Final Report Bosnia and Herzegovina: Floods DREF operation final report Operation n° MDRBA012; Date of Issue: 12 February 2021 Glide number: FF-2020-000153-BIH Operation start date: 26 June 2020 Operation end date: 31 October 2020 Host National Society: Red Cross Society of Operation budget: CHF 96,840 Bosnia and Herzegovina (RCSBiH) Number of people affected: 15,000 Number of people directly assisted (CVA): 1,042 Number of people indirectly assisted (WASH): 10,000 Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners currently actively involved in the operation: Swiss Red Cross Delegation in country provided support to a part of the population affected by flash floods. Their response was aligned and coordinated with National Society (NS) to ensure that there is no overlapping and to have wider affected population covered with CVA under the DREF operation. Other partner organizations actively involved in the operation: Local Civil protection, Local Centers of Social Welfare, Local fire brigades A. SITUATION ANALYSIS Description of the disaster On 22 June, heavy rainfalls caused rivers and creeks in the north-eastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina to swell and flood houses and roads along their banks, forcing many to fear for their lives and properties. The most critical situation was in Tuzla Canton, where traffic was stopped on the main road connecting city of Tuzla with Sarajevo to the south and Orašje to the north while the city’s connection to the north-western town of Doboj was also jeopardized. The mayor of Tuzla at the proposal of the City Civil Protection Headquarters made a decision to declare a state of natural disaster due to the danger of floods and landslides in the city of Tuzla, which includes eight out of nine municipalities in Tuzla Canton (see map in annex). Đurđevik, in the municipality of Živinice was underwater, 200 residential buildings and 100 auxiliary buildings were flooded. Local traffic, and traffic towards Sarajevo on the main road (M-18) was interrupted due to flooding. Some families were evacuated to their relatives and close friends that are living away from flooded areas, while several refused to evacuate. Besides damages on the houses, damage was also reported on agricultural crops. The situation was complicated by the incessant rain. The situation was also difficult in the municipality of Sapna, where issues were caused by the rivers Sapna and Nezučki potok, as well as in the area of the City of Gračanica, where all watercourses in Tuzla Canton flow into the Spreča riverbed. In the town of Kladanj, 266 households (HHs) were flooded with 1,000 persons affected, of whom 535 were evacuated. Most of them moved to houses of families and friends, and some slept in local Mosques. In the city of Lukavac, 100 HHs were flooded where 7,000 people were affected by river Spreča. Most affected and vulnerable were 300 persons from Roma communities. The rivers Gnjica and Šibošnica threatened the inhabitants of the Municipality of Čelić, and the most difficult situation was in the settlements of Brnjik, Drijenča, Nahvioci, Šibošnica and Čelić (for detailed breakdown please see the Emergency Plan of Action). Landslides were a further problem in the Tuzla Canton. Most of them were in the area of Sapna, Banovići and Srebrenik, where residential buildings were also endangered. According to the data of the Civil Protection of Tuzla Canton, 16 landslides were reported in the region, which, in addition to the hindering the flow of vehicles and damage to the road infrastructure, also endangered residential buildings. In the area of Srebrenik, eight landslides were reported, which endangered residential buildings and houses. In the Republic of Srpska (RS) area of Zvornik, the rivers Sapna and Hoča overflowed from the riverbed, and drainage canals flooded more than 30 houses affecting 125 persons in the settlements of Karakaj, Čelopek, Ulice, Donji Grbavci, and Cer. In Srebrenica, the rain was falling with a strong intensity, and due to a large amount of water and sediment, one of the culverts on the Guber promenade was blocked. 20 Households were flooded affecting 70 persons. In municipality of Teslić 40 HHs were flooded with 90 persons affected. Municipalities Valencia in eastern part of RS and Petrovo in Doboj region had 10 HHs flooded affecting 70 persons. 