Q&A on the News
Q: Which countries, and with how much financial and/or volunteer aid contributed by each country, helped the U.S. with its recovery efforts during and after Hurricane Katrina?
-- D.E. Winn, Alpharetta
A: Foreign allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash, but most of the aid went uncollected, according to The Washington Post. The U.S. declined aid from some countries, other aid was delayed by bureaucratic limits on how the money could be used, and some offers were withdrawn or transferred to groups such as the American Red Cross and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, the Post reported in a 2007 story. That story used documents obtained by the public interest group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). A spokesman for CREW confirmed to the Q&A on the News that the Post's data was accurate. Of $454 million in cash that was pledged by more than 150 countries and foreign organizations, the U.S. received only $126 million from 40 donors, the Post reported. The biggest cash gifts came from: the United Arab Emirates ($100 million), China and Bahrain (each donating $5 million), South Korea ($3.8 million) and Taiwan ($2 million). Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman at the time, told the paper that it would draw on the lessons learned from the Hurricane Katrina experience to ensure that it makes the best use of possible foreign assistance in the future.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
