USAID donates additional humanitarian aid to Ethiopia ======== ===== ==== ====

ADDIS ABABA — THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD Newspaper 14 May 2016: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated additional humanitarian assistance worth 128 million USD in a bid to support Ethiopia’s overall efforts to withstand the impacts of the current drought induced by El Nino.
In a press conference that was held yesterday on the premises of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission, USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs, Thomas H. Staal said that the new funding for humanitarian assistance would be used for supplying relief food assistance, clean drinking water, nutrition services and mobile health teams to the drought victims.
According to Thomas, Since October 2014, United States of America has been the largest humanitarian donor to Ethiopia by granting 705 million USD in humanitarian assistance.
Noting the long standing and valuable relations between Ethiopia and United States of America, he said that the additional humanitarian aid will attest USA’s steadfast commitment to working with Ethiopia to prevent this drought from becoming a humanitarian catastrophe.
Regarding his recent visit to some drought affected areas in Afar state, Thomas told journalists that the long awaited rain has already began to pour down as the result, grass is growing everywhere, and he is so hopeful that the coming harvest season will be better than the previous one.
At the event, the National Disaster Risk Commission Commissioner Mitiku Kassa appreciated USAID for being a real partner in the ongoing efforts to avert the drought impacts and he also outlined the measures taken so far to prevent humanitarian catastrophe due to the drought and the recently occurred flash floods and landslides in the country.
Following the recent floods and landslides that had occurred due to La Nina , so far 90 people have died and 600000 people have been evacuated.
BY DANIEL BEYENE