YEMEN: Flash Floods Flash Update No. 2 As of 23 April 2020 SITUATION OVERVIEW Following heavy rains and flooding in some parts of the country, over the past week, torrential rains and flooding heavily hit Aden City and governorates in the south on 21 April. Flooding caused multiple casualties and large-scale damage in Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Taizz, Al Dhale’e, Shabwah and Hadramaut governorates. On 22 April, health authorities in Aden reported the deaths of seven people, including four children, while two people were missing. In Crater District, a family of four were reported to have died when their house collapsed, and in Mualla District, three people died Floods on the Al Mansoura-Bureiqah axis in Aden. © OCHA and another 27 were injured. In Aden City, the authorities reported that 66 houses were damaged or completely destroyed. There is widespread damage to private and public property, including many vehicles and food stocks, and some basic services have been cut. The Ministry of Electricity reported a total power outage in Aden City; there was a possibility that power might be restored to some districts within 48 hours, while pumped drinking water was being restored after it stopped for 24 hours. At sites for internally displaced people (IDPs) across southern governorates, initial assessments indicated that at least 5,537 displaced families were affected by the rains in 69 locations. In Mualla District in Aden, 100 families from the local community have been displaced by the rains and flooding to two schools. On 21 April, the Yemeni Government declared the situation in Aden City a disaster zone and Prime Minister Dr. Moeen Abdul Malik called on relief organizations to support the government in responding to the situation and on 22 April, the Southern Transitional Council issued an urgent appeal for support. In coordination with OCHA, the Camp Management and Camp Coordination (CCCM) Cluster worked with the Executive Unit for IDPs (ExU) to assess needs and mobilize an immediate response at IDP sites. The Shelter/Non-Food Items (NFIs), Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Health and Protection and the Food Security and Agriculture (FSAC) clusters, are working to respond to immediate needs in all the areas affected. Elsewhere, on 21 April heavy rains are reported to have caused damage to infrastructure and buildings and caused a fatality in Al Jafariyyah District, Al Raymah Governorate when part of a house collapsed. There were reports that in Al Jabin and Bilad Attaam districts, rains caused landslides displacing hundreds of families and making roads impassable. The Supreme Council for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) reported that more than 1,200 families were affected by rains and flooding in Abs District in Hajjah Governorate and partners are seeking to verify this. Across the Sana’a hub area, the rains and flooding are reported to have injured a total of 80 people, 7 of them critically. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS Overall, more than 17,000 families (over 100,000 people) have been affected by flooding since the second week of April. In Aden and across southern governorates, initial information from rapid assessments indicates that the most urgent needs are for dewatering/desludging, hygiene kits (HKs), food assistance, tents, non-food items (NFIs) and plastic sheeting. Excess water has formed pools on roads, including inside IDP sites, raising concerns about the increased risk of dengue fever, malaria, waterborne diseases and skin infections. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA YEMEN | Flash Floods Report | 2 In Mualla in Aden City, 70 families have # of families affected by floods been displaced by flooding to Abubaker School and 30 families were displaced to Taiz Hamza School. Another 15 families were Shabwah displaced to Rawdat Al Taweelah in Sana'a Governorate Seera and also require emergency Sana'a City assistance. Across Aden Governorate, Marib some 1,457 displaced families have been Lahj affected in 25 IDP sites. Nearly 1,450 Ibb families lost their food rations, and 1,353 Hodeidah families urgently need NFIs according to Hajjah partners. In Lahj, 1,614 families have lost Hadramout food rations and 569 need NFIs. In Al Al-Dhale Abyan Garad, partners are compiling needs. In Aden southern Taizz, nearly 800 IDP families Data Source: CCCM & OCHA need food assistance, 682 need shelter 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 and 389 need NFIs at IDP sites in Shamayatayn and Ma’afer. Another 30 Data source: CCCM & OCHA families need food and NFIs in Al Qahfa Al Hamra. The Shelter/CCCM Cluster reports that 83 displaced families in the Al Khawrah and Al Asdoh sites lost their shelters and NFIs. Eight IDP families are staying at Al Noman School in Al Shemayateen after their shelters were damaged. In Abyan, 984 shelters were