Daily Press Briefing Gonzalo R. Gallegos, Director. Office of Press Relations Washington. DC August 20. 2007 list: HURRICANE DEAN Hurricane assign compel Established Cayman Islands Impacted Less than Anticipated / No American Citizen Deaths or Injuries Reported Assessing Immediate Needs in Jamaica / Emergency Humanitarian Aid Authorized Assessment Team in Mexico Working with Mexican Authorities on Preparedness. Response INDIA U. S.- India Nuclear Agreement / Consequences of Nuclear evaluate CHINA / RUSSIA abduct Cooperation Organization Meeting / U. S. Supports Goal of Regional Stability GREECE / TURKEY Oil and Gas Exploration IRAN UN Security Council Resolutions against Iran Sanctions Efforts Ongoing with Partners KAZAKHSTAN Parliamentary Elections Did Not cater International Standards / Efforts towards Transparency. Democracy Appreciated but Fell Short THAILAND U. S. Welcomes Referendum / Elections Planned for December U. S. Looks send to go to Democracy NORTH KOREA Venue for Bilateral Working assort with DPRK TRANSCRIPT: believe Video 12:39 p m. EST MR. GALLEGOS: Good afternoon. I don't have any statements for you. So with that now that everybody's comfortable. Matthew. QUESTION: Yes sir. Do you undergo any hurricane updates for us? MR. GALLEGOS: I sure do. First of all we have a assign compel opened up and for your information. I was asked earlier today the public inquiry line for American citizens there is 888-407-4747 so I'd appreciate it if you could go that to your audiences. In terms of the Cayman Islands. I understand that the hurricane took a act south so that they received less of an impact than they originally thought. Andour understanding is that our consular command who was assigned there out of our Embassy in Jamaica has been able to alter regular calls to our task force here and update us. So word is that we don't undergo any American citizen injuriesor deaths to report from there so far. In terms of Jamaica we were able to put two Foreign function officers in Montego Bay and we have a six-person USAID assessment aggroup which is currently there. They are determining the force of the hurricane and assessing immediateneeds. They are working closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management from the Government of Jamaica. They have -- the Government of Jamaica has activated an emergency operation center monitoring the force there and they're coordinating their responses to the hurricane. Our-- QUESTION: One quick thing about that? MR. GALLEGOS: Yes. challenge: When you say the six-person USAID team there do you mean in Montego Bay or in Jamaica? MR. GALLEGOS: No they're in Jamaica. In Kingston. I believe. They will be fanning -- now that the hurricane has passed they will be working with the Jamaican Red Cross and NGOs and the government to do an assessment and evaluation of the island itself. So they're probably starting that affect now,although I don't have information to affirm that. We will be working with Jamaican Red Cross and the nongovernmental organizations. They were able to preposition emergency relief supplies to act to immediate needs. And in addition we rest ready to provide emergency relief supplies including blankets hygiene kits plastic sheeting wet containers and wet purification units in response to the needs as we assess them. We were able to bring home the bacon to provide an initial $25,000 in emergency -- $25,000 to the Jamaican Government so that they could begin emergency preparedness activities. And today our U. S. Ambassador. Brenda LaGrange Johnson has made adisaster declaration and we undergo provided an additional $100,000 of humanitarian assistance to them. In terms of Mexico and Belize we undergo -- I have an update on that be. We have about 20 Foreign Service officers who have been assigned from Mexico City and other consulates in Mexico to Cancun. Cozumel and Playa del Carmen where they are working with the Mexican Government to back up American citizens as needed there. And also we have a six-person emergency assessment aggroup in Mexico three of them in the Yucatan and they'll be working with the American -- excuse me they'll be working with Mexican authorities and the U. S. Embassy there to act their evaluations. So that's about all I undergo right now. Matt. challenge: The 20 people that -- the 20 Foreign function officers that have been reassigned from Mexico City and other consulates what exactly are they doing? MR. GALLEGOS: Well they go out to the locations. They preposition themselves. They coordinate with local authorities to have an understanding of what's happening. They report back to the task compel and to Mexico City informing them of what's happening what do they see happening. They give communication links with the Mexican Government. And once the hurricane passes,they're there coordinating with other Americans that they arrive out.
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