May 16, 2003 - USAID: Chile and Costa Rica Country Director Paul Bell dies in Costa Rica

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Chile: Peace Corps Chile : The Peace Corps In Chile: May 16, 2003 - USAID: Chile and Costa Rica Country Director Paul Bell dies in Costa Rica

By Admin1 (admin) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 10:46 am: Edit Post

Chile and Costa Rica Country Director Paul Bell dies in Costa Rica





Read and comment on this obituary from USAID on Chile and Costa Rica Country Director Paul Bell who passed away in Costa Rica. Mr. Bell was also internationally known as a leader in Humanitarian Assistance and served as Chair for several important organizational events, including the International Search and Rescue Assistance Group (INSARAG) and the Summit of America's Hemispheric Risk Reduction Conference. Our condolences to family and friends. Read the obituary at:

USAID/General Notice INFORMATION DCHA/OFDA 05/16/2003*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



USAID/General Notice INFORMATION DCHA/OFDA 05/16/2003

Subject: Death of Mr. Paul Bell, Senior Regional Advisor Office of U. S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA/OFDA)

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of an icon in Humanitarian Assistance. Mr. Paul Bell passed away at 2:00 a.m. Friday, May 16 in San Jose, Costa Rica. Mr. Bell is survived by his five children.

The son of a Missionary living in Latin America, Mr. Bell started his career with the Peace Corps. He served as Peace Corps Director in several countries from 1964-1971 and 1976-1980. From 1971-1975 he was Vice President for Operations for the Inter-American Foundation. In May 1980, he was asked to serve as the Deputy Director on the Cuban-Haitian Task Force at the Department of State and shortly thereafter, he joined USAID working in the Bureau for Latin American and Caribbean (LAC).

In June 1983, Mr. Bell joined the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance as the Senior Regional Advisor for LAC. During his tenure, he participated on more than 50 Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) worldwide. Mr. Bell was a firm believer in strengthening the capacity of Latin Americans to mitigate and prepare for disasters. To this end, Mr. Bell's team has trained over 32,000 Latin Americans as First Responders and also worked with governments to promote self-sufficiency in disaster response.

Mr. Bell was also internationally known as a leader in Humanitarian Assistance and served as Chair for several important organizational events, including the International Search and Rescue Assistance Group (INSARAG) and the Summit of America's Hemispheric Risk Reduction Conference. As a role model, Mr. Bell touched many lives both here in the Americas and worldwide.

A memorial Service has been tentatively set for 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 19th at the Iglesia Nuestra Sena de Loreto, across from the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the Bell Family in care of USAID/OFDA/LAC Office in Costa Rica, c/o U.S. Embassy San Jose, Unit 2503, APO, AA 34020- 9503.

A Memorial Service in the U.S. will be scheduled and announced at a later date.

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Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Chile; Country Directors - Chile; Obituary; Service; COS - Costa Rica; Country Director - Costa Rica

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By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-23-157.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.23.157) on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 9:01 pm: Edit Post

Paul Bell, whom I have known since the Peace Corps in the 1960s, has devoted himself to training many countries in the handling of natural disasters. This summer, in dealing with a volcano eruption on Montserrat, within 48 hours Paul arrived on the scene and told me that everything was under control.



Paul Bell, whom I have known since the Peace Corps in the 1960s, has devoted himself to training many countries in the handling of natural disasters. This summer, in dealing with a volcano eruption on Montserrat, within 48 hours Paul arrived on the scene and told me that everything was under control.

Role of Participation Varies by Type of Disaster

Doug Stafford

The role of participation in conflicts and disasters depends upon the type of disaster. In natural disasters quite a lot can be done in terms of participation and training. USAID has been extraordinarily successful in this area. For example, in Bangladesh USAID developed an early-warning system for typhoons and built typhoon shelters that can be used on a regular basis for other purposes. These have saved thousands of lives. Information gathered from talking to Bangladeshis who have been through these storms helps USAID to improve its efforts.

Role of Participation Varies by Type of Disaster

Doug Stafford

The role of participation in conflicts and disasters depends upon the type of disaster. In natural disasters quite a lot can be done in terms of participation and training. USAID has been extraordinarily successful in this area. For example, in Bangladesh USAID developed an early-warning system for typhoons and built typhoon shelters that can be used on a regular basis for other purposes. These have saved thousands of lives. Information gathered from talking to Bangladeshis who have been through these storms helps USAID to improve its efforts.

Paul Bell, whom I have known since the Peace Corps in the 1960s, has devoted himself to training many countries in the handling of natural disasters. This summer, in dealing with a volcano eruption on Montserrat, within 48 hours Paul arrived on the scene and told me that everything was under control. What he meant was that he had trained this group of people before; they had been trained in volcanoes specifically. USAID went in with a volcanologist and wired the volcano to see what it was going to do next, but all of the evacuation plans had been thought out several years before. The people in charge in Montserrat knew what to do.

The situation is different in the first few days of a man-made disaster. An example is Goma in Zaire. In the space of five or six days, a million refugees from Rwanda poured into a moonscape type of setting, where water, food, sanitation, and camp organization became problems almost immediately. In such a situation the task is to coordinate the international agencies that have come to help to make sure that everything is covered. Once you're through that first wave, the way the camps are set up makes a whale of a difference in how they are going to be run. For example, it is preferable for the women to run food distribution. There's a time for participation, but not until the emergency has stabilized. What he meant was that he had trained this group of people before; they had been trained in volcanoes specifically. USAID went in with a volcanologist and wired the volcano to see what it was going to do next, but all of the evacuation plans had been thought out several years before. The people in charge in Montserrat knew what to do.

The situation is different in the first few days of a man-made disaster. An example is Goma in Zaire. In the space of five or six days, a million refugees from Rwanda poured into a moonscape type of setting, where water, food, sanitation, and camp organization became problems almost immediately. In such a situation the task is to coordinate the international agencies that have come to help to make sure that everything is covered. Once you're through that first wave, the way the camps are set up makes a whale of a difference in how they are going to be run. For example, it is preferable for the women to run food distribution. There's a time for participation, but not until the emergency has stabilized.



Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: USAID

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Montserrat; Disaster Relief; Service

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