In the days immediately following the December 26, 2004, earthquake and subsequent tsunami, swift action by the U.S. government, in cooperation with other donors and private organizations, ensured critical needs for water and sanitation were met, thus preventing a secondary disaster-related health crisis from occurring.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. government agencies launched a comprehensive reconstruction program with $656 million provided by Congress in May 2005 and signed into law by President Bush for the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund (including $31.3 million for efforts to combat the spread of avian influenza). When added to the funds spent by the Department of Defense on emergency recovery assistance and relief aid, as well as food aid provided by USDA, U.S. government assistance totaled $841 million.
In addition to the U.S. government response, the American people responded in great numbers. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the total for U.S. private tsunami donations, including both cash and in-kind donations, is more than $1.8 billion.
Today, the U.S. government's reconstruction efforts continue to include support to programs that are identified by the affected communities themselves: rebuilding roads; helping individuals return to their original livelihoods; training (particularly women) to develop new skills; strengthening the community governance and political infrastructure; and supporting host government-led early warning/disaster preparedness efforts.
To date, U.S. assistance has: provided over 2.3 million person days of work; restarted over 2.6 million businesses; distributed over 11,000 loans totaling more than $13 million to small businesses; dispersed economic restoration grants to over 1.7 million recipients; rebuilt more than 11,600 community buildings; and trained over 22,000 communities in disaster preparedness. Additional details on the programs underway with the $656 million provided by the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund follow:
Indonesia ($405.7 million):
- Continued the construction of 155 kilometers of new and rehabilitated road from Banda Aceh to Calang, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010.
- Supported community-based birth preparedness and psychosocial protection activities in 49 villages, promoted hand washing with soap in 16 primary schools, and installed and equipped community health clinics in 13 markets.
- Trained 97 health center nurses, 33 doctors in mental health nursing, 150 midwives, and 150 psychosocial caregivers.
- Built 842 homes, benefiting close to 2,400 internally displaced persons.
- Rehabilitated 1,622 hectares of coastal forest on tsunami-affected land.
- Constructed three rural clean water delivery systems serving more than 700 households (three water utilities added more than 4,000 connections); built one rural sanitation/clean water system for 50 households.
- Rebuilt 54 village offices, 87 community centers, 44 recreational facilities, 150 wells, and 9,500 meters of irrigation canal; planted 34,000 fruit and nut trees; supplied 1,545 goats/cattle and grants for small-scale entrepreneurs.
- Provided $750,332 worth of loans to reestablish or start new businesses. Ensured access to capital for 3,710 female entrepreneurs through community-managed revolving funds.
- Trained 5,000 farmers in organic coffee production and marketing and provided microfinance to help reestablish savings and assets. Due to higher quality and better marketing, the price per kilogram that coffee farmers receive has risen almost 50 percent since the beginning of the project.
- Trained 350 Acehnese youth in vocational education programs.
- Provided technical assistance to key reconstruction agencies; trained over 5,313 local government officials in planning and budgeting.
- Supported peaceful and democratic local elections in Aceh Province as part of a peace agreement signed between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement. Provided election administration and oversight as well as voter education programs.
- Provided support directly to the newly elected governor of Aceh.
Sri Lanka ($134.6 million):
- Continued the construction of the new $10.6 million Arugam Bay Bridge (more than halfway complete). The bridge will be 185 meters long and will link three coastal villages with strong tourism potential.
- Developed a $4.5 million project to upgrade the water supply system in surrounding communities, complementing the bridge project.
- Continued work on a $9.78 million contract to upgrade three fishing harbors. Completion is expected in March 2008.
- Provided $6 million of livelihoods assistance to 34,890 households, exceeding the target of 29,000 households. Trained more than 8,800 persons for new employment, provided loans to over 2,000 households, and assisted more than 9,000 community organizations and businesses.
- Completed a $2.3 million post-tsunami anticorruption program to train over 250 members of the Auditor General's office and equipped trainers to reach 1,200 staff charged with preventing corruption.
- Continued work on nine vocational training centers in the South and in the conflict-affected East. Two of these facilities will be environmentally friendly "green" schools.
- Constructed 65 of 85 playgrounds. Completion is expected by mid-2008.
- Awarded more than $21 million in small grants in tsunami-affected areas. The grants have rebuilt libraries, wells, waste management systems, and marketplaces.
- Neared completion of a $1.9 million reconstruction project, with installation of desalination plants, commencement of operator training, laying of distribution pipes, and formation of management committees to distribute potable water to various points on the two islands. The system is expected to be in full operation by the end of January 2008.
India ($17.9 million):
- Provided 444,912 days of cash-for-work employment to tsunami family members engaged in relief and recovery projects.
- Created 2,397 new businesses and restarted 1,433 old businesses.
- Enhanced family economic opportunities by providing 3,952 small and micro loans totaling $564,037.
- Provided economic opportunities for women through $872,353 of assistance as well as cash-for-work employment.
- Provided new or rebuilt shelters to 53,600 tsunami family members.
- Constructed, rebuilt, or improved 7,590 sewage points servicing 30,000 families, including 550 prototype Ecosan toilets.
- Constructed, rebuilt, or improved 2,556 water points servicing 9,700 families.
- Built or refurbished 80 community water or sanitation facilities, including 20 decentralized wastewater treatment systems.
- Operationalized 58 community solid-waste systems serving 12,500 families.
- Provided health treatment and support to 62,059 persons, including HIV/AIDS patients.
- Established eight multiservice centers, providing children with day care, tuition centers, informal education facilities, and vocational training support.
- Set up six vocational training centers and 18 children's parks.
- Provided educational support services to 81,724 students.
- Provided $487,991 of assistance for protection and antitrafficking activities for women and children.
- Provided psychosocial support to 6,000 children in antitrafficking database and linked with government education and nutrition programs.
- Trained 2,813 community-level workers in psychosocial counseling techniques.
- Provided psychosocial counseling to 229,061 persons.
- Trained 22,063 communities in disaster preparedness.
- Conducted 2,277 disaster-preparedness mock drills.
Maldives ($12.0 million):
- Provided funding to install sewage systems, construct a harbor and breakwater, repair power systems, and upgrade public accounting systems.
Thailand ($5.3 million):
- Provided micro loans to over 1,300 persons in five tsunami-affected communities to restart and diversify their livelihoods.
- Transformed a microfinance loan program into a sustaining Cooperative Credit Union, allied with over 1,300 similar credit unions in Thailand.
- Established 43 new businesses and restarted 235 livelihood activities through project loans, grants, or vocational training.
- Constructed a community learning center to continue long-term outreach and education efforts on community-based disaster management, computer training, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental stewardship