after then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh surveyed the affected areas. The president also utilized the nation's military to assist storm victims, and sent aircraft with tents, food, and medicine to the worst hit areas. To raise money for the disaster recovery, the Yemeni government cut one day of salary for all workers, equating to $4.25 million, and the government provided another $100 million from its annual budget. Local charities and residents collectively raised $8.5 million. Yemen's Red Cross provided meals and water to about 21,000 people. The agency also provided school kits for 4,500 students whose facilities were damaged. Ultimately, the Red Cross assisted over 70,000 storm victims through health programs, and also helped residents cope with stress, hygiene promotion, and other ongoing vulnerabilities to their livelihoods. Various agencies under the United Nations assisted in the recovery; the World Health Organization provided medical kits to the worst hit areas, capable of helping 10,000 residents each for three months. The United Nations Development Programme helped house displaced storm victims, and many of the mud-built houses were repaired with the same construction materials as before. The World Bank led the assessment efforts, estimating the cost of recovery at $1.046 billion, mostly toward rebuilding houses, regrowing crops, and restoring social services. The World Bank also provided $41 million toward the Yemen Flood Protection and Emergency Reconstruction, which rebuilt vital infrastructure and ensured they were flood-proof. The World Food Programme assisted 43,000 people with food and other emergency supplies. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference declared the situation a "national catastrophe" and started a drive to collect funds for the relief of flood victims. At an international donor conference, various individuals and countries pledged $301 million to help with the reconstruction in the country. Arab nations in the region also donated cash and supplies to Yemen; Saudi Arabia pledged $100 million in assistance. The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent assisted in the reconstruction work, sending $27.3 million to rebuild 1,000 houses; 750 of these were completed by December 2009. The Arab Fund sent $135 million, including $35 million for road reconstruction. The Japanese government provided funding toward building shelter for 700 displaced Al-Akhdam people, designed to be away from the flood plain. Access to clean drinking water and proper shelter for the displaced helped mitigate the spread of disease. For many families, the effects of the disaster lasted several years due to insufficient assistance or