Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)
In cooperation with other U.S. government offices and international humanitarian experts, OFDA continuously monitors global hazards, identifies potential areas of need, and stands ready to respond whenever disaster strikes.
History
After failed attempts to respond to the 1963 Skopje earthquake in Yugoslavia and the eruption of the Irazú Volcano in Costa Rica, the U.S. Government decided to create a central, coordinating agency to lead U.S. international disaster response efforts. In 1964, OFDA was established under the Foreign Assistance Act with the appointment of a Foreign Disaster Relief Coordinator within USAID.[1]In 1975, the Foreign Assistance Act was amended with a "notwithstanding" clause in the International Development and Food Assistance Act, allowing the President to bypass any bureaucratic procedures that might hinder a timely response.[2] The "notwithstanding" clause gives OFDA the expedited authority to make grants and contracts without having to go through the lengthy procurement procedures required for other USAID offices. In addition, the clause allows OFDA to work in countries where other U.S. Government agencies are not present.[3]
Mandate
- Save Lives
- Alleviate Human Suffering
- Reduce the Economic and Social Impact of Humanitarian Emergencies Worldwide
Disaster Response
Canine search working for USAID/OFDA on their way to Haiti to conduct rescue operation after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
An official disaster declaration allows OFDA to provide humanitarian assistance to affected populations. OFDA closely coordinates all activities with the U.S. Embassy or USAID Mission in the affected country. OFDA also conducts humanitarian assessments to determine if and when USG humanitarian assistance may be appropriate. OFDA’s response depends on the scale of the event and the needs of affected communities and may comprise a range of activities, including one or more of the following:
- Immediate provision of up to $50,000—an amount designated as the Disaster Assistance Authority—to the U.S. Embassy or the USAID Mission in the affected country for the local purchase of relief supplies or as a contribution to a relief organization;
- Deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) or other emergency teams to disaster-affected areas to conduct assessments, determine additional needs,deliver relief supplies,provide technical assistance, and/or recommend proposals for funding;
- Activation of an on-call Response Management Team (RMT) in Washington, D.C.;
- Procurement, transportation, and distribution of emergency relief supplies, such as plastic sheeting, water containers, water purification units, blankets, and health supplies, from one of OFDA’s three regional warehouses; and/or
- Support for relief and rehabilitation activities through grants to implementing organizations, including international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), U.N. agencies, or international organizations.
OFDA possesses the authority to request exemptions from USG regulations when doing so will expedite the provision of emergency assistance, as well as to borrow money from other USAID accounts when OFDA requires additional funding, although use of the special authorities is rare.
Transition from Relief to Development
As an emergency response transitions from addressing immediate needs to longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction activities, OFDA works with other offices within USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) and USAID’s regional bureaus and overseas missions—among other partners— to ensure a seamless hand-off of assistance from relief to development entities.Disaster Risk Reduction
In addition to disaster response activities, OFDA also supports a range of disaster risk reduction (DRR) projects designed to minimize the impact of natural hazards and conflict in emergency-prone countries and enhance the resilience of affected communities. OFDA’s DRR activities work to strengthen communities’resilience to and recovery from shocks and promote the sharing of technology and expertise between the United States and the affected country by building partnerships with national emergency response agencies. OFDA frequently implements DRR activities in conjunction with technical organizations, such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other offices within USAID. OFDA staff carefully monitor grantee programs to ensure that resources are used wisely and to determine whether projects need to be adapted to changing conditions.Fiscal Year 2010 Response
In FY 2010, OFDA responded to 73 disasters in 56 countries to assist tens of millions of disaster-affected people. The response to one of these disasters—the January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake—constituted one of the largest in OFDA’s history. In Africa, OFDA assisted populations affected by complex humanitarian emergencies, flooding, food security crises and drought, lead poisoning, a cholera outbreak, a cyclone, refugee returns, and earthquakes. Countries in the Asia and Pacific region experienced flooding, complex humanitarian emergencies, tropical cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and a winter emergency. In Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia (EMCA), OFDA assisted populations affected by complex emergencies, floods, wildfires, and food insecurity. Flooding affected populations across the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, where OFDA also responded to wildfires, storms, a volcano, and earthquakes.Following the onset of each of these disasters, affected populations required immediate humanitarian assistance, including safe drinking water, health care, sanitation services, emergency shelter, emergency relief supplies, and food security interventions. In countries experiencing complex emergencies, OFDA partners worked to protect vulnerable civilians, increase the sustainability of longer-term humanitarian responses, and facilitate the transition to development assistance in relevant countries.
OFDA provided more than $855 million for disaster response programs to support agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, health, nutrition, protection, shelter and settlements, and WASH interventions; humanitarian coordination and information management programs; search and rescue efforts; and logistical support and emergency relief commodities. In FY 2010, OFDA deployed Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) and other emergency teams to Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, Niger, Pakistan, the Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Vietnam. Of the more than $855 million provided in response to emergencies, $9 million supported DRR programs, and $181 million supported disaster response programs with DRR components. In addition to allocating more than $855 million for disaster response programs, OFDA provided more than $59 million for regional and global disaster support and more than $59 million for operations and program support.
References
Olson, Richard Stuart. "The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID): A Critical Juncture Analysis, 1964-2003" (PDF). USAID. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
External links
OFDA's unique disaster response capabilities help those suffering in the midst of the worst crises around the world.
Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chris Lussie, U.S. Navy
OFDA responds to an average of 65 disasters in more than 50 countries every year to ensure aid reaches people affected by rapid on-set disasters—such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods—and slow-onset crises, including drought and conflict. OFDA fulfills its mandate of saving lives, alleviating human suffering, and reducing the social and economic impact of disasters worldwide in partnership with USAID functional and regional bureaus and other U.S. Government agencies.
Our Work
OFDA experts worldwide and in D.C. help countries prepare for, respond to, and recover from humanitarian crises. OFDA works with the international humanitarian community to give vulnerable populations resources to build resilience and strengthen their own ability to respond to emergencies.Emergency Response
When disaster strikes, OFDA sends regional and technical experts to the affected country to identify and prioritize humanitarian needs. In the wake of a large-scale disaster, OFDA can deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to coordinate and manage an optimal U.S. Government response, while working closely with local officials, the international community, and relief agencies. OFDA also maintains stocks of emergency relief supplies in warehouses worldwide and has the logistical and operational capabilities to deliver them quickly.In 2016, conflict in South Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, and Ukraine left tens of millions in need of assistance while Syria entered the sixth year of a brutal civil war that has destroyed entire communities and affected far too many lives.
At the same time, OFDA took action amid one of the worst droughts Ethiopia has seen in 50 years. In partnership with the Government of Ethiopia, OFDA deployed a DART to respond decisively to meet the immediate needs of those most impacted by the drought, and has continued to provide critical aid.
On April 25, 2015, when a powerful and deadly earthquake shook Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people, OFDA deployed a DART that worked around the clock to provide medical care and perform urban search-and-rescue operations.
In FY 2016, OFDA had (DARTs) responding to five major crises (Syria, South Sudan, Iraq, West Africa Ebola outbreak, and Ethiopia drought) and stood up just as many Response Management Teams (RMTs). In addition, we responded to an earthquake in Ecuador, drought in Southern Africa, and complex emergencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Lake Chad Basin, Yemen, and more.
Just as we have in these countries, USAID remains committed to responding to crises around the world, to help the people and places most in need.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Globally, where unplanned urbanization and population growth have placed more people in harm’s way, programs that help communities reduce risks, lessen the impact of disasters, and build resilience are critical. OFDA’s approach to disaster risk reduction recognizes the central role of national and local entities as disaster managers and seeks to strengthen their ability to respond, emphasizing community-based initiatives. OFDA helps establish early warning networks, train schoolchildren on what to do when an earthquake strikes, and teach local emergency personnel how to conduct search-and-rescue. These activities not only reduce the number of lives and livelihoods lost during a disaster, they help communities become resilient to future crises. Achieving real resilience requires a range of approaches to help communities develop the capacity to manage an array of recurring shocks. OFDA’s disaster risk reduction programs are specifically intended to limit the impact of these shocks.Following the deadly 2004 earthquake and tsunami, the people of Indonesia—with financial and technical support from OFDA—developed a tsunami early warning and evacuation system that got people out of harm’s way when a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck off the island of Sumatra in April 2012. Also, early warning systems and disaster preparedness activities established by OFDA in Mozambique saved lives following severe storms and flooding in January 2012.
Early Recovery
Recognizing the need to provide immediate relief while also setting the stage for recovery and rehabilitation, OFDA supports programs that give people tools to restart former jobs, provide psychosocial care to traumatized disaster survivors, and prepare individuals to get back on their feet.A key component of helping communities transition from the emergency to recovery phase of a disaster is linking OFDA’s work to the development work of the USAID Mission in the affected country. For example, OFDA is collaborating with USAID/Sri Lanka to ensure displaced families have access both to emergency programs that provide employment training and to programs that support the Mission’s long-term economic development strategy. OFDA programs also seek innovative ways to help disaster-affected communities begin to rebuild local economies. In many African nations, OFDA provides mobile cash transfers, allowing people to purchase food or other items to restart small businesses, playing a direct role in helping local businesses and farmers recover. Such programs not only help build resilience, they also protect hard-won economic and development gains.
For general inquiries about the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, please email ofdainquiries@ofda.gov.
For specific questions about OFDA's programs, view the USAID/OFDA Regional Contact list.
For media inquiries about USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, please email USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov.
Who We Are
USAID
is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global
poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their
potential.
In order to support these goals, President John. F. Kennedy created the United States Agency for International Development by executive order in 1961. Learn more about USAID's History.
Assistance to Foreign Countries
U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's interests while improving lives in the developing world. USAID carries out U.S. foreign policy by promoting broad-scale human progress at the same time it expands stable, free societies, creates markets and trade partners for the United States, and fosters good will abroad.Spending less than 1 percent of the total federal budget, USAID works in over 100 countries to:
- Promote broadly shared economic prosperity;
- Strengthen democracy and good governance;
- Protect human rights;
- Improve global health,
- Advance food security and agriculture;
- Improve environmental sustainability;
- Further education;
- Help societies prevent and recover from conflicts; and
- Provide humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural and man-made disasters.
Disaster Assistance
When a natural disaster or conflict destroys cities, homes and markets, or when hunger and disease threaten to spread, people caught in the middle are simply looking to survive. Helping them is at the core of what USAID does every day, all around the world.
In fiscal year 2016, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance responded to 52 crises in 52 countries, providing life-saving assistance to tens of millions of people including those enduring:
- An earthquake in Ecuador
- Drought in Ethiopia and Southern Africa
- Conflict in Syria and Iraq
- Complex emergencies in Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan, and Lake Chad Basin
- Floods in Burma
- The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
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