U.S. Government Assists Xinjiang Flood Victims

June 17, 2002

The United States Government has responded to a flood disaster in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern China by providing emergency aid for the victims.

Floods caused by unusually heavy spring rains in Xinjiang have left a trail of devastation in Ili Prefecture. At least six people have died, thousands of buildings, including schools, have collapsed, over 100,000 head of livestock have perished, and many bridges and roads have been destroyed. In addition to the immediate destruction, the floods have also ruined crops and prevented normal spring plantings in large areas.

As a result, displaced residents have an acute need for food and shelter. The United States Government has responded to this crisis, and is working with the Red Cross Society of China and with the local government to provide flour and bedding for the people there. A donation of $50,000 will be used for purchasing this humanitarian relief.

This donation to the people of Xinjiang is the latest in a series of American donations to help the people of China affected by disasters. Recent donations have included aid to the people of Inner Mongolia to help them recover from the devastating effects of a winter blizzard in January 2001, and for people in the Ganzi Tibetan Prefecture in western Sichuan to rebuild a bridge destroyed by an earthquake. The bridge was completed in December 2001 and re-established road links to the outside for four remote villages in the region.

Tieliwaerdi Abudurexiti, President of the Red Cross Society of Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, received the U.S. donation at a Distribution Kick-Off Ceremony in Yining City on June 16, expressing heartfelt thanks on behalf of the people of the prefecture. Embassy Environment, Science and Technology Counselor Kurt Tong and Deputy Director Yang Huixin of the Relief Department of the Red Cross Society of China attended the ceremony and delivered remarks. The ceremony featured 10 large trucks fully-laden with bags of flour and beddding, with each bag bearing the Red Cross insignia and the words "donated by the United States government." The trucks departed directly to begin distribution work in some of the most severely affected counties of the Yili River valley.