Contact: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Press Office, 202-712-4320; Public Information, 202-712-4810

WASHINGTON, May 12 /Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance Henrietta Fore and Admiral Timothy Keating, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command have just returned from the first U.S. humanitarian assistance flight into Burma. This flight delivered 8,300 bottles of water, 1,350 blankets, and 10,800 insecticide-treated bed nets to protect against malaria. These relief supplies will be able to benefit as many as 30,000 people. Two additional humanitarian assistance flights are planned for Tuesday.

Administrator Fore's visit shows the deep commitment of the American people to support the relief efforts in Burma. While in the region, she announced that the United States is prepared to provide an additional $13 million in food and logistical assistance to the United Nations World Food Program for relief operations in Burma. This brings total U.S. Government monetary assistance made available to date to $16.25 million.

As part of this new assistance, the U.S. is prepared to provide $12 million for food aid that will arrive in the coming weeks. Part of this contribution will include 1,000 tons of urgently needed food from the USAID warehouse in Djibouti. The U.S. is also prepared to provide $1 million, as part of this new assistance, to support logistics and coordination services for all international humanitarian aid agencies operating in the region.

The U.S. Government continues to encourage more access for the international relief community to provide critical life saving humanitarian supplies and support. For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance to Burma, please visit: www.usaid.gov, keyword: Nargis or directly at www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/countries/burma/cyclone_nargis.