## *Crisis Abroad - What the State Department Does*

Earthquakes, hurricanes, political upheavals, acts of terrorism, and hijackings are only some of theevents threatening the safety of Americans abroad.  Each event is unique and poses its ownspecial difficulties.  However, for the State Department there are certain responsibilities andactions that apply in every disaster or crisis.
When a crisis occurs, the State Department sets up a task force or working group to bringtogether in one set of rooms all the people necessary to work on that event.  Usually thisWashington task force will be in touch by telephone 24 hours a day with our Ambassador andForeign Service Officers at the embassy in the country affected.
In a task force, the immediate job of the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs is torespond to the thousands of concerned relatives and friends who begin to telephone the StateDepartment immediately after the news of a disaster is broadcast.
Relatives want information on the welfare of their family members and on the disaster.  The StateDepartment relies for hard information on its embassies and consulates abroad.  Often theseinstallations are also affected by the disaster and lack electricity, phone lines, gasoline, etc. Nevertheless, foreign service officers work hard to get information back to Washington as quicklyas possible.  This is rarely as quickly as the press is able to relay information.  Foreign ServiceOfficers cannot speculate; their information must be accurate.  Often this means getting importantinformation from the local government, which may or may not be immediately responsive.

***Welfare & Whereabouts***
As  concerned relatives call in, officers of the Bureau of Consular Affairs collect the names of theAmericans possibly involved in the disaster and pass them to the embassy and consulates. Officers at post attempt to locate these Americans in order to report on their welfare.  Theofficers work with local authorities and, depending on the circumstances, may personally searchhotels, airports, hospitals, or even prisons.  As they try to get the information, their first priority isAmericans dead or injured.

***Death***
When an American dies abroad, the Bureau of Consular Affairs must locate and inform thenext-of-kin.  Sometimes discovering the next-of-kin is difficult.  If the American's name is known,the Bureau's Office of Passport Services will search for his or her passport application.  However,the information there may not be current.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs provides guidance to grieving family members on how to makearrangements for local burial or return of the remains to the U.S.  The disposition of remains isaffected by local laws, customs, and facilities which are often vastly different from those in theU.S.   The Bureau of Consular Affairs relays the family's instructions and necessary private fundsto cover the costs involved to the embassy or consulate.  The Department of State has no funds toassist in the return of remains or ashes of American citizens who die abroad.  Upon completion ofall formalities, the consular officer abroad prepares an official Foreign Service Report of Death,based upon the local death certificate, and sends it to the next-of-kin or legal representative foruse in U.S. courts to settle estate matters.
A U.S. consular officer overseas has statutory responsibility for the personal estate of anAmerican who dies abroad if the deceased has no legal representative  in the country where thedeath occurred.  The consular officer takes possession of personal effects, such as convertibleassets, apparel, jewelry, personal documents and papers.  The officer prepares an inventory andthen carries out instructions from members of the deceased's family concerning the effects.  Afinal statement of the account is then sent to the next-of-kin.  The Diplomatic Pouch cannot beused to ship personal items, including valuables, but legal documents and correspondence relatingto the estate can be transmitted by pouch.  In Washington, the Bureau of Consular Affairs givesnext-of-kin guidance on procedures to follow in preparing Letters Testamentary, Letters ofAdministration, and Affidavits of Next-of-Kin as acceptable evidence of legal claim of an estate.

***Injury***
In the case of an injured American, the embassy or consulate abroad notifies the task force whichnotifies family members in the U.S.  The Bureau of Consular Affairs can assist in sending privatefunds to the injured American; frequently it collects information on the individual's prior medicalhistory and forwards it to the embassy or consulate.  When necessary, the State Departmentassists in arranging the return of the injured American to the U.S. commercially, with appropriatemedical escort, via commercial air ambulance or, occasionally, by U.S. Air Force medicalevacuation aircraft.  The use of Air Force facilities for a medical evacuation is authorized onlyunder certain stringent conditions, and when commercial evacuation is not possible.  The fullexpense must be borne by the injured American or his family.

***Evacuation***
Sometimes commercial transportation entering and leaving a country is disrupted during apolitical upheaval or natural disaster.  If this happens, and if it appears unsafe for Americans toremain, the embassy and consulates will work with the task force in Washington to charter specialairflights and ground transportation to help Americans to depart.  The U.S. Government cannotorder Americans to leave a foreign country.  It can only advise and try to assist those who wish toleave.

***Privacy Act***
The provisions of the Privacy Act are designed to protect the privacy and rights of Americans, butoccasionally they complicate our efforts to assist citizens abroad.  As a rule, consular officers maynot reveal information regarding an individual Americans location, welfare, intentions, orproblems to anyone, including family members and Congressional representatives, without theexpressed consent of that individual.  Although sympathetic to the distress this can causeconcerned families, consular officers must comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act.

*Bureau of Consular AffairsU.S. Department of State*

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