Contact: USAID Press Office,202-712-4320; Public Information,202-712-4810

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide $150,000 in response to the Government of Nicaragua's request for international assistance following Hurricane Felix.

Hurricane Felix made landfall near Puerto Cabezas in northeastern Nicaragua on September 4 as a category five storm. Preliminary reports from SINAPRED, the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Assistance in Nicaragua, indicated that the hurricane affected more than 6,000 families. This number will change as additional information of hard-to-reach areas becomes available in the coming days.

USAID is also prepared to airlift emergency relief supplies, including blankets, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, water containers, and water purification units, if requested by the Government of Nicaragua. Because access to affected areas will be difficult, USAID is also looking into options for assisting with logistical support and air transport should that be requested by the government.

In preparation for the expected hurricane, an initial $25,000 in preparedness assistance was provided to Nicaragua prior to the storm and an assessment team was pre-positioned in the country. Additionally, prior to the hurricane season, approximately $45,000 in emergency relief supplies, such as hygiene kits and kitchen sets, was pre-positioned with the Nicaraguan Red Cross.

USAID is participating in aerial assessments of the affected areas in Nicaragua and will provide additional assistance as needed and requested by the Government of Nicaragua.

For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.