"Ukraine Disaster Assistance Fund" accepting donations now

At least 38 people including six children were killed in late July by a massive flood that hit the Vinnitsa, Trans-Carpathian, Ivano-Frankovsk, Lvov, and Chernovtsy regions. Hundreds of towns and villages were flooded, with more than 40,000 houses affected and thousands of people evacuated, officials  said. Some 655 settlements, and over 57,000 hectares of farmland were washed out by the floods. The Ivano-Frankovsk region suffered the most.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency, more than 422 miles (679 km) of highways and roads and more than 900 bridges were destroyed in the storms, leaving more than 300 towns and villages without electricity,  downing communication lines, and blocking food access routes throughout five  regions of western Ukraine.

Ukraine President & US Ambassador encourage support

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has called on international governments, organizations and businesses for major assistance.  U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, has encouraged U.S. businesses and individuals working in Ukraine to provide funds and in-kind donations for emergency and longer term  rebuilding assistance.

The "Ukraine Disaster Assistance Fund" coalition will meet with U.S. Ambassador Taylor in Washington on Thursday to discuss the flood damage as assessed by U.S. Embassy personal, the U.S. government response and how the U.S. private for-profit and not-for-profit sector can work together with the U.S. government and the Ukraine government to provide effective assistance.

UNIAN