For Immediate Release
January 5, 2005

Global Message

America has committed $350 million to fund the tsunami relief effort. Contributions will continue to be revised as needed.

President Bush has asked former Presidents Clinton and George H.W. Bush to lead a nationwide charitable fundraising effort.

President Bush has sent a delegation headed by Secretary of State Powell and Florida Governor Bush to the Indian Ocean region to assess the damage, relief resources in place, and future needs.

More than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft have been made available to assess the disaster and deliver relief supplies.

The United States has dispatched the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, the Maritime pre-positioning squadron from Guam, and an amphibious ship carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit to support relief efforts.

Since the tsunamis struck, private citizens have contributed millions of dollars for disaster relief and reconstruction.

On January 6, Secretary Powell will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Conference, an emergency summit on coordination humanitarian response to the tsunamis.