U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah assumed office in January 2010, one week before a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, a disaster from which the Caribbean nation is still reeling, casting a shadow of criticism on U.S. relief and recovery operations.
Now, faced with another major catastrophe in the case of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines — the scale of which is both historic and a likely sign of things to come as ocean temperatures increase and populations grow in coastal areas — Shah is tasked with coordinating a whole-of-government effort to help the former American colony recover from the devastation.
As media attention to the Philippines wanes, he is reaching out to the public and urging Americans to continue to support disaster relief efforts.