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

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /Standard Newswire/ --  As a result of recent flooding in Haiti following Tropical Storms Gustav and Hanna, humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. Flooding has affected populations in 9 out of 10 of the country's departments and has displaced 82,600 people to temporary shelters. A six-person disaster team from the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has noted that humanitarian conditions are dire and has pledged additional funding to assist those affected by the recent storms. In addition to the existing funds that were redirected, USAID's increased contribution brings the total U.S. government contribution to $10 million.

U.S. government assistance provided to Haiti includes an airlift of relief commodities that arrived in Port-au-Prince on September 4 from USAID's warehouse in Miami, Florida. USAID is working with the U.S. Southern Command and Department of Defense to prioritize the use of air and sea assets in order to deliver critical commodities to areas inaccessible by land. The USS Kearsarge is expected to arrive in Haiti early on September 8, bringing much-needed air and sealift capacity for international relief efforts.

The six-person USAID disaster team in Haiti continues to coordinate with the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, USAID's mission in Haiti, the U.S. Southern Command, the UN Mission to Haiti, and the Government of Haiti to assess conditions, determine priority needs, and provide critical relief commodities to affected populations.

USAID will continue to monitor the situation and will provide additional support as appropriate.

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