TIRANA, Aug. 15 – In a second USAID grant for Albania’s emergency fire response services, the USAID provided a second emergency grant of $175,000 on August 9 to help the Government of Albania extinguish wildfires throughout the country. The U.S. Government has now made available $225,000 in emergency assistance.
“These fires, which have already caused a tremendous amount of damage, now threaten to destroy thousands more hectares of land, which will have a severe impact on the environment and cause further economic and humanitarian hardships,” said Edward T. Landau, USAID Mission Director. “The U.S. Government is committed to helping the Government of Albania respond to this national crisis.”
Albania has tackled over 150 fires and extinguished most of them. However, Albania’s North and Northeastern parts, home to several national forests, continue to remain at severe risk. This $175,000 grant, which is being awarded to the Civil Emergency Department within the Government of Albania’s Ministry of Interior, will finance fuel and operational costs for aircraft to bring the fires in the Northern region under control, as well as provide long-term assistance in developing the Department’s emergency preparedness.
This award is the second emergency funding in the last two weeks provided by the U.S. Government to combat wildfires across the country. On July 27, U.S. Charg顤’Affaires Stephen Cristina declared a disaster due to the loss of property and livelihoods and potential loss of life due to the wildfires. In response, USAID provided $50,000 for immediate assistance. The emergency assistance provided on July 27 was for aircraft and related expenses of a Ukrainian Antonev-32 plane that operated in Albania last week.