damaged, and 1,043 food rations and 751 NFI kits are needed in 13 IDP sites. In Al Dhale’e, 27 food rations and 12 shelters were destroyed. In Hadramaut, mainly in Mafraq Alabe Camp, 215 families need assistance with NFIs, 165 need food rations and 125 need shelter assistance. Some 1,302 families in Sana’a City also require assistance. This includes another 902 families that SCMCHA reported on 22 April. In Sana’a Governorate, SCMCHA reported that Number of flood-affected families by governorate and category of assessed needs 1,500 families were affected by recent flooding, including 427 families in Sanhan District, where nearly 100 families urgently need WASH and food assistance plus NFI and cash assistance. In Marib, 6,286 families were affected by the floods, with 5,013 flood-affected families in Marib City where partners identified 3,004 displaced families who need shelter and NFI support. Elsewhere, in Hajjah Governorate, SCMCHA, reported that 2,466 families have been affected by recent rains, including 245 families identified on 22 April. Abs District in Hajjah Governorate has a high IDP population which is particularly vulnerable to flooding. At the Al Muror, Alsouq and Almirnaf IDP sites in Abs District, a partner found that that shelters are easily flooded and food and NFIs are damaged when it rains, that some families live in the open or in buildings damaged in the conflict, and shelters are generally in a poor condition. In Ibb and northern Taizz, 136 families have been affected by the rains and 8 IDP sites. The Shelter Sub-Cluster identified 76 families at the Sayilat Jibla spontaneous IDP site in Taizz were affected by the rains. A local partner reported rains affected 5 sites in Taiz’iah District, and that 29 families need shelter and NFIs. On 22 April, SCMCHA reported that six families had been affected by rain in As Sabra District and that in Hubaish District, rain caused damage to houses belonging to nine families. All those affected urgently need assistance. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Despite limited resources and access challenges, humanitarian partners are responding to immediate needs of the people affected by floods. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA YEMEN | Flash Floods Report | 3 CLUSTER RESPONSE Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): In Aden City, a partner cleared some damaged roads and conducted dewatering operations in power stations in Khor Maksar, Al Mansourah and Tawahi on 21 April. Dewatering operations continued on 22 April in affected urban areas. Water draining and desludging is ongoing in 25 sites in Aden and 3 sites in Lahj, alongside the distribution of hygiene kits. A WASH partner provided water tanks at Hamza School for 30 newly displaced families and at Abubaker Schools for 70 families (5,000 litres and 1,000 litres respectively) in Almua’ala, together with hygiene kits. The Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) was mobilized and kits have already been provided to 100 displaced families at the two schools. Water trucking was provided for 15 families displaced by flooding in Rawdat Al Taweelah in Seera District and cleaning materials for 10 latrines. Hygiene kits were distributed to affected populations Crater and Mualla districts.In Abyan, partners also provided water tanks to Goal Al-Sadah, Goal Senan, Romila, Sakin Nagi, Sakin Bodha, Sakin Tobaiq, Al Qarnaah and Hesn Shadad sites and will support the WASH response in Al Rodini, Halma, Musimir, Al Nash and Dew Ashula with a cleaning campaign and the provision of latrines and pits covers. The WASH Cluster is identifying partners to start the response in 36 sites requiring desludging in 7 governorates affected in the south. In Sana’a City flood response continues, WASH partners distributed 80 consumable hygiene, chlorine tablets and jerry cans to flood-affected families in As Sabeen District on 22 April. Desludging is ongoing in some of the affected areas, as is a cleaning campaign in Al Khafqy and Al Qalfan targeting 400 sabil tanks. Chlorinated water trucking is being provided to the Al Khafqy area in Al Sabeen District. Hygiene kits were distributed to 60 families at Al Mua’ayd School and Hamra’ Alib School. In Sana’a Governorate, a WASH assessment was conducted in Khawlan, Jihanh, and Al Husn districts and partners are mobilizing to respond. Water trucking is ongoing in Sanhan District for 427 families. In Marib Governorate, WASH partners rehabilitated two water points and replaced another two damaged water points at two IDP sites. Shelter/NFIs: In Aden, Shelter Cluster partners are mobilizing resources to scale up the response. A shelter partner will deliver 170 tents, 1,020 blankets, 600 rugs and 350 NFI kits to IDPs and host communities, while another has up to 650 ESKs this coming week. A national partner will distribute 50 NFIs and 40 ESKs from cluster stocks to two sites in Aden.