OCHA Situation Report No. 5
Dominican Republic: Tropical Storm Noel
8 November 2007


HIGHLIGHTS

- Priority needs: 80 thousand gallons per day of potable water, 4,500
portable latrines and food for 10,500 children located in shelters.

- On 6 November was issued a flash appeal for $13,985,200 to provide
humanitarian assistance over the next six months to survivors of
Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic.

- UNDAC and UNETE held a technical and operational meeting with NGOs
working in affected zones with the objective of sharing information and
creating mechanisms to allow strengthening the coordination of
humanitarian assistance.

SITUATION

1. Despite improvements in weather conditions, the National Meteorology
Office (ONAMET in Spanish) announces that a front will cause new
precipitation in the Dominican Republic. Forecast for the next two days:
For the next 24 to 36 hours, precipitation will be concentrated in the
northeast, southeast, border and central regions of the Dominican
Republic

2. In addition, prevailing East/Northeast winds will continue push
clouds towards the Dominican Republic, leading to weak scattered rain
showers over the northeastern and southeastern regions.

3. Affected area: The Committee for Special Operations (COE in Spanish)
maintains a red alert for 11 provinces, with another 17 reduced to
yellow alert.

4. Impact:

5.

|----------------------+---------------------|
|National Emergency    |                     |
|Commission - Comision |                     |
|Nacional de Emergencia|                     |
|(CNE) Bulletin 19     |                     |
|(11:00 AM, 6 November |                     |
|2007)                 |                     |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|                      |                     |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Deaths                |         85.         |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Disappeared           |         48.         |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Rescued               |       4,406.        |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Displaced             |In shelters: 26,791  |
|                      |In homes of relatives|
|                      |and friends: 47,709  |
|                      |TOTAL: 74,500        |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|                      |                     |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Affected houses       |Partially damaged:   |
|                      |15,915               |
|                      |Destroyed: 737       |
|                      |TOTAL: 16,652        |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|                      |                     |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Shelters functioning  |        133.         |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Cut-off communities   |        137.         |
|----------------------+---------------------|
|Affected bridges and  |         46.         |
|roads                 |                     |
|----------------------+---------------------|


Health, water and sanitation

5. The National Institute for Hydraulic Resources (INHRHI in Spanish)
reports that damage in irrigation systems has reached 700 million pesos
(approximately USD 20.7 million).

6. Potable water distribution is scarce in more than one hundred sectors
of the Distrito Nacional and Santo Domingo province.

7. Epidemiological surveillance in shelters shows an incident of
diarrhea and conjunctivitis. There are reports in the community
surveillance system of three cases of meningococcic meningitis in San
Cristobal del Este (1), La Guaranda (1), Santo Domingo (1). Despite
these isolated cases, the Secretary of Public Health and Social
Assistance (SESPAS in Spanish) reports that there is no outbreak of
sickness in the shelters.

Food security and nutrition

8. There is only a stock of rice (5.2 million units of 100kg) and
cultivations of plantain, beans, yucca, vegetables and other short-cycle
crops have been severely affected.

9. San Jose de Ocoa is in need of food and potable water for 2,000
people who lost their homes.

10. The Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD in Spanish) estimates that
more than 350,000 cultivated areas with different crops were totally or
partially affected.

11. The Association of Agrarian Producers in Espaillat province has
quantified damage to livestock at more than 100 million pesos
(approximately USD 3 million).

12. The Northeastern Regional office of the Secretary of Agriculture
reports that in Bajo Yuna there were registered losses of more than 100
million pesos (approximately USD 3 million).

13. In Peravia province, 80% of agricultural plots were destroyed, and
in Barahona, 70% of coffee production was affected.

Shelters

14. The Dominican Red Cross warns that tension is increasing in
shelters, which in their judgment could provoke social violence. There
remain difficulties in food distribution.

15. Those affected by the overflow of the Ozama and La Isabela rivers
have demanded to be relocated to safer areas.

Infrastructure

16. No fewer than 30 communities in San Jose de Ocoa and 60 in Duarte
province are still cut off.

NATIONAL RESPONSE

Organization

17. CNE requires an annual budget of 600 to 700 million pesos (USD 17.8
to 20.7 million) to create a disaster preparation and prevention system.

18. The Secretary of Public Works announced that on 6 November
communications will move reestablished with San Jose de Ocoa. In
addition, more than 1,200 million pesos (USD 35.6 million) are required
to rebuild damaged bridges and roads.

Actions

19. Search and rescue and food distribution operations continue in the
zones of Bajo Yuna, Villa Altagracia, Bonao, San Jose de Ocoa and Azua.

20.  SESPAS maintains their fumigation plans in affected areas, as well
as vector controls and the elimination of mosquito breeding grounds.

21. The Council "Distrito Nacional" began on 5 November to rebuild more
than 1,000 homes of affected by the storm.

22. In Santo Domingo province, the Government will also begin to repair
homes with minor damage.

23. There is constant monitoring of the state of dams.

For detailed information please contact:

Desk Officer (New York):
Mr. Ignacio Leon
Office Tel: +1 917 367-9960
Office Fax: +1 212 963-3630
E-mail: leoni@un.org

GCMS (Geneva):
Ms. Aoibheann O'Keeffe
Office Tel: +41 22 917 4329
E-mail: okeeffe@un.org

OCHA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (Panama):
Mr. Douglas Reimer
Regional Disaster Response Adviser
Office Tel. +507 317 1748
Office Fax +507 317 1744
Mobile: +507 6676-1689
E-mail: reimer@un.org


Press Contact:

(NYC) Ms. Stephanie Bunker
Office Tel : + 1 917-367-5126
Office Fax: + 1 212-963-1312
Email: bunker@un.org

(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs
Office Tel + 41 22 917 26 53
Office Fax + 41 22 917 00 20
E-mail: byrs@un.org

Attachments:
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