OCHA Situation Report No. 6
Uganda: Floods
9 October 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

HIGHLIGHTS

OVER 18,000 FAMILIES HAVE RECEIVED EMERGENCY SHELTER AND NON-FOOD 
ASSISTANCE MORE THAN 115,000 PEOPLE IN TESO, ELGON, LANGO AND KARAMOJA 
HAVE RECEIVED FOOD AID NO OUTBREAK OF WATERBORN INFECTIOUS DISEASE - 
SUSPECTED CASES OF DYSENTERY TEST NEGATIVE

The information contained in this report has been gathered by the Office 
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from sources 
including the Government of Uganda, UN agencies, non-governmental 
organizations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red 
Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Situation Overview

1. The situation in flood-affected parts of Uganda continues to worsen. 
Despite stretches of bright sunshine, the water table in affected areas 
continues to rise due to continued rainfalls, particularly over high 
ground in eastern Uganda, prompting run off to lower lying areas. As the 
ground is saturated, this means that any additional rains or run off 
provokes renewed flooding.

2. To date, flooding has reportedly affected the following districts: 
Amuria, Bukedea, Kaberamaido, Katakwi, Kumi and Soroti in Teso 
sub-region; Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Pader in Acholi sub-region; 
Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Lira and Oyam in Lango subregion; Abim, Kaabong, 
Kotido, Moroto and Nakapiripirit in Karamoja region; Bududa, Bukwo, 
Kapchorwa, Mbale, Manafwa and Sironko in Elgon region; Adjumani, Arua, 
Moyo, Nebbi and Yumbe in West Nile region; and Kiboga and Kamuli 
districts in central Uganda.

3. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared a state of emergency in 
the areas of eastern Uganda affected by the flooding on 19 September, 
which was endorsed by Parliament on 25 September.

4. Planning for the humanitarian response to the disaster is based on 
some 50,000 households, or approximately 300,000 people, being affected 
by the rainfall and associated flooding. This planning figure may be 
expected to change as additional assessments come in and/or depending on 
whether the intensified rainfall continues.

5. The Uganda Department of Meteorology's seasonal rainfall forecast for 
September to December predicts high chances for normal to above normal 
rains to continue over most parts of the eastern region of Uganda.

6. The flooding has severely impacted water and sanitation in affected 
areas, which increases the risk of outbreak of waterborne diseases such 
as cholera. Concerns had been elevated in the wake of recent reports of 
suspected cases of dysentery in Katakwi district. Lab results have now 
been received from the National Laboratory indicating no presence of 
dysentery.

Priority Needs

9. The priority areas for the response, as identified by the 
Humanitarian Coordinator following consultation with the clusters and 
the Government, remain:

- Stabilising the initial food security situation (Food Security 
cluster);

- Preventing disease outbreaks and ensuring capacity to respond to 
health emergencies (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene [WASH] and Health, 
Nutrition and HIV/AIDS clusters);

- Re-opening schools and ensuring access to primary education (Education 
cluster);

- Responding to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable (Camp 
Coordination/Camp Management cluster, Non Food Items working group, 
Protection cluster);

- Ensuring physical access to the most vulnerable, and continuing 
inter-cluster assessments (Logistics cluster);

- Understanding the early recovery needs of the affected population and 
prioritising recovery interventions (Early Recovery cluster).

Attachments:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&docid=69D6E02C94DE3A03C125736F0049B9FE&file=Full_Report.pdf

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