Philippines – Response to the Mudslide

U.S. Marines Sgt. Matthew Meodor lets a landslide evacuee taste his MRE (Meals-Ready-to-Eat) ration during their humanitarian mission at an evacuation center in St. Bernard town

near the village of Guinsaugon, Leyte province in central Philippines Tuesday Feb.21, 2006.

The United States is helping the people of the Philippines respond to the terrible mudslides that occurred last week. President Bush called President Arroyo on February 20 to offer our condolences and to pledge our continued support for rescue and relief efforts.

We are using both military and civilian assets to aid those affected by this natural disaster. Specifically, we have authorized the redeployment of some elements of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to assist in the rescue effort. The USS Essex, the USS Harpers Ferry and the USS Curtis Wilbur are now on station off the coast of Leyte, and 1,630 Marines and 16 helicopters from the Marine Expeditionary Unit are engaged in search and recovery operations for the landslide victims. The United States also has donated $100,000 to the Philippine Red Cross and has airlifted emergency supplies to the area.

We will continue to work closely with our friends in the Philippines to help those in need.

2006/209, Press Statement, Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman, Washington, DC, February 21, 2006

more at Department of State and State Department or Philippines and Mudslide, or President Arroyo and President Bush or Condoleezza Rice, or 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and Leyte, or USS Essex, and USS Harpers Ferry, or USS Curtis Wilbur,

Related: Keywords State Department, Monday, February 13, 2006 State Department Podcast and Text 02/10/06, Thursday, February 09, 2006 State Department Podcast and Text 02/08/06, Friday, January 27, 2006 State Department Podcast and Text 01/25/06, Friday, January 27, 2006 Rice on Palestinian Elections (PODCAST), Tuesday, January 24, 2006 State Department Podcast and Text 01/23/06 , Friday, January 20, 2006 State Department Podcast and Text 01/19/06, Thursday, January 19, 2006 Secretary Rice, South Korean Foreign Minister PODCAST 01/19/06, Wednesday, January 18, 2006 State Department Podcast, Text 01/17/05,