HUD's International Agenda on the Eve of the Secretary's Trip to El Salvador

Text: U.S. Housing Secretary Discusses Upcoming Trip to El Salvador

(Martinez to evaluate earthquake reconstruction, relief efforts)
(1580)

The United States and El Salvador "have a great deal [to] learn from
each other" about mitigating the effects of natural disasters such as
earthquakes and hurricanes, says Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Secretary Mel Martinez.

Briefing reporters June 20 at the Foreign Press Center, Martinez
outlined the goals of his upcoming visit to El Salvador, which will be
his first overseas trip as HUD secretary. Martinez explained that his
agency has been contributing to reconstruction programs in El Salvador
ever since the country was struck by Hurricane Mitch in 1998; a pair
of earthquakes, occurring in January and February 2001, inflicted
further damage.

"During the trip, I'll be assessing the recovery and ongoing disaster
relief efforts [in El Salvador]," Martinez said. He added that because
the United States is equally vulnerable to hurricanes and earthquakes,
he hopes to "spark an exchange of information and technical
cooperation between our two governments and the private sector" that
will "help both nations explore long-term solutions to disaster
mitigation in our housing and urban development programs."

In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, the United States government
directed HUD officials to "put our expertise to work through a $2.2
million program that continues today, focused on enhancing building
and construction methods, and improving the availability of housing
finance," the secretary said. He noted that President Bush recently
"met with [Salvadoran] President Flores and immediately committed to
providing El Salvador with an additional $110 million over two years
for its earthquake relief efforts."

According to Martinez, U.S. assistance to El Salvador will be
channeled towards rebuilding child-care and medical facilities,
repairing infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and stabilizing
sanitary water systems. He stressed the importance of engineering
technology in addressing the need for more earthquake-resistant
buildings to reduce the devastating impact of natural disasters.
            
"I anticipate a productive meeting with President Flores and Foreign
Minister Brizuela de Avila in San Salvador, where I'll have the
opportunity to hear their thoughts on the progress of the rebuilding
[process]," Martinez said. He announced that he would also meet with
local officials and relief workers in the town of San Vicente.

Praising the "close and longstanding relationship" between El Salvador
and the United States, Martinez declared: "The commitment of this
administration to the people of El Salvador goes beyond financial
support. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has
redevelopment, reconstruction, and financial know-how that we are
obliged to share with friends in need."

Following is the text of his prepared remarks at the June 20 briefing:

(begin text)

FOREIGN PRESS BRIEFING ON EL SALVADOR TRIP
Washington, D.C.
Remarks prepared for delivery by
Secretary Mel Martinez

Wednesday, June 20, 2001

Thank you for joining me this morning.  

At the request of President Bush, and the invitation of El Salvadoran
President Flores, I'll be leading a group of United States government
representatives, non-profits, and business organizations next week to
the nation of El Salvador. As you know, a pair of earthquakes in
January and February devastated that country, even as El Salvador was
recovering from its encounter in the fall of 1998 with Hurricane
Mitch. During the trip, I'll be assessing the recovery and ongoing
disaster relief efforts.

But my visit has a broader purpose as well.  

Because the United States is equally prone to earthquakes and
hurricanes, I want to spark an exchange of information and technical
cooperation between our two governments and the private sector. This
will help both nations explore long-term solutions to disaster
mitigation in our housing and urban development programs.

We have a great deal we can learn from each other, and I look forward
to the dialogue ahead.

Let me offer some background on the situation in El Salvador:

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13th, followed by
the 6.6 quake exactly one month later, killed 1,159 people and injured
more than 8,000. The impact on El Salvador's towns and infrastructure
was severe: 335,000 homes were either destroyed or damaged, along with
20 percent of the country's schools, more than 150 medical facilities,
and $25 million worth of potable water systems. Of El Salvador's 6
million citizens, 1.3 million were left homeless. Many were already
extremely poor, and lost what little they had.

The reconstruction costs will top $1.9 billion.

