Humanitarian relief efforts are mobilizing in an effort to provide food and medicine for thousands of refugees RELATED VIDEO CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on obstacles faced by relief organizations during humanitarian disasters Windows Media 28K 80K

March 30, 1999
Web posted at: 11:35 a.m. EST (1635 GMT)

In this story: 'It's a human catastrophe' RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The United States, other governments and international relief agencies put a massive humanitarian effort into motion Tuesday to help tens of thousands of refugees who have left Kosovo since NATO airstrikes began last week.

Thousands more have fled the Yugoslav province in the past year, and some Western relief officials say the situation threatens to become Europe's worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. The upheaval came amid reports of Serb atrocities against ethnic Albanians exposed to cold temperatures as they flee their homeland.

The United States gave $8.5 million in aid to U.N. relief efforts Friday as more refugees poured into Kosovo's neighboring countries, Albania and Macedonia, and the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro. But relief agencies say there is nothing they can do for people who haven't left Kosovo, because virtually all humanitarian workers have left.

• "It's a human catastrophe with so many women and children being victims," said Sean Robinson, director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.

• Assistant Secretary of State Julia Taft, whose responsibilities include refugees, said the United States was working with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee for the Red Cross and many nongovernmental organizations, such as CARE and the International Rescue Committee, on various contingency plans.

• Two other U.N. agencies, the World Food Program and U.N. Children's Fund also were involved in the relief effort.

• The U.S. Agency for International Development said one USAID team had arrived to coordinate relief efforts in Macedonia and another was still trying to get into Albania.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders pulled their teams out of Kosovo on Monday as the situation deteriorated. The Red Cross said its teams continued to work with refugees in Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

• The relief group AmeriCares said it would fly 90,000 tons of aid to Macedonia later in the week.

  Ethnic Albanians flee Kosovo, many with stories of Serb atrocities

• A transport plane supplied by the British government was scheduled to arrive in the Albanian capital Tirana with tents and blankets. The plane would then shuttle supplies from the Danish capital Copenhagen, British and U.N. officials said. In addition, Britain donated $500,000 to the international Red Cross.

• Denmark released 8 million Danish kroner (more than $1 million) for Danish charities working in the area.

• Norway granted 21 million Norwegian kroner ($ 2.7 million) in emergency aid.

• Italy -- which fears that many of the refugees may head in its direction -- was working with the Albanian government to provide shelter for 20,000 refugees from Kosovo.

• Switzerland -- also host to a large ethnic Albanian population -- sent the head of its catastrophe relief organization to Albania. The Swiss planned to deliver tents for 5,000 people.

• In Brussels, the European Union released 10 million euros ($10.7 million) for humanitarian aid.

Correspondent Gary Tuchman, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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