OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Colombia: Rainfall/Winter Season
20 April 2006


This situation report is based on information provided to OCHA by the UN
Resident Coordinator's Office in Colombia and reports of the Colombian
Red Cross.

Situation

  1. The rainy season, which started in early January, is intensifying
and causing floods, landslides, and gales. Rains may continue until May.

2. On 17 April, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and
Environmental Studies (IDEAM), recommended issuing orange and yellow
alerts across different regions. IDEAM reports high water levels in
several sectors of the Magdalena, Cauca, Saldana, Negro, Zulia,
Pamplonita and Carare rivers, and alerted to the increasing probability
of landslides and floods in the following 7 departments: Antioquia,
Bolivar, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander, Tolima, and Valle del
Cauca. A risk of floods and landslides is also reported for
Cundinamarca, the Eje Cafetero Region, Huila, Narino, and Tolima.

3. The National Directorate for Disaster Prevention and Attention (1)
(DGPAD) reports 193 events associated to the rainy season this year, as
follows:

Type of Events 1 January - 18 April 2006

|------------+-----+------|
| Landslides |  83 |  43% |
|------------+-----+------|
| Floods     |  82 |  42% |
|------------+-----+------|
| Avalanches |   6 |   3% |
|------------+-----+------|
| Gales      |  22 |  11% |
|------------+-----+------|
| Total      | 193 | 100% |
|------------+-----+------|


Impact

4. According to the Colombian Red Cross (CRC), the rains have affected
18 departments and 122 municipalities so far. A total of 11,214 families
(57,806 persons) are affected, 81 persons have lost their lives, 14 are
missing, and 173 were injured. A total of 348 homes have been destroyed
and 4,475 damaged. The following table illustrates the situation:


Valle del Cauca

5. In the department of Valle del Cauca, heavy rains in March and April
have affected 17 municipalities and 648 families. The water level of the
rivers Cauca, Cali, La Vieja and Rio Palo has increased and the
municipalities of Buga, Yotoco, Caicedonia, Jamundi, Pance, Yumbo and
Cali are on alert. The departmental authorities have declared a yellow
alert throughout the department.

6. The worst disaster occurred on 12 April when a mudslide along a
stretch of the highway connecting Cali and Buenaventura, on the Pacific
Coast, swept through the villages of Bendiciones and El 40, killing 33
people and destroying 61 houses. Eight people are still missing. Some
300 people were evacuated by military helicopter to Buenaventura, where
temporary shelters were set up to accommodate the homeless. The CRC
estimates that 1,000 to 1,200 people lived in the disaster area and that
some 700 were left homeless. A total of 190 families were affected. The
municipality is planning to build 101 houses to relocate the affected
families.

To date, the 10 shelters set up in Buenaventura are located in
educational facilities. There is no clear information regarding the
number and condition of the families and the immediate needs in these
shelters. The CRC presumes that these facilities are not adequately
equipped to cater for the needs of the evacuees. Municipal and
Departmental Health Secretariats are providing assistance with basic
health kits.

7. The Cauca River overflowed on 17 April, affecting the villages of
Pueblo Nuevo, in Roldanillo and La Herradura, in Bolivar, in the north
of the department. The damage has not yet been quantified. In
Roldanillo, rescue organisations have reported that nearly 5,000 small
land plots have been affected. The situation is likely to worsen due to
rising water levels.

8. In Cali, 200 families of Jarillon, in Aguablanca district, were
relocated on 12 April from areas bordering the lower Cauca River to
higher ground as a preventive measure in view of the likely overflow of
the river. A total of 74 of 119 families living in the Villa Mosca area
of Jarillon will receive a rental subsidy during 6 months while homes
for them are being built in a safe area in Cali municipality.

The Regional Committee for Disaster Prevention and Attention (CREPAD)
and the Local Committee for Disaster Prevention and Attention (CLOPAD)
have provided food supplies and mattresses to 38 families in La Playita
location, Cali municipality, but did not deem it necessary to evacuate
them.

The high water level of the Cali River brought down the walls of
riverside houses in the sector of La Isla, affecting 9 families.

9. In the rural area of San Lorenzo, Tulua, a landslide destroyed 3
homes and wounded 2 farmers. Partial inundations were also reported in
San Francisco village.

Needs

10. Main immediate needs are for the temporary or permanent relocation
of affected families and humanitarian assistance for them. OCHA is
concerned by the scarcity of available resources and the condition of
shelters, which fall far short of SPHERE standards. In most shelters,
psychosocial attention is not being provided.

