DILI, Timor-Leste – In response to the Government of Timor-Leste’s request for international assistance, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Blackstone has arranged for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide $100,000 in humanitarian assistance funding from the American people to people affected by the devastating flood in Timor-Leste. This funding is being used by longstanding USAID partner, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), working with Timor-Leste’s State Secretariat for Civil Protection, to provide house repair kits, including roofing sheets, as well as kitchen utensils, bedding, and other household items, in order to assist families to return to their homes.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the Timorese families and friends who have lost loved ones, homes and belongings as a result of the flooding,” said Ambassador Blackstone. “My team at the U.S. Mission to Timor-Leste and I worked quickly to make this funding available to support the people of Timor-Leste at this difficult time. The American people have a long tradition of helping friends in need.”
Immediately after the flooding, the U.S. Navy Seabees in Timor-Leste provided assistance to the Red Cross and Government of Timor-Leste’s Civil Protection Agency and today provided sleeping cots to evacuees at the September 4 school.
On April 3 and 4, 2021, torrential rainfall measuring over 300 millimeters caused severe flooding in the capital of Dili and other areas of the country. According to the Government of Timor-Leste, thousands of people have lost their homes as a result of the flooding and are in shelters. Nineteen preliminary evacuation sites have been set up, including in churches.