New Zealand pledges aid for Philippines earthquake relief

The New Zealand government pledged Monday 850,000 NZ dollars (710,841 U.S. dollars) in aid to the Philippines to help with relief efforts after last month's 7.2- magnitude earthquake and flooding. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said New Zealand was responding to a United Nations appeal after an assessment found recovery needs were greater than first though. "New Zealand's assistance package includes 500,000 NZ dollars to the UN, to be delivered by UNICEF, and 100,000 NZ dollars for New Zealand technical expertise to help further assess quake damage and prepare for reconstruction work," McCully said in a statement. A further 250,000 NZ dollars (206,775 U.S. dollars) was being provided for urgent water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for the conflict-displaced population of Zamboanga City, where flooding had placed significant pressure on emergency shelters and created serious health risks, he said. An estimated 370,000 people were living in temporary shelters after the quake struck Bohol province on Oct. 15.