USAID OFDA in Latin America

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USAID / OFDAin Latin America the Caribbean
Entire Brief is UNCLASSIFIED
Entire Brief is UNCLASSIFIED
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A Challenging Environment The Fog of Relief
UNOCHA
EU/ ECHO
HOST NATION SECURITY FORCES
USG
WFP
NGO
UNHCR
ICRC
NGO
IOM
UNDP
INTERNATIONALPOLICE PRESENCE
UNJLC
Other Nation Military
Affected Country
Requirements
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USG Key Players
President
Secretary of Defense
Secretary of State
USAID Administrator
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of State (DOS)
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
OFDA
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USAID Development and Humanitarian Assistance

• USAID is an independent federal government agency
  that receives overall foreign policy guidance
  from the Secretary of State
• More than 8,000 worldwide staff, including
  foreign service, civil service, and foreign
  service nationals.

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What Does USAID Do?

• Provides Development and Humanitarian assistance
  to countries
• Recovering from disasters
• Escaping poverty
• Engaging in democratic reforms
• Supports long term economic growth
• Advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by
  supporting
• Economic, agriculture, and trade
• Global health
• Democracy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian
  assistance and disaster relief

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OFDA Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

• In the U.S. Government, civilians are in charge
  of managing international development programs
  and international disaster responses
• When requested, the U.S. military works in a
  supporting role to provide capacity the civilians
  do not have

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OFDA Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

• USAID/OFDA is the U.S. Lead Agency for
  international disaster response
• Mission is CRISIS, Focus is SHORT TERM
• 250 people worldwide, including Civ-Mil staff
• Budget approx 1 billion
• Both Disaster Response and Preparedness Programs

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OFDAs Role during a Response

• R Rapid Response
• E Evaluate Assess
• S Spend Wisely
• P Program Monitor
• O Organize Coordinate
• N Notify Stakeholders
• D Document Report

RESPOND
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OFDAs Mandate

• Save Lives
• Alleviate Human Suffering
• Reduce the Economic Impact of Disasters

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OFDAs Response Criteria

• Host Nation Government Must Ask for, or Be
  Willing to Accept, Assistance.
• The Disaster Must Exceed the Capacity of the Host
  Nation Government to Respond.
• The Response Must be in the Interest of the US
  Government.

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OFDA Response Options
Most Common

• Immediate to EMB or Mission
  (normally 50k, but may be more)
• Assessment Team
• (Regional Advisor Lead)
• DART
• (Disaster Assistance Response Team)
• Grants to UN, IOs and NGOs ( as needed)
• Commodity Shipments (by commercial air)
• RMT (Response Management Team) in DC
• Any Combination of Above

Large Events
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Response Mechanism

• Disaster Declaration Cable
• US Ambassador signs
• Assistant Secretary of State for the Region if
  there is no US AMB
• The MDRO (Mission Disaster Relief Officer)
  normally writes the cable in coordination with
  OFDA
• Exceptions include
• OFDA will Pre-Deploy for Hurricanes (people
  commodities)
• DRR, Mitigation, Training and Preparedness
  projects

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OFDA in Latin America The Caribbean

• San Jose, Costa Rica Regional Office
• Focus on Disaster Risk Reduction Mitigation,
  Preparedness Projects, and Training of National
  Responders
• Full-time Consultants spread throughout Region
• Commodities Warehouse in Miami
• Will pre-deploy fully-equipped hurricane teams to
  countries after consultation with the U.S.
  Mission

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USAID Mission

• OFDA/MIAMI
• OFDA ADVISOR TO SOUTHCOM
• OFDA WAREHOUSE

OFDA Offices
SOUTHCOM
OFDA Commodities
OFDA/BAHAMAS 1 Consultant
USAID/MEXICO
OFDA/MEXICO 1 Consultant
USAID/HAITI
OFDA/HAITI 1 Consultant
USAID/GUATEMALA
USAID/HONDURAS
OFDA/GUATEMALA 1 Consultant
USAID/JAMAICA
USAID/DOM REP
OFDA/DOMINICA 1 Consultant
OFDA/JAMAICA 1 Consultant
JTF-B
USAID/EL SALVADOR
USAID/NICARAGUA
USAID/BARBADOS
EL SALVADOR 1 Consultant
OFDA/BARBADOS 1 RA (during season) 1 Consultant

• COSTA RICA
• OFDA REGIONAL OFFICE
• Senior Regional Advisor
• Regional Advisors (RA)
• Comms Officers
• Trainers
• Support Staff

USAID/GUYANA
USAID/PANAMA
USAID/COLOMBIA
OFDA/PANAMA 1 Consultant
OFDA/COLOMBIA 1 Consultant
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USAID/GUYANA