30 HHS were flooded in city of Zvornik affecting 125 persons. Floods significantly affected road infrastructure, educational institutions (schools) and water supply lines in some municipalities in Tuzla canton. In Kladanj, the elementary school that has been used to house migrants en route was also affected. Some local health facilities have been closed due to flooding but were reopened after one week. Agriculture also sustained major damages, as many crops and orchards were destroyed by floods. This directly affected the livelihood of people living in the region since the flooding mainly affected rural areas where people are relying on agriculture. In addition to this, on 7 June the region of Gradačac had a massive hailstorm that severely damaged orchards and crops causing nearly 100% damage. Image 1 - Landslide in Kladanj, Tuzla Canton. Image 2 - Flooded house in Kalesija Photo: Klix.ba As of the 1 February the COVID-19 situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is stable, the number of daily cases is dropping comparing to previous two months of the pandemic. Government still keeps measures such as wearing of the mask in public places and movement limitations between 11 PM and 5 AM. The number of active cases is 21,987. Active cases 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 13.04.2020. 25.04.2020. 07.05.2020. 19.05.2020. 31.05.2020. 12.06.2020. 24.06.2020. 06.07.2020. 18.07.2020. 30.07.2020. 11.08.2020. 23.08.2020. 04.09.2020. 16.09.2020. 28.09.2020. 10.10.2020. 22.10.2020. 03.11.2020. 15.11.2020. 27.11.2020. 09.12.2020. 21.12.2020. 02.01.2021. 14.01.2021. 26.01.2021. 01.04.2020. Chart 1- Number of active COVID-19 cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina In summary, the overall number of flooded households was 749. Over 10,000 persons were affected and over 900 persons were evacuated. Summary of response Overview of Host National Society More than 200 volunteers and staff in affected regions were involved in the immediate response from Entity RCs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Srpska throughout the affected regions namely: Živinice, Kladanj, Tuzla, Zvornik, Srebrenica, Sapna, Lukavac, Olovo, Kalesija, Teslić, Petrovo. Around 100 Volunteers from RC branches in Kladanj and Živinice supported local population in cleaning of flooded houses, assisting local authorities in damage and needs assessments and providing support in evacuation of affected people. RC branches in Republic of Srpska were also providing bottled water from their own reserves in areas where water supply was affected until water supply has been restored. Some private water wells that were affected by floods were cleaned and disinfected. Disinfection chemicals have been provided through this DREF operation. The Entity Red Cross of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has published instructions on its website for the public on what to do in emergencies. The NS together with the IFRC launched the DREF Operation n° MDRBA012, to directly support 1,000 people in need between 6 July and 30 October 2020, with the aim to support people’s immediate needs through economic support as well as to support RC branches in their Image 3 - Household visit by RC volunteers (Baseline survey) response to the situation. After obtaining preliminary lists from local authorities Red Cross volunteers did a baseline survey in the field. All RC branches assessed affected households together with relevant stakeholders (local authorities for damage assessment and Centre for Social Welfare for the selection of the most vulnerable). The most vulnerable, flood affected families or individuals were selected according to specified vulnerability criteria: • very low or no income at all; • living on agricultural income; • older people; • female single headed households; • persons with disability. Image 4 – RCSBiH entity CVA Focal point visiting municipality of Kladanj IFRC-funded support in selected locations covered a minimum of CHF 50 (BAM~90) and a maximum of CHF 230 (BAM~425) for the emergency response, the amount of support is influenced by the vulnerability and a size of the household. This ensured as planned, direct support to 1,042 individuals in 301 vulnerable, flood affected households. Overview of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in country In addition to above mentioned response, the NS established bilateral cooperation with its long term partner, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) with a complementary approach to the emergency plan of action, based on the same tools and data sets coordinated by the RCSBiH. SRC-funded part of the project supported these most vulnerable households in Lukavac, Kalesija, Kladanj, Živinice with a minimum of CHF 85 (BAM~150) and a maximum of CHF 255 (BAM ~450) per household based on the same criteria applied as in the IFRC DREF Emergency Plan of Action mentioned above. Overview of non-RCRC actors in country The Republic Administration of Civil Protection of Republika Srpska provided the Civil Protection of the City of Zvornik five small pumps, five large, one large Russian pump and 20 dehumidifiers for pumping water from basements and draining rooms after pumping. The Federal Civil Protection Administration sent teams to help the population in the municipalities most affected by the floods in Tuzla Canton. The teams were composed of 32 members of the Civil Protection of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two crews with raft boats, 10 pumps, 50 dehumidifiers and other necessary equipment.