OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Ethiopia's Somali Region: Floods
20 November 2006


This report is based on information received from OCHA Ethiopia(1).

Situation

1. To date, 80 mortalities have been reported and as many as 361,600 
people are affected by the flooding in Somali Region. Approximately 
122,500 people are currently displaced in Gode, Afder, Liben and Korahe 
zones. Moderate to heavy rain is forecast for the coming days. 
Ethiopia's Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Agency (DPPA) is 
preparing a joint flash appeal to address the humanitarian situation 
which is expected to be launched early this week.

National and International Response

2. WHO sent 24 Emergency Health Kits to the Federal Ministry of Health 
in order to assist the flood response last week.

Gode zone

As of 14 November, the total of DPPA pre-positioned food and non-food 
items in Gode is 6 tonnes of famix, 30 rolls of plastic sheeting, 22 
tonnes of biscuits, 967 bed sheets, 5,560 plastic cups, 3,000 plastic 
plates, 3,000 jerrycans and 3,000 jugs.

IRC has formed an agreement with Adventist Development and Relief Agency 
International (ADRA), Community Habitat Finance (CHF) and Ogaden Welfare 
and Development Association (OWDA) for the distribution of non-food 
items (NFIs) to the affected areas and intends to airlift in conjunction 
with UNICEF more NFIs to Gode this week.

The Regional Agriculture Bureau has deployed a veterinary technician 
team to Gode and three treatment sites have been identified. 
Approximately 396,000 veterinary drugs and 500,000 vaccinations have 
been pre-positioned in Gode. Some short-cycle harvest seeds have been 
dispatched from Gode to Kelafo where the receding flood waters have 
enabled communities to begin planting.

OCHA will deploy its deputy head of office to Gode from 22 November to 1 
December and its senior field advisor from 7 December to 15 December in 
order to continue the facilitation of coordination efforts in the 
region.

A joint rapid assessment team comprised of DPPA, WFP and UNICEF visited 
Kelafo on 10 November. Its findings indicate that 64,720 people have 
been displaced by the floods in 25 of its 32 kebeles. Significant damage 
to infrastructure such as schools, veterinary clinics, roads and the 
destruction of homes was observed particularly in eleven of the most 
severely affected kebeles whose populations are now entirely displaced.

In addition to the three mobile health units already deployed, UNICEF is 
sending a fourth to East Imi woreda. UNICEF has also identified the 
location for the deployment of an EMWAT kit in Kelafo town which it will 
deploy in collaboration with OWDA.

ADRA are starting a CTC in Kelafo in response to the increasing health 
requirements of the woreda. UNICEF has treated two suspected cases of 
Acute Watery Diarrhoea amid fears of more suspected cases in the woreda.

Afder zone

Concern Worldwide has sent the following food and non-food items to West 
Imi Woreda: 100 plastic water cans, 10 big tents, 30 plastic buckets, 
250 blankets, 7 plastic sheeting and 11 MTs of Corn Soy Blend (CSB). 
Concern Worldwide has also sourced drugs from the Federal Ministry of 
Health to help tackle imminent health concerns related to the flood. 
Eighty-three boxes of ringer lactate (1000 pcs - 1000 ml each), 6000 
sachets of Oral Re-hydration Salts, 30 bottles of Tetracycline, 30 
bottles of Doxycycline, 1500 tabs of Erythromycine and 3 Health kits (14 
boxes per kit.) have been dispatched to the woreda health institutions.

Gaps in the response

NGO response has generally been limited since the onset of the crisis. 
Three factors contribute to this situation: 1. Lack of consensus and 
vigorous assessment on the population affected and identification of 
needs and gaps, 2. the deteriorating security situation and 3. Ongoing 
problems of accessibility.

Sixty-six trucks of food aid have been dispatched from Dire Dawa for 
over a week by the WFP. Information as to the status of the trucks is 
unclear but it appears that 35 trucks are stuck in Sheygosh and 15 are 
stuck in Shilabo due to the recent rain.  The road between Gode and 
Kelafo is now accessible. From Kelafo to Mustahil, however, the road is 
impassable from Cidhiidhiga, 18 kms east of Kelafo. Immediate 
rehabilitation of the damaged 3-5 km stretch of road between Kelafo and 
Mustahil is imperative.

The flooding has put pressure on existing health resources and risks 
aggravating the ongoing epidemic of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD). 
Cases are already present in Afder, Liben and Gode zones.  The local 
Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau in Gode has also reported an 
increase in water borne diseases in the flood affected areas and WHO 
have expressed concern over increasing malaria cases.

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 Officers
  GVA - Mr. Martijn Viersma
    E-mail: viersmam@un.org
    Direct Tel.+41-22-917 1518
  NYC - Ms. Olla Hassan
    E-mail: hassano@un.org
    Direct Tel. + 1-917 367 4331

Press contact:
  GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, Tel. +41-22-917 26 53
  NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, Tel. +1-917-367 51 26

OCHA Ethiopia
  Mr. Fidele Sarassoro, Humanitarian Coordinator
    E-mail: fidele.sarassoro@undp.org
    Tel. +251-11-544 44 83

  Mr. Paul Hebert, Head of Office, OCHA
    E-mail: hebert@un.org
    Tel: +251-11-551 37 25

Footnote

(1)  The information in this document is consolidated from reports and 
field information from a variety of sources including UN agencies, NGOs 
and government partners.

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