The Assistant Secretary General of the
Organization of American States, Luigi Einaudi, on Monday presented the
Ambassador of Bolivia, Marcelo Ostria Trigo, with a contribution for $20,000
to help with recovery efforts following the February 19 floods that left
some 66 dead and 110 injured, with over 500 homeless in the city of La
Paz.
Einaudi conveyed the Secretary General's
and the OAS staff's sympathies to the South American nation, and explained
that the Organization was responding to the appeal with this symbolic contribution
from its Inter-American Emergency Aid Fund (FONDEM), "to help ease
the impact of the natural disaster." He said the OAS was standing
with the Bolivian people through this painful and tragic ordeal, and expressed
concern at the heavy human toll and material loss.
The Bolivian Ambassador said the OAS contribution meant a lot to his country. He said: "It means solidarity. It means our grief is shared. Any assistance we get is encouragement to press ahead in our effort to return things to normal in Bolivia."
Noting that the unprecedented floods had inflicted more than $70 million in material damage, Ostria Trigo said reconstruction is now underway and that the government is still assessing the extent of the tragedy.He said no one could remember anything like this natural disaster in Bolivia.