U.S. Awards $ 4 Million For Disaster Management In India

September 5, 2003

NEW DELHI - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a US $ 4 million grant to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to carry out community-based disaster planning in high-risk areas of India. Through this grant, given on August 1, 2003, the UNDP will help communities mitigate and manage disasters in 20 multi-hazard prone districts of Orissa, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttaranchal and Assam.

The U.S. grant will enable communities and states to prepare action plans that define what to do and where to go when a disaster strikes. Plans will keep in mind the special needs of women, children and other vulnerable groups in disaster situations. Over 40,000 volunteers from the community will receive information and tools for disaster response decision-making. More than 250,000 trained disaster management teams will be created. Disaster management information centers will be set up in 17 districts to raise community awareness.

The current initiative, which is being implemented in close co-operation with Indian partners, builds on lessons learned during those disasters, which indicate that better preparedness leads to more sustainable recovery. The USAID grant to UNDP is part of a larger multi-donor effort to support a Government of India (GOI) disaster planning initiative, led by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The GOI intends to boost the capacities of state, district and local governments to address disasters.

USAID provides humanitarian assistance on behalf of the U.S. Government. It played an active role in responding to such events as the earthquake in Gujarat in 2001, and the cyclone in Orissa
in 1999.