The US government has allotted a US$35 million aid fund to carry out several programs to assist victims of Hurricane Georges. A mission head by the world director of the Agency for International Development, J. Brian Attwood arrived yesterday to coordinate the aid. Attwood is also special coordinator for international disasters for the President’s office. Other members of the visiting mission are Andrew Cuomo, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew M. Cuomo and Mark Geran, world director for the Peace Corps. Several US Congress men and women were part of the delegation. These included: Donna Christian Green, US Virgin Islands; Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island; Jim McDermott, Bill Pascrell and Donald Payne, New Jersey; George Miller, California; Charles Rangel, New York and Carlos Romero Barcelo, Puerto Rico. The congressmen toured several of the most affected areas with President Fernández. Attwood also announced that the US Department of Agriculture will donate 100,000 metric tons of wheat, valued at US$10 million as part of the aid package. The Clinton administration will also cover maintenance expenses of three C-130 airplanes that will transport US donations to the DR. The AID already had allotted US$3 million in emergency aid to the DR.
