Emergency Appeal N°MDRBF010 Burkina Faso: GLIDE N° FL-2010-000145-BFA 11 October, 2010 Floods
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Emergency appeal n°MDRBF010 Burkina Faso: GLIDE n° FL-2010-000145-BFA 11 October, 2010 Floods This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 2,803,535 (USD 2,701,942 or EUR 2,136,515) in cash, kind, or services to support the Burkinabe Red Cross Society (BRCS) to assist 80,000 beneficiaries considered to be amongst the most vulnerable out of more than 133,000 persons affected by the floods. The operation will be implemented over six months and will be completed by the end of April 2011. A Final Report will be made available by 31 July, 2011 (three months after the end of the operation). Out of the appeal budget, CHF 270,984 was allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support this Granary damaged by the floods in the Sikire village. operation. Un-earmarked funds to (Photo by IFRC) replenish this DREF are encouraged. Summary: Torrential rains since the end of July and throughout August and September have caused extensive flooding in the provinces of Namentenga and Sanmatenga in the Centre-North region, Gnagna in the East, Oudalan, Yagha, Seno and Soum in the Sahel. To date, at least 13 provinces are flooded in Burkina Faso. The Central Plateau regions and the Upper Basin are also affected albeit to a lesser degree. Flooded areas are spread over large geographical zones and some villages remain isolated and inaccessible by road. The BRCS has mobilized teams of Red Cross volunteers to assist affected communities. The activities by the volunteers aim to reduce the impact of the floods disaster and to prevent the outbreak of water related diseases. The IFRC through the Regional Disaster Response Team (RDRT) of the Sahel Regional Representation is working with the BRCS to conduct a detailed assessment of the situation and to implement the relevant relief activities. Based on the current situation, this Emergency Appeal aims to respond to a request from the BRCS to assist some 10,000 families affected by floods with an appropriate and timely response in delivering assistance and relief in the following sectors: non-food relief items (NFIs) distribution, transitional shelter, water and sanitation services, hygiene promotion, as well as enhancing livelihoods of the displaced families. In addition to CHF 270,984 allocated from DREF to support the emergency operation, the IFRC along with other Partner National Societies (PNS) will continue strengthening capacity for disaster preparedness at both regional and country levels. This involves National Society (NS) continuous focus on disaster risk reduction and preparedness that ensures readiness of trained staff and volunteers to delivering vital relief items from pre-positioned emergency stocks. <click here to view the attached Emergency Appeal Budget; here to link to a map of the affected area; or here to view contact details> The situation In addition to the most affected areas in Yagha, Gnagna, Sanmatenga and Namentenga which were completely flooded in early August, there were reports of additional damages caused by heavy rains from other provinces including Houet, Ganzourgou, Bougouriba, Soum, and Oudalan. The latest reports indicate that several villages in Yatenga, Poni, Tuy and Banwa have also been flooded, with a worsening of the situation in Houet. Estimates on the number of the affected are difficult to obtain given the limited access due to the widespread flooding and the difficulty in reaching a large number of isolated places. The preliminary results of a detailed evaluation conducted by the BRCS in partnership with the deployed RDRT in nine provinces from 23 August to 3 September 2010, confirm early reports issued by the government. At least 16,064 households have been directly affected by the floods, with some 133,362 persons recorded as being in need of relief. Red Cross volunteer carried out needs assessment in 229 communities and registration of the affected persons in need of assistance. The assessments were conducted through focus group discussions and review of data collected from the field. Local authorities and the Government disaster response body (CONASUR) facilitated the continuous collection of information regarding relocation sites; assistance provided so far, population estimates, and health situation. The Red Cross detailed evaluation found that an affected family is made of eight persons on average, thus confirming the benchmark for Burkina Faso used by the CONASUR. The Red Cross has taken the lead in assessing the situation throughout the country. This effort relies on the readiness of the National Society for disaster management, built over the course of carrying out several disaster response operations. The experience acquired during the record floods of last year in the capital Ouagadougou with the rapid deployment of Red Cross volunteers and the ‘Build Back Better’ programme at the Yagma relocation site can be capitalized today. The majority of the persons affected are staying with host families on higher grounds and in larger villages where they are more likely to receive assistance. Many displaced families who sought refuge in schools and in administrative buildings have either left, are in the process of leaving, or are seeking opportunities in the surroundings. Their prolonged stay has strained already poor sanitation facilities. The situation is most acute in the Coalla, Manni and Thion areas of the Gnagna province, around Solhan in the Yagha and in parts of the Namentenga province. The overall living conditions in those areas are marked by limited access to water, insufficient number of latrines and the overuse of existing ones. There is considerable concern in the short-term for outbreaks of water-borne epidemics and rising malaria. The devastation of subsistence homesteads and small family crops left most communities in precarious nutritional conditions. Coordination and partnerships The Government of Burkina Faso is involved in the overall response and has initiated flood assistance operations by providing food and tents through the Ministry of Social Affairs and National Solidarity using in- country stocks. Authorities visited affected areas upon the onset of the crisis with the President of the Burkinabe Red Cross for a first-hand look at the situation. Temporary sites were set up to accommodate those most affected by the floods. The overall humanitarian response is being organized through the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), headed by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and comprised of UN agencies, the National Committee for Emergency Aid and Rehabilitation (CONASUR), the Red Cross, ministries, and NGOs. Inter-agency coordination meetings are held for each of the following sectors: water and sanitation, shelter, food security, relief, and protection. The relevant ministries are involved in inter-sectoral coordination. Red Cross and Red Crescent action The BRCS has been assisting families affected by floods since 30 July 2010, with the mobilization of Red Cross provincial committees and visits to affected communities to assess the situation. Given the scale of the disaster, 15 teams of 150 Red Cross volunteers, led by the BRCS National Disaster Response Team (NDRT), conducted a detailed evaluation of the situation in nine provinces. The assessments are continuously being updated. So far, the NS has provided more than 1,750 families with non-food items and tents. The Sahel Regional Representation of the Federation is supporting the BRCS with technical guidance, relief stock and Regional Disaster Response Team members. The Spanish, Luxemburg Red Cross Societies and other in-country Partner National Societies are also supporting the BRCS to respond to the emergency. 2 The needs The detailed evaluation carried out by the BRCS shows that out of 133,362 persons affected by the floods, at least 2,500 families are currently without shelter, not counting families currently in makeshift dwellings. Although the number of temporary accommodation sites is dwindling to less than 30 schools and communal buildings, there is a tremendous and immediate need for those families to acquire survival materials (non- food items) and adequate shelter especially in areas difficult to access. The revival of livelihoods opportunities is also a pressing need given the scale of the losses in subsistence homesteads and domestic livestock. Furthermore, hygiene promotion and improved access to water and sanitation remain critical for the overwhelming majority of persons affected by the floods. Immediate needs: The NS plans to assist some 80,000 persons who have been identified as being most vulnerable, with regards to having adequate shelter, access to clean water and sanitation. Specifically, the immediate needs are for transitional shelter, non-food items (including blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans, buckets, kitchen sets, and soap) clothing for children, hygiene kits for women and girls over 12 years, oral rehydration salts for infants and water treatment tablets. Early Recovery needs: As evidenced in the detailed assessments, most needed in some areas is the revival of livelihood opportunities by providing consumption grants to the most vulnerable families and by supporting household coping activities. The NS plans to improve access to safer water and better sanitation to some 80,000 most affected persons in 100 villages and towns in the most severely flooded areas. The results of the detailed evaluation show that water sources consisting primarily of wells and hand-operated water