The U.S. State Department on Tuesday outlined the U.S. assistance operations ongoing in Pakistan, where it is providing relief to the victims of the recent earthquake there. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli repeated to reporters in Washington the U.S. pledge of an initial contribution of $50 million, and elaborated more specifically on the relief programs. "We have provided eight military helicopters to…Pakistan, and they're helping to ferry supplies and support the relief operations," Ereli said. "USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance has developed plastic sheeting, blankets, and water containers for up to 2,500 families." The leader of a U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to survey the damage and help map out a relief plan, Ereli said. "Our DART team will deploy to the affected areas," Ereli said. "They will do a needs assessment and coordinate provision of follow-on assistance. Our military is organizing delivery of other assets. There are four additional helicopters on the way. The military is also working to provide earth-moving equipment and medical facilities to help in relief operations." Ereli said that he expects the number of aid helicopters to increase. The spokesman said that the United States has also provided more than $250,000 in relief supplies to Guatemala, including hygiene kits, blankets, 15,000 gallons of drinking water, and 11,000 gallons of fuel.
