This assistance will be implemented by World Vision Romania, which will coordinate with local authorities and other organizations that are already providing assistance to insure that those in need receive the necessary help.

Ambassador Taubman made the announcement during a fundraising telethon organized by Realitatea TV, partnering with Romtelecom and UNICEF on Monday evening. The Ambassador praised Romanians’ response to the crisis, saying both officials and volunteers had done a magnificent job so far in rendering assistance to their fellow countrymen.

Over the course of nearly 20 years, U.S. Government has worked with Romania in the humanitarian and emergency response fields to prevent and alleviate the negative impact of various water, natural, or accidental disasters. During that time, the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development, contributed more than $4 million for programs to assist Romania to build its National Crisis Management System. These programs provided training and data processing and transmission equipment for the national weather and hydrological monitoring systems. These modern systems are part of a national information system for real-time decision-making during floods, droughts, and accidental spills of hazardous materials.

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