will spend about a million dollars on demand reduction SENATOR DECONCINI. Finally, let me say that I am wholly sympathetic with both the goals of your agency and the problems you encounter in trying to realize them. As you may know, I bring to this Committee and to my other responsibilities as a United States Senator a long-standing concern with the cancer of drug abuse. The questions above should be taken in that light. They should not be taken as an indication of any hostility or antagonism toward your agency and its programmatic responsibilities. Be assured, too, that I will be most grateful for your forthrightness in responding to my queries. The information you provide will enable me to approach the decisions that have to be made in this area in a rational and responsible manner. My central concern is that we be as effective and systematic as possible in our attack on the drug abuse problem. SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS Senator Inouye. The subcommittee will stand in recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon. (Whereupon, at 11:25 a.m., Tuesday, March 8, the was recessed to reconvene at 2 p.m., the same day.) subcommittee (AFTERNOON SESSION, 2:15 O'CLOCK, TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1977) AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE STATEMENT OF GEN. E. E. ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE, AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOMPANIED BY: BLAINE RICHARDSON, OFFICE OF MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS, CHRISTIAN HOLMES, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF U.S. FOR- ARTURO COSTANTINO, OFFICE OF AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND FISCAL YEAR 1978 REQUEST Senator INOUYE. The subcommittee will now consider the President's $45 million request for international disaster assistance. In a departure from past practice, the administration is seeking authorization of a permanent $25 million replenishable fund for disaster assistance. For fiscal year 1978 initial funding of $25 million is requested. As drawdowns occur, the fund is to be replenished through supplemental budget estimates. In addition to the disaster fund, the administration has requested an appropriation of $20 million to provide additional relief and rehabilitation assistance to Lebanon. With us today to provide justification for the President's request is my dear friend and classmate, Gen. Earl E. Anderson, Director of the Office of United States Foreign Disaster Assistance, Agency for International Development. This is the first time I have had the opportunity of welcoming you to my subcommittee, General. General ANDERSON. Thank you, sir. PREPARED STATEMENT Senator INOUYE. The subcommittee has had the opportunity to review your statement and, without objection, it will be printed in the record. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT OF GEN. E. E. ANDERSON Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, we appreciate this opportunity to present the Administration's budget request in support of international disaster assistance efforts for Fiscal Year 78. The toll of manmade and natural disasters is indeed staggering. For Fiscal Year 1976 and to the present in FY 77, the United States has responded to some 44 disasters which resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and affected more than 21 million people. The United States response to such disasters as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, storms, and civil war has not only been effective but also generous. For Fiscal Year 1976 through the first five months of Fiscal Year 1977, AID has obligated for these 44 disasters approximately $75 million. In addition to these funds, approximately $33 million in PL-480 Title II food stuffs have been made available during this period in response to nine of these disasters. While we do not yet have figures on worldwide disaster assistance contributions for calendar year 1976 through the present, we do know that the United States, other nations, international organizations and voluntary agencies have provided from 1965 through 1975 approximately $3.6 billion in foreign disaster assistance, of which the U.S. Government share was in the neighborhood of 48 percent. For Fiscal Years 1976 and 1977, the requests made of the United States Government for disaster assistance exceeded the $25 million which the Administration requested and the Congress appropriated under Section 492 for international disaster assistance. The Administration thus on three occas ions had to request a total of $70 million in additional, funds to help save lives and alleviate the suffering of the victims of the earthquakes in Guatemala and Italy and of the civil war in Lebanon. Since it is not possible, however, to predict if one or more disasters of Guatemala earthquake proportions will occur again in FY 78, the Administration is thus again requesting $25 million for Fiscal Year 1978 to support its disaster assistance programs. I would like now to turn, Mr. Chairman, to a more detailed description of our proposed activities in the fields of preparedness, relief, and rehabilitation. Relief and Rehabilitation: Of the $25 million request, we propose to obligate $22.9 million to respond with emergency assistance to disaster stricken nations that request United States Government help following natural or manmade disasters. The following activities undertaken in Fiscal Years 76 and 77 are illustrative of relief and rehabilitation efforts we anticipate for FY 78: In responding to devastating earthquakes which struck In the Guatemala and Italy relief efforts, U.S. helicopters in the early hours of the disaster conducted search and rescue, evacuation and food airdrop missions. When Zaire and Sudan were struck by a killer epidemic, a major role in isolating the virus and keeping the |