$2 Million in Earthquake Aid for El Salvador

Direct Relief International
Sunday, 18 February 2001

Former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Catto Praises Relief Efforts

On Sunday, February 18, Direct Relief sent $1.7 million in medical supplies to El Salvador, bringing the total value of its shipments in response to the recent earthquakes there to more than $2 million.

Direct Relief's four intitial shipments to El Salvador have included primary care supplies—bandages, gauze, sutures, antibiotics—and orthopedic soft goods such as splints, braces and material for making casts. The emergency medical goods were flown directly to the capital city of San Salvador by TACA, the Salvadoran national airline.

Henry Catto, former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador and a member of the International Advisory Board of Direct Relief, said "My deepest sympathy goes out to the people of El Salvador who are struggling to recover from this tragic event. As a former Ambassador to El Salvador, I have some idea of the havoc that the earthquake there has wreaked. And as an Advisory Director of Direct Relief International, I have some idea of the wonderful things that organization can accomplish."

Direct Relief International has provided a broad range of medical assistance to El Salvador and other Central American countries in recent years, including ongoing support to communities affected by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

For more information, or to contact Direct Relief International, see their website at: www.directrelief.org