World Bank gives 13 mln USD emergency support to Sierra Leone mudslide victims

FREETOWN, Aug. 31 — The World Bank Group Country Manager in
Sierra Leone said Tuesday that the Bank had provided 13 million U.S.
dollars as part of its immediate response to the flood and mudslide
disaster that killed hundreds of people in Freetown and left thousands
homeless.

Parminder Brar was addressing journalists at the head office in Freetown
about the financial response from the Bank.He said earlier this month the
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development approached the Bank for
financial support to deal with the crisis, as well as a request to
undertaking an immediate disaster and loss assessment that would inform the
recovery process. He disclosed that the Bank had deployed a Specialist
Disaster Management Team in Freetown to work with the government, United
Nations Agencies and local organizations in a coordinated way to assess the
immediate needs in short and medium term. The World Bank Manager said the
bank was doing a multi-city hazardous assessment for three cities-Freetown,
Makeni and Bo, and that the study would be completed in November this year
and it would be presented to the country’s president. He noted that the
initial report that the Bank had offered 500 million U.S. dollars to
support disaster in the country was not true. “On the side of the World
Bank, we have offered 13 million U.S. dollars as part of the immediate
response to disaster. And some people say it was reported that the World
Bank offered 500 million dollars for disaster, not that, it is not the
case,” he said. He stated that an additional three million dollars would
be provided from existing projects which would meet immediate needs as well
as be used for rebuilding critical infrastructure. – XINHUA