WASHINGTON, D.C. - Due to the effects of recent flooding in the Republic of Maldives, the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $100,000 to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for emergency water and sanitation services to the affected populations. On May 22, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Robert O. Blake declared a disaster and authorized U.S. assistance.
Beginning May 15, seasonal high tides and large waves exacerbated by intense winds flooded at least 55 of the 194 inhabited islands in the Maldives. Flood waters affected local infrastructure, water supplies, and crops on many islands, but did not cause any deaths, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The flooding is the most widespread on record, apart from the December 2004 tsunami, according to the Maldives Government.
USAID will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as appropriate.
For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.
Source: USAID
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