11. In its report dated 17 April, the CRC called for the allocation of
national resources (estimated at around USD 735,000) in cash, kind, or
services (aid supplies and human resources) to enable it to address the
needs of 5,000 families (nearly 25,000 persons). On 18 April, the CRC
updated the report and indicated that immediate requirements to assist
30,916 persons had risen to:

    3,640 cleaning kits
    6,343 kitchen kits
    15, 574 grocery packs
    756 sets of dishes
    2,780 mattresses
    700 tents
    1,760 sheets/blankets


12. OCHA Medellin reported on 11 April that La Mojana region (i.e.
Sucre, Cordoba and Bolivar departments), which is traditionally affected
by the rainy season, has not yet suffered significant damage. However,
according to the CRC and the CREPAD, the lack of food diversity may pose
a threat to public health. A total of 7,000 families in Sucre alone are
suffering from food scarcity.

National and Local Response

13. The Government has declared the situation in Valle del Cauca a
public emergency. It has announced that the families whose homes were
destroyed by the landslides or had to abandon their homes in
Buenaventura would receive a six-month rental subsidy of about USD 87
per month and that it would assist the local authorities build new
houses in safe locations to relocate the homeless.

14. The army and navy dispatched personnel to help the Civil Defense and
CRC in rescue efforts.

15. The departmental Government of Valle del Cauca has allocated USD
435,000 from the Contingency Fund for relocating affected families and
building retaining walls along the riverbanks in areas and
municipalities at risk. According to the CLOPAD, an additional USD
130,000 of humanitarian aid will be distributed. The departmental
Government has started delivering subsidies to persons affected at
Jarillon.

16. The local and departmental governments have assessed emergency
needs, which are now being submitted to the national Government.

17. The CRC has been taking part in the activities of the National
Disaster Prevention and Attention System in all affected departments,
undertaking search and rescue work, assessments of damage and needs,
preliminary population counts, emergency medical care, transfers of the
wounded to health centres, monitoring of the water levels, distribution
of emergency assistance made available by the local authorities, support
in temporary shelters, and classification of private donations.

18. The CRC has opened a bank account for collecting donations and
published a set of indications on the goods that are needed and how they
can be donated. With Conexion Colombia (i.e. a programme for channeling
international donations to Colombia), a joint strategy will be launched
to mobilize resources to assist those affected by the rainy season in
Valle del Cauca.

International response

19. The Colombian Government has not requested international assistance.

20. OCHA is convening a UNETE (UN Emergency Team) meeting on 21 April,
to which the Director of the Colombian Red Cross has been invited, in
order to make preparations for a joint assessment of the impact of the
rains and explore ways of supporting the DGPAD and/or the CRC.

21. The Government of Italy has approved OCHA's request to allocate an
Emergency Grant of USD 100,000 through the UN Resident Coordinator's
office to the Colombian Red Cross in order to strengthen its response
capacities.

22. OCHA is liaising with local and regional disaster committees,
national authorities and the CRC in order to monitor the impact of the
rainy season and help mobilize resources based on assessments of the
needs of the affected population.

23. An interagency team composed of OCHA, IOM, WHO, UNDSS and WFP has
been established in Cali to monitor the impact of the rainy season in
Valle del Cauca. OCHA is helping the local and regional authorities
coordinate the response among the different institutions.

24. OCHA is in close contact with the Office of the United Nations
Resident Coordinator in Colombia and will revert with further
information as it becomes available.

25. OCHA is prepared to accept cash contributions to be used for
immediate relief assistance, in support of the UN Resident Coordinator
in Colombia.

26. This situation report, together with further information on other
ongoing emergencies is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int

Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officer:
  Ms. Marie Spaak
    E-mail: spaak@un.org
    Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 63

Press contact:
  GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, Direct Tel. + 41-22-917 2653
  NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, Direct Tel. +1-917-367 51 26
  NYC - Mr. Brian Grogan, Direct Tel. +1-212-963 11 43

Footnotes:

(1) State entity created in 1989, through Decree 919, in order to ensure
the management and coordination of the entities that are part of the
National Disaster Prevention and Attention System.

(2) DGPAD declares a yellow alert when the persistence and intensity of
rainfall is likely to cause floods within days or weeks.ugh the decree
919 and destined to ensure the management and coordination of different
entities.

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Appropriate Donations for International Disaster/Humanitarian Needs
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    Disaster Information          listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
                                guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
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