USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) supports logistics and supply-chain related assistance, deploys experienced logistics personnel, and maintains warehouses storing relief commodities around the globe as part of its effort to ensure rapid responses to humanitarian emergencies. USAID/BHA logistics experts are based in Washington, D.C., and manage the procurement and delivery of food and relief commodities to vulnerable populations; provide technical assistance to host government counterparts, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and UN agencies in the immediate aftermath of a humanitarian emergency; and support disaster risk reduction efforts to mitigate the impact of future disasters on supply chains. USAID/BHA also stores up to 100,000 metric tons (MT) of food commodities and emergency relief supplies—such as blankets, hygiene supplies, kitchen sets, and plastic sheeting—at five warehouses located in Djibouti, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Texas and Florida in the United States to prepare for and respond rapidly to any emergency. In FY 2022, USAID/BHA offered logistical assistance in response to rapid-onset and continuing humanitarian emergencies by providing operational support and supplying relief items to address health; food insecurity; nutrition; shelter; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs.
