US global disaster response teams unable to deploy following USAID shutdown

15/2/2025 6:22

A world-renowned U.S. program for international disaster and crisis assistance can no longer deploy in the event of a major emergency due to the Trump

administration's dismantling of the U.S. foreign aid agency, nine sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.



The Disaster Assistance Response Teams, or DARTs, involve highly trained staff who specialize in mobilizing within 24 to 48 hours of a disaster to lead the U.S. government's humanitarian response on the ground.



DARTs have deployed in the worst emergencies in recent history, including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed 300,000 people, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, and wars in Iraq and Syria.



In the wake of President Donald Trump’s funding freeze for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the four DARTs currently in operation in Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine can no longer function normally, according to seven current USAID employees who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution.