ISTANBUL, October 2, 2009 - World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick has expressed his deepest sympathies to the thousands of people across the East Asia and Pacific region hurt by a string of natural disasters over the past week.
Typhoon Ketsana, which brought death and destruction to the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, was followed by a tsunami that swept away villages in the Pacific Island nations of American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga. Then in two consecutive days, two major earthquakes hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 1,000 people, destroying homes and bringing down buildings and key infrastructure like bridges and roads.
Mr Zoellick said the World Bank Group was ready to assist governments of the region in their efforts to rebuild the lives of people who have been so badly affected.
“Every natural disaster requires a massive mobilization of expertise and resources,” Mr Zoellick said. “We bring a wealth of experience in working with Governments and communities to build back better after disasters like these and so, stand ready to help.”
World Bank teams are working closely with Governments and other development partners to assess the impact of the series of disasters and to pull together the resources needed for rebuilding.
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