Summary: March 13, 2001: El Salvador earthquakes: Commission approves further €8 million in humanitarian aid (Brussels)
The European Commission has released details of further aid being sent in response to the two major earthquakes that struck El Salvador in January and February. The latest aid package worth €8 million comes on top of a first contribution of €2 million, bringing the total to €10million.
An initial €2 million was speedily committed after the first earthquake on 13 January and when disaster struck again a month later, the Commission announced that further assistance of between €5m and €8m will be forthcoming. The higher figure has now been agreed in recognition of the scale of needs generated by the two disasters. This brings the total humanitarian assistance for earthquake victims in El Salvador to €10 million.
The aid, which is being channeled by the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) through a wide range of partner NGOs and other international agencies, will fund projects over the next six months. With so many buildings destroyed, the main challenge is to provide temporary shelters and embark on the rehabilitation of home. More than half of the €8m have been earmarked for this purpose. The other main priorities are health, water and sanitation. The Commissioner in charge of Development Co-operation and
Humanitarian Aid, Mr. Poul Nielson, will visit El Salvador and the region from 25-30 March.
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