U.S. Assistance in response to the Gërdec tragedy (April 7, 2008)

• Within three hours of the explosion, the Embassy provided $1,000 of needed medical supplies to Albania’s military hospital trauma center, purchased through USAID funding.

• Additionally, USAID has provided $50,000 for emergency food and non-food items for displaced families.  The Albanian Red Cross will deliver these commodities to victims over the next two months.

• American crisis management experts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Center for Civil-Military Relations consulted closely with the Ministry of Interior Crisis Management Center.

• A ten-person team of US Army personnel with extensive experience in EOD/demolitions, environmental safety, hazardous materials, reconstruction, and mortuary affairs provided assistance to the MoD at the explosion site, and helped coordinate the operations on location.

• The European Command sent an assessment team of highly-trained experts in weapons destruction to determine what additional assets may be provided. 

• The New Jersey National Guard has sent three experts to assess assistance needs in advance of sending a team of disaster relief specialists. 

• An American contractor funded by the USG will arrive next week to assess the explosion site before beginning the task of clearing unexploded ordnance in the core area.

• The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will send six bomb specialists to assist the Albanian Prosecutor General’s Office in the post blast investigation at Gerdec.  This team will provide assistance in determining the origin and cause of the explosion.

• U.S. Embassy Albanian and American employees and their families also contributed by collecting of over $3,000 to purchase food, hygiene items and other needed supplies and goods.  They personally donated foodstuffs, clothing, childcare items, toys, and their time to the relief effort.

• We continue to explore with the Government of Albania what additional assistance may be needed and will seek to provide this assistance as requested.