OCHA Situation Report No. 5
Ethiopia's Somali Region: Floods
21 November 2006


This report is based on information received from OCHA Ethiopia .

Situation

1. For the coming three days, light rains are predicted in the area, 
threatening to further exacerbate existing accessibility conditions to 
such flood affected areas as Mustahil and Kelafo.  Conditions have not 
improved for the flood affected as emergency assistance still has not 
adequately reached the flood affected areas. Conditions on the main 
roads, nevertheless, are improving. UN agencies have managed with great 
difficulty to reach Mustahil and distributions are expected in the 
coming days if the rains do not halt transportation.

2. The Joint Government and Humanitarian Partners Flash Flood Appeal for 
Gode will be launched on Thursday, 23 November 2006.

3. The forthcoming Pastoral Assessment of the region, which examines the 
impact of the Deyr rains on the livelihoods and food security of 
pastoralists, originally scheduled for 25 November may be postponed as 
all resources are overstretched by the humanitarian response.

National and International Response

4. UN helicopters based outside of Ethiopia in the region will be used 
to deliver relief supplies to stranded towns and villages. The 
helicopters are expected to arrive in Gode by the end of this week. The 
distribution of prepositioned non-food items in Gode to inaccessible 
areas will be greatly assisted as soon as the helicopters have arrived. 
The Deputy Prime Minister has intervened and has cleared the way for the 
use of Ethiopian Airlines for the delivery of fuel.

5. Various UN Agencies have submitted proposals for the Central 
Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on 20 November to enable critical 
life-saving interventions in the areas of logistics, health, emergency 
seed assistance, non-food items and shelter.

6. Three personnel from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and 
Coordination (UNDAC) team are being deployed to Ethiopia to assist with 
coordination, communications and logistics. They will arrive on 
Thursday, 23 November and will be deployed in Gode and Jijiga 
thereafter.

7. A UNICEF mobile health and nutrition team managed to access Mustahil 
with considerable difficulty by vehicle and by foot to assess the 
situation on the ground. The population of the town has been entirely 
displaced and is now sheltering in two camps. UNICEF plans to assess the 
health and nutrition situation in the two camps while providing medical 
assistance. Logistics cluster lead, WFP continues to explore alternative 
means of transport including use of pack animals to distribute food.

8. UNICEF has provided the Regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness 
Bureau (DPPB) with two boats to Mustahil and Kelafo woredas to help in 
rescue efforts.

9. Despite difficult road conditions, the first trucks carrying food aid 
from WFP/DPPA have reached Kelafo over the weekend and distributions are 
expected to take place immediately.

10. ICRC has made available two boats to DPPB for distributions of 
relief items in the areas that are currently inaccessible by road. The 
boats will be transported to Kelafo in the coming days.

11. Twenty one trucks carrying emergency food have left from Shilabo to 
Mustahil this morning, 21 November. It is expected that these trucks 
will reach Mustahil later today or early tomorrow 22 November. Road 
conditions are hampering the delivery of emergency relief.

12. In Kelafo, local authorities have identified twelve food 
distribution points. Access to an additional eight food distribution 
points is only possible by using pack animals. WFP has registered three 
hundred donkeys in Gode yesterday, 20 November and negotiations are 
underway as to their use. It is anticipated that these will deliver 
approximately seven to eight tonnes of food every two to three days. 
UNICEF is also planning to use pack animals to deliver non-food items to 
areas inaccessible by road.

13. The distribution of non-food items is ongoing, 450 non-food item 
kits were delivered in West Gode by IRC and ADRA yesterday, 20 November. 
UNICEF are planning to distribute a further 2,000 non-food item kits in 
the coming days.

14. UNICEF airlifted the following non-food items and medical supplies 
to Gode yesterday, 20 November: 1000 (4 x 5) plastic sheets, 1000 300 
ml. plastic cups, 1000 7 lt. cooking pots with handles and covers, 45 
125ml aluminium ladles, 2000 collapsible 10 lt. jerrycans, 6 bags of 50 
kg aluminium sulphate, 4 16lt. sprayer knap sacks, 75 cartons of 1lt. 
oral rehydration salts, 10 essential drug kits, 5 new emergency health 
kits, 20 CTC beds, 2 (725 sq. m.) tents and 4 (24 sq. m.) tents.

15. Catholic Relief Services Ethiopia have donated US$ 25,000 to the 
Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency in support of their Gode 
relief effort.

Gaps in the response

- The conditions of many of the roads and inaccessible communities are 
still unclear.

- Security continues to hinder humanitarian efforts throughout the 
region.

- NGO interventions continue to be limited due to the ongoing challenges 
of operating in the region.

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

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