Somalia - OFDA-01: 18.Nov.97
Somalia - OFDA-01: 18.Nov.97
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
SOMALIA - Floods
Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 1998 November 18, 1997
Background: The worst flooding since 1960 has hit Somalia's southern
Juba and Shabelle River valleys as a result of extremely high amounts
of rainfall in October, as much as 60 to 100 times normal amounts.
The Juba River broke its banks in late October, followed by flooding
of the Shabelle River. The rivers have now merged in the Middle Juba
region, causing catastrophic effects on a number of towns located
throughout the Middle and Lower Juba Valley. The towns of Jilib and
Jamame have been hard hit, as have the districts of Bualle and Sakkow.
Downriver, the town of Mareerey has been completely destroyed. The
Gedo and Bay regions (particularly the Baydhabo district) have been
heavily affected as well. The Middle Juba and Bay regions are the
most densely populated and most intensely farmed areas of Somalia.
These rains follow a major drought in East Africa.
Numbers Affected: Over one thousand people are feared dead and 400,000
others have been affected by the floods. Of that number, 210,000
people have been displaced according to the Somali Flood Response
Coordination Committee. This includes an estimated 80% of the
population of Middle Juba. Agricultural damage in the region amounts
to an estimated 50,000 hectares of land and the destruction of 30,000
tons of maize. Bridges are washed out and access roads are blocked,
hindering access to affected populations. Response is also adversely
affected by other factors such as strong river currents, crocodiles,
snakes, looting, landmines, lack of communications, and logistical
bottlenecks.
Current Situation: Large numbers of displaced persons (DPs) and
destruction of food supplies have created a dire need for shelter,
medicine and health kits, blankets, plastic sheeting, oral rehydration
salts, clean drinking water and high energy food. On October 30, UN
agencies, the donor community, the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) met to form a
Flood Response Coordination Committee. The Committee, consisting of
the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF, the UN Development
Program/Department for Humanitarian Affairs (UNDP/DHA), USAID, and
European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), conducted aerial
assessments of flood areas, determined storage capacity in areas
targeted for airlifts, and held strategic coordination meetings to
discuss priority needs and determine an appropriate response to the
floods. UNICEF is responsible for overall coordination of the Somalia
Inter-Agency Coordinated Flood Response. WFP is in charge of
logistics.
The Flood Response Coordination Committee, after completing an aerial
assessment of the flood area, developed a four phase plan to implement
relief operations. The first phases, lasting four to eight weeks,
consist of emergency rescue of stranded populations and the
distribution of relief to displaced populations, utilizing
helicopters, aircraft, and boats. The subsequent phases will consist
of rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by the floods and eventual
resettlement of those forced to flee.
The coordinated response efforts have involved NGOs and local private
voluntary organizations (PVOs) as well as international organizations.
The ICRC is delivering biscuits, medicine and relief supplies daily
via flights from Nairobi and boats. World Vision Relief and
Development (WVR ) has been distributing emergency food aid among
displaced families since November 7. On November 10, Norwegian Church
Aid (NCA) delivered 40 MT of food and non-food items by airlift.
UNICEF delivered high protein biscuits to Bardera, moved sandbags to
Jiohar to reinforce dikes, and deployed two trucks of food and non
food items from Mogadishu to Baidoa for distribution. Other
organizations sending food and supplies include CARE and Church World
Service (CWS). The Somali Flood Response Coordination Committee has
hired four Huey helicopters from South Africa to deliver emergency aid
and the Coordination Committee is working out arrangements to cover
the $1.7 million cost.
U.S. Government (USG) Assistance: BHR/OFDA is responding to flooding
in Somalia under the authority of the October 7 disaster declaration
for Somalia's ongoing complex emergency issued by U.S. Ambassador
Prudence Bushnell. On November 17, a BHR/OFDA airlift of 200 rolls of
plastic sheeting, 8,000 blankets, and 4,000 water containers arrived
in Nairobi for onward transport to Somalia by WFP and distribution by
UNICEF. Subsequent flights from OFDA's stockpiles in Maryland and
Italy will carry additional relief supplies, resulting in a total of
750 rolls of plastic sheeting, 60,000 blankets, and 30,000 water
containers. These commodities will help meet the needs of an
estimated 150,000 people and are valued at $536,250, with the cost of
the airlift estimated at $550,000. BHR/OFDA is also donating $750,000
to WFP to assist in efforts to provide an air bridge and river support
to UN agencies and other NGOs involved in relief efforts. BHR/OFDA is
providing a $545,000 grant to WVRD to support the distribution of
survival kits and a $500,000 grant to ICRC for the distribution of
blankets, plastic sheeting, and high protein biscuits.
BHR/OFDA Humanitarian Assistance
FY 1998 (estimated value) . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,881,250
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