US embassy cable - 05VIENNA3017

UNCLAS VIENNA 003017 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND KATRINA TF 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID/OFDA 
DHS FOR FEMA/OIA AND OPS CENTER - PASS KATRINA TF 
JOINT STAFF FOR J-5/EUR - CDR SQUIRES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR, EAID, PREL, PGOV, ASEC, MARR, AMGT, US, AU 
SUBJECT: TFUS01: ACCEPTANCE OF AUSTRIAN ASSISTANCE OFFER FOR 
HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF 
 
REF: SECSTATE ****** 
 
1.  Ambassador and Embassy officers will convey acceptance 
of Austrian offer for 500 tarps and 300 camp beds 
immediately to senior Austrian officials per reftel. 
 
2.  For 24-hour contact on assistance and relief operations, 
contact the Austrian Federal Alarm Center 
("Bundeswarnzentrale"): 
Address: Federal Ministry of the Interior, A-1014 Vienna, 
Minoritenplatz 9, Postfach/P.O. Box 100; 
Tel. 43 1 53126 ext. 3800 
Fax: 43 1 535 63 64 
Email: fac@aon.at; or 
       bwz-journal@bmi.gv.at; 
 
3. Post's point of contact for this offer of assistance: 
Major General Gerhard Sulz, Federal Ministry of the 
Interior, Head of Department II/4 (National Crisis 
Management) 
Address: Minoritenplatz 9, Postfach/P.O. Box 100 
1014 Vienna, Austria 
Tel. 43 1 53126 ext. 3247 
Fax: 43 1 53126 ext. 3476 
Email: Gerhard.Sulz@bmi.gv.at 
 
4. Equipment accepted: 
 
-- 500 tarps/plastic sheeting 10m x 4 m, thickness 2 mm, 
stored on 5 euro pallets; weight: 2,500 kg; 
 
-- 300 camp beds; weight: 1,500 kg; stored on 10 euro 
pallets. 
 
According to the Austrian Interior Ministry, the 
equipment is worth approximately Euro 35,000 (USD 
44,000). It is currently stored at the Regional Fire 
Brigade of Linz, Upper Austria (approximately two hours 
by road west of Vienna).  Embassy and Vienna DAO believe 
it might be best to ask the GoA to forward the equipment 
commercially via Austrian Airlines or United Airlines 
passenger planes to CONUS, rather than requesting U.S. 
military lift capability. 
 
Post POC on this issue is POL Officer Michael De Tar. 
Mr. De Tar can be reached at 00-43-1-328-9013 or 00-43- 
664-811-7650. 
 
Brown