OFDA Offices

USAID Mission
OFDA/GUYANA 1 Consultant
USAID/COLOMBIA
OFDA/COLOMBIA 1 Consultant
USAID/ECUADOR
USAID/BOLIVIA
ECUADOR 1 Consultant
USAID/BRAZIL
USAID/PERU
USAID/PARAGUAY
OFDA/BRAZIL 1 Consultant
PERU 1 Consultant

OFDA/ARGENTINA 3 Consultants
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• 2009-13 Regional Strategy Goals in Disaster Risk
  Reduction (DRR)
• Safeguard the livelihood assets of affected
  families
• Prevent shelter loss
• Strengthen DRR capacities and response
  preparedness

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• Safeguard livelihoods
• Protect affected households access to micro
  financing
• Protect small livestock species (assets)
• Strategic seed reserves
• Leverage private sector resources

• Prevent shelter loss
• Improve methods of construction and Build Back
  Better after disasters
• Land use management planning
• Support coastal management

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Strengthen DRR Capabilities and Response
Preparedness

• Early warning systems
• Community shelters
• Evolution of the Training and Technical
  Assistance Program (Emergency Response and DRR)
• Support the health sector through PAHO, CDC and
  other organizations

• Pre-positioning emergency relief supplies
• Support DRR in the education sector
• Institutionalize disaster risk reduction and
  management in higher education

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When Does the Military Get Involved?

• USAID or State Department (USG Civilians) Request
  US Military Assistance
• or no
• Unique Capacity
• Exception Immediate Lifesaving
• Limited authority

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WHY will we ask for DoD Assistance

• DoD has a UNIQUE Capability is in Position
  (Most Common in this region is
  helicopters)
• Sometimes we will not ask, but have no objection
  so long as its Not Duplicative
• DOD Minimal Cost Projects are common
• OFDA /or 3rd party goods and personnel on DoD
  aircraft for Strategic Communications
• Regardless, must be Coordinated

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International Military Assets are Last Resort
Need for Assistance
International Military and Civil Defense Assets
International Civilian Relief
Local/National Response including military
Time
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Whats the Mission?

• Wholesale Vs. Retail

• Airfield Management
• Off-Loading Trans-loading
• Moving supplies and People
• Helicopter Air Support
• Engineering
• Security

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Whats the Mission?

• Wholesale Vs. Retail

• Food Distribution
• Commodities Distribution
• Health/ Water Sanitation Programs
• Processing/
• Screening of Displaced Persons
• Vaccinations
• Tracing

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OFDA Military Cooperation Recent Examples

• 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
• 2005 Pakistan Earthquake
• 2006 Philippines Mudslides
• 2006 Indonesia Earthquake
• 2006 Lebanon CE
• 2007 Bangladesh Cyclone
• 2008 Burma Cyclone
• 2008 China Earthquake
• 2008 Philippines Typhoon
• 2008 Georgia CE
• 2008 Haiti Storms
• 2009 Pakistan CE
• 2009 Philippines Typhoon
• 2009 Indonesia Earthquake
• 2009 El Salvador Floods

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Example 2008 Haiti Storm Relief

• FY08 and to date FY09, OFDA provided more than
  13.3m in logistics, relief supplies,
  economy/market systems, shelter, health,
  coordination, agriculture and food security,
  protection, nutrition, and water/sanitation/hygien
  e.

• OFDA Requested DOD unique capacity to transport
  emergency relief items. Helicopters from USS
  Kearsarge (LHD-3) delivered 3.3 million pounds of
  food, water and other aid to communities
  devastated by a succession of storms (Fay,
  Gustav, Hanna and Ike).

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OFDA Civ-Mil Priorities

• Coordinate and liaise between OFDA and US
  Military during humanitarian assistance/ disaster
  relief (HA/DR) operations to realize OFDAs
  mandate and harmonize USG efforts
• Influence US military decision-making process,
  pre-event activities (planning, exercises,
  training), policy, doctrine, and execution of
  HA/DR operations

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USAID and SOUTHCOM
USAID Administrator
Pillar Bureaus (Wash DC)
Regional Bureaus (Wash DC)
Europe Eurasia
Latin America Caribbean
Asia
Africa
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict Humanitarian
Assistance
Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture Trade
Bureau for Global Health
Middle East
Disasters
Development
OMA (Wash DC)
OFDA (Wash DC)
USAID Missions
OFDA Advisor to SOUTHCOM Kate Legates
Sr Development Advisor to SOUTHCOM Kirk Dahlgren
MDRO
OFDA/LAC (Costa Rica)
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Information Products
Sector Summaries
Daily and Weekly Updates
OFDA Annual Reports
Situation Reports
Fact Sheets
Program Maps
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Contact Information

• OFDA Regional Coordinator for Latin America and
  the Caribbean
• Kathleen Martin
• kmartin_at_usaid.gov