The US contribution to rehabilitating tsunami wrecked Sri Lanka comes to US$ 25 mn already, says outgoing US Secretary of State, Colin L.
Powell. The US contribution to rehabilitating tsunami wrecked Sri Lanka comes to US$ 25 mn already, says outgoing US Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell. “The total US contribution so far is US$ 25 mn.
This will go up in days ahead,” said Powell, speaking to the press before leaving the island on Friday.
Powell said that currently around US$ 4 mn worth of goods are being distributed in Sri Lanka.
US$ 10 mn is on the way for clean-up and rehabilitation operations with another US$ 10 mn coming in for temporary housing for displaced families.
Out of the US$ 350 mn allocated to assist tsunami-damaged countries, so far only US$ 50 mn has been disbursed.
Powell, who was only in the island for a few hours, met with President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunaga and the Cabinet of Ministers and also toured areas of the country destroyed by December tsunamis.
The highest ranking US official to visit the island so far, also suggested that Sri Lanka use the US Millennium Challenge Account(MCA) to fu