In San Vicente -- one of the towns I'll be traveling to -- time has
literally stood still since the day of the earthquake. San Vicente's
central square serves as the hub of social activity in the town and
sits beneath a clock tower of painted white cement. The structure is
broken now and tilting to one side, and the hands of the clock are
frozen at 8:20, the exact moment the February 13th quake hit. In all
of El Salvador, the clock tower is one of the most vivid reminders of
a disaster that left many such reminders behind.

The earthquake damage compounded the earlier devastation triggered by
Hurricane Mitch. When Mitch roared through Central America in October
of 1998, it caused extensive damage in eastern El Salvador. Extreme
rainfall, flooding, and mudslides affected more than 10,000 homes and
left nearly 56,000 residents homeless. Agricultural losses were
severe, and so was the damage to roads, bridges, and other critical
pieces of the El Salvadoran infrastructure.

After Mitch, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development took
an active role in El Salvador's reconstruction. We put our expertise
to work through a $2.2 million program that continues today, focused
on enhancing building and construction methods, and improving the
availability of housing finance.

Following this year's disasters, President Bush met with President
Flores and immediately committed to providing El Salvador with an
additional $110 million over two years for its earthquake relief
efforts. The first-year allocation will be dedicated to building
earthquake-resistant homes, refurbishing water systems, rebuilding
schools, child-care centers and health facilities, and other
activities aimed at repairing infrastructure and supporting El
Salvadoran small business.

HUD is having great success with a similar relief effort in Honduras,
where reconstruction continues following Hurricane Mitch. In Honduras,
the work of our contractors on the ground is being directed not by
some distant entity, but at the community level, facilitated by a
non-governmental organization.

Because the purpose of the El Salvador trip is to review disaster
relief progress and examine how we can prevent future disasters from
being so catastrophic, I've asked a cross-section of governmental and
private entities to join me.

The list is still being finalized, but it will include representatives
of international private relief organizations, such as the American
Red Cross and CARE, U.S. agencies with programs in El Salvador,
including USAID and the Export-Import Bank and trade associations in
the planning and construction fields, like the National Association of
Home Builders and the American Planning Association.

Each of these groups will bring their own perspectives as we study the
impact of our relief efforts, and explore solutions that over the long
term will help our countries build homes better able to withstand
earthquakes, design home purchasing programs, construct stable water
systems, and restore small businesses when disaster strikes.

I anticipate a productive meeting with President Flores and Foreign
Minister Brizuela de Avila in San Salvador, where I'll have the
opportunity to hear their thoughts on the progress of the rebuilding.
We'll also be meeting with local officials and relief workers in San
Vicente.

This trip is especially important because the United States government
has a close and longstanding relationship with the nation of El
Salvador. Over the course of two decades, we've watched El Salvador
become a strong democracy, a free-market model for other nations, and
a trusted friend.

Not only are the ties between our governments strong, but the bonds
between our citizens continue to strengthen.

Today, 9,000 Americans live and work full-time in El Salvador, while
more than 2 million El Salvadorans live in this country -- a quarter
of them here in the Washington, D.C., metro area. I met last night
with representatives of the Comunidades Unidas Salvadorenas. That's
the umbrella organization of local Salvadoran associations. I was glad
to have the opportunity to commend them personally for all they've
done to help in the rebuilding process. On their own, Salvadorans in
the U.S. will send $2 billion this year back to their homeland -- a
remarkable act of self-sacrifice.

As a sign of the great regard in which the Bush Administration holds
the El Salvadoran region, the president in March granted Temporary
Protective Status to the 150,000 Salvadorans living illegally in the
United States. The order allows them to work in this country and
continue to send desperately needed dollars back home -- dollars that
are a lifeline.

The commitment of this administration to the people of El Salvador
goes beyond financial support. The Department of Housing and Urban
Development has redevelopment, reconstruction, and financial know-how
that we are obliged to share with friends in need. In doing so, and by
learning from one another, I hope that we can prevent the next natural
disaster -- wherever it may occur -- from being as devastating as
those which El Salvador has confronted in recent years.

I'll be happy to take any questions you may have.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)