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Tag archives for Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance

Working to Beat Ebola Along the Border

Border crossings like this one at Bo Waterside in Liberia were closed for six months due to the Ebola outbreak. / Carol Han, USAID/OFDA

Many Liberian businesses were hit hard when Ebola caused the border between Liberia and Sierra Leone to close for six months. USAID and Global Communities have built screening and triage stations so that people can safely travel between the countries again.

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Moving Beyond Ebola: Rebuilding Liberia’s Health Care System

A Liberian nurse prepares to go inside an Ebola patient ward to draw blood from confirmed patients for testing in Bong County last October. / Morgana Wingard, USAID

With Ebola cases dwindling in Liberia, now is the time to build a stronger health care system. USAID and Jhpiego are training more than 3,200 workers on infection prevention and control.

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Providing Humanitarian Assistance During Unprecedented Times

Our partner Catholic Relief Services distributes life-saving aid from OFDA airlifts to those affected by the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic. /Catholic Relief Services

Today is World Humanitarian Day, a day to commemorate the fallen relief workers who died in the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, as well as the thousands of others who have given their lives to help those in need. Last year marked the most violent year for aid organizations in the past decade: 155 relief staff were killed, 168 were injured, and 132 were kidnapped. This is always a sobering day, but is all the more so this year as we mourn the six aid workers just recently murdered in South Sudan and the many health care staff in West Africa who have sacrificed their lives treating those with Ebola.

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5 Ways USAID is Preparing for Hurricane Season

satellite photo of a hurricane

As another Atlantic hurricane season approaches, we are reminded that it takes just one bad storm to wreak havoc, kill and injure thousands, and inflict billions of dollars in damage.

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By Preparing for Disaster, Chile Remains Resilient

Photo Caption 1 (‘Chile 2010 earthquake’)/credit: A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile in 2010 causing extensive damage and hundreds of deaths. Photo Credit: Larry Sacks/USAID

A powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck near the northern coast of Chile on April 1, prompting a tsunami and a series of strong aftershocks. Yet, nearly 1 million people were safely evacuated from harm’s way thanks to Chile’s disaster response preparations and early detection of the tsunami.

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USAID Finalist for Service to America Medal

On May 6, USAID’s Cara Christie and the Horn Drought Humanitarian Response Team were selected for their outstanding work identifying and coordinating U.S. humanitarian relief efforts during the 2011 Somalia famine. Read more >>

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One Year On: Looking Back on Famine and a Smarter Response in the Horn

While the food security conditions in Somalia have improved, our response this past year reflects our understanding of the fragility of the situation Read more >>

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