U.S. aid arrives in North Korea

U.S. aid arrives in North Korea    U.S. aid group Samaritan's Purse this weekend managed the airlift of much-needed goods to North Korea to help victims of catastrophic flooding.
   Damage reportedly has been extensive in farm regions, with 148,000 acres of land washed away or inundated. Forecasts call for continued heavy rains in the coming weeks, exacerbating the problem.
   A cargo plane, which departed from Charlotte, N.C., on Friday and arrived in Pyongyang Saturday evening, carried heavy-duty plastic for temporary shelters, as well as blankets, cooking kits, hygiene items, high-capacity water filters, shovels, jerry cans, supplemental food, and medical supplies.
   The U.S. State Department has allocated $900,000 to American organizations to deliver flood relief to the country. Samaritan’s Purse is adding $1.2 million of aid.
   Samaritan’s Purse has worked in North Korea for more than a decade. Last August, it sent another airlift of emergency supplies in response to severe flooding. In 2008, Samaritan's Purse was part of a collaborative effort that delivered 71,000 metric tons of food to more than 900,000 people in two northwestern provinces of the country.