USTDA Symposium Responds to Floods in Central Europe

In response to the disastrous flooding of the Vltava and Labe (Elbe) Rivers in Central Europe during the summer of 2002, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) sponsored a symposium entitled "Flood Management Strategies: Recovery and Prevention." The symposium took place on December 12, 2002 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Prague.

The symposium was part of the U.S. Government's response to the devastation caused by the historic floods this past summer in Central Europe. The event provided a forum for Czech and U.S. experts and officials to discuss ways the U.S. public and private sectors can assist in reconstruction efforts and in developing strategies to prevent future flood damage.

Remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Craig Roberts Stapleton, and USTDA General Counsel Leocadia I. Zak opened the conference. The First Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, Mr. Ivo Hartmann, gave a welcoming address. The one-day symposium featured a series of panels consisting of U.S. and Czech experts, including representatives of FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Panel topics included flood risk management, housing reconstruction, wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, communications technology, and financing.

During the conference, USTDA announced a $395,000 grant to be given to the Regional Government of Central Bohemia. The grant will fund technical assistance for the development of an integrated emergency management system to respond to natural and man-made disasters.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is a foreign assistance agency that interacts directly with developing and middle-income country project sponsors to deliver targeted activities to increase economic growth. By funding various forms of technical assistance, training grants, feasibility and specialized studies, conferences, orientation visits, and business workshops, USTDA helps American businesses compete for opportunities in emerging markets in sectors that represent significant U.S. export potential. Working through the U.S. private sector to implement its programs, USTDA brings best practices and U.S. technology to bear in delivering specific, results-oriented development assistance. In addition, the agency promotes capacity-building initiatives and supports U.S. Government trade, economic policy and development objectives around the world.

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