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

WASHINGTON, August 19 /Standard Newswire/ -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing an additional $1 million in assistance to the people of Georgia in response to the crisis situation, bringing the total U.S. humanitarian assistance to $3.77 million to date.

The Georgian government has identified sanitation and hygiene facilities, tents, bedding, personal hygiene kits, baby food, and dry and canned foods as priority needs at this time. To help meet these needs, this $1 million was provided to the UN World Food Program for the local purchase and distribution of more than 650 metric tons of emergency food commodities, including approximately 31 metric tons of high energy biscuits currently in Georgia.

"The United States stands with the people of Georgia, and we are working alongside the Georgian government and the international NGO community to get emergency aid to those in need," said USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore. "This food assistance is in addition to the emergency relief and medical supplies the U.S. has airlifted to assist the people of Georgia, and the United States will continue to provide additional relief supplies to Tbilisi in the coming days."

Having arrived in country, USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is working with the government of Georgia, to conduct rapid humanitarian assessments and serve as the coordinator of U.S. relief efforts with local officials, other donors and international and non-governmental organizations.

For more information on USAID's assistance to the people of Georgia, visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/