http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=2008&date=20050902
The Swedish Rescue Services Agency has offered disaster assistance to the US as it grapples with the task of rescuing thousands still trapped in New Orleans by flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.
On Friday morning the agency said it was still waiting for a reply and details about what sort of contribution Sweden could make in the disaster area. In the meantime, Swedish officials are identifying available resources and planning how to get them across the Atlantic.
The US sent out a request for international assistance on Thursday, and Sweden’s response was delivered via the embassy in Washington.
It is understood that Sweden’s offer included help with water purification, medical equipment, prefabricated temporary accommodation and repairing telecommunications.
“We know that they want these things but it doesn’t seem to be completely clear what exactly is needed,” said the Swedish Rescue Services Agency’s press officer Mats Oscarsson.
“The affected states probably have the information but we haven’t approached them yet.”
The Swedish Rescue Services Agency is also in contact with similar European organisations as well as the American Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance.
“When other countries are hit by crisis there is usually some sort of very official request about what’s needed and so on, but we haven’t had that yet from the US,” added Oscarsson.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Foreign Ministry confirmed that three Swedes who were thought to have been in the area at the time of the hurricane have still not been contacted.
“We emphasise that we are not categorising them as missing – they just haven’t got in touch,” said Nina Ersman, at the ministry’s press office.
According to the Foreign Ministry, hundreds of Swedes live in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama but the damaged telephone network has made it hard to contact everyone.
http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=2018&date=20050904
The United States has declined water sanitation aid from Sweden in the wake of the deadly Hurricane Katrina, saying it was currently unable to accept foreign aid packages, the Swedish Rescue Services Agency said on Sunday.
Sweden had offered to send medical and technical aid to the hurricane-ravaged southern United States, and had been planning to send a military cargo plane filled with water sanitation equipment as well as five water sanitation experts on Sunday morning.
Early Sunday however, Swedish authorities received word that the US logistically could not immediately accept the aid.
“The planned… flight to the US with aid equipment from the Rescue Services Agency will not take place on Sunday,” the agency said in a statement.
According to the Swedish foreign ministry however, the US has not formally declined the Scandinavian country’s help going forward.
“They couldn’t accept the aid today (but) we’re still waiting for word that they may need our help,” ministry spokeswoman Miriam Mannbro told AFP.
Rescue Services Agency spokesman Per Ström meanwhile told Swedish news agency TT that aid could be sent “within a day of receiving the green light from the Americans”.
“I know there’s a will and a need for this equipment, but this is about logistics,” he said
WTF, M8?