Natural Disasters Report I Semester 2009 January ­ June 2009

1. Key highlights Flooding, landslides, avalanches and strong winds continued to be the natural disaster events affecting most people. During the first rainy season, lasting from March through May, 51 persons died, 128,729 persons (26,568 families) were affected, 1,119 houses were destroyed and 22,795 houses damaged. Lack of access in many parts of the country as landslides and flooding blocked roads, leaving many towns isolated. Flooding in southwestern Colombia led to devastating impacts on persons, houses, crops and infrastructure. has been active and the alert levels have varied from yellow, orange to red. The most serious events occurred on 7 and 8 June, when 8,500 persons were ordered to evacuate due to explosive eruptions.

Number of affected persons ‐ I Semester 2009. Total figures 1 January ‐ 30 June 2009 Source: SIGPAD

1 2. General situation Flooding, landslides, avalanches and strong winds continued to be natural events affecting large parts of Colombia during the first semester. Reports indicate that 199 persons died or went missing, 311,189 persons (63,951 families) were affected, 2,813 houses were destroyed and 41,359 houses were damaged. According to the Dirección de Gestión del Riesgo para la Prevención y Atención de Desastres (DGR) 1, roads, education and community centers were also hit by natural hazards. As the figure below shows, 72% of the affected population was hit by flooding, while strong winds, landslides and avalanches account for 28% of the events impacting the population.

Affected population according to event 1. semester 2009 2%

14% 12%

72%

Avalanche Landslide Flooding Strong winds

Source: SIGPAD.

The first rainy season takes place in Colombia over a three month period, starting on 1 March. This year’s rainy season affected rural as well as urban areas. DGR reported 51 casualties, 4 missing, and 128,729 persons affected (26,568 families), as well as 1,119 houses destroyed and 22,795 damaged. Chocó, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca and Cauca were the departments hardest hit with 55% (70,976 persons) of the total affected population. In total, 246 municipalities in 27 departments were affected by the emergencies. Colombian Red Cross also reported that the centre of the coffee‐growing zone, including Risaralda and Quindío Departments, were heavily hit2.

Tumaco Municipality, February 2009 The city of , April 2009 Source: http://www.ipitimes.com Source: http://www.radiosantafe.com

Flooding of the Mira River in in south‐western Colombia was caused by heavy rainfall in the beginning of the year. This led the river to reach 20 meters above its normal level, affecting people, houses, agricultural crop, infrastructure and buildings. The Galeras volcano in Nariño Department has been active this year and the alert level varied between level yellow, orange and red. The most serious incidents occurred on 7 and 8 June when explosive eruptions led the Government to order the evacuation

1 Directorate for risk management, and prevention and attention to disaster. 2 Ibid. 2 of 8,500 persons (INGEOMINAS)3. Emergency shelters were opened as people were encouraged to evacuate their homes. The volcano is located close to populated areas and important agricultural areas. No persons were reported dead or missing. At the time this report was finalized, the alert level has been adjusted to yellow. Since the volcano is considered a potential threat, monitoring and emergency preparedness has been increased by the Sistema Nacional para la Prevención y Atención de Desastres (SNPAD)4. See detailed information about the volcanic activity in the report.

Galeras volcano, February 2009 – the city of Pasto in front Galeras volcano 2009 5 Source:http://apelosdoceu.com Source: http://webmira.netfirms.com

3. Departments and municipalities ­ situation, coordination and humanitarian response

Persons affected by natural disasters according to department (1 January ‐ 30 June 2009) 70.000 61.666

60.000 55.912

50.000

40.000 37.778

30.000 28.306

20.000 16.695 13.369 12.948 12.369 10.669 9.940 8.770 10.000 8.173 5.649 3.500 3.425 2.901 2.582 2.487 2.454 2.416 2.100 1.511 1.480 1.301 754 750 0 117 DEL DE

META HUILA CESAR SUCRE CAUCA CALDAS CHOCO TOLIMA ARAUCA BOYACA NARIÑO CAUCA GUAJIRA BOLIVAR QUINDIO CAQUETA VALLE CORDOBA CASANARE RISARALDA NORTE ATLANTICO AMAZONAS ANTIOQUIA PUTUMAYO SANTANDER SANTANDER MAGDALENA CUNDINAMARCA

Affected persons 1.semester 2009

NORTH‐EAST REGION (Arauca, Boyacá, Casanare, Norte de Santander, Santander)

The region was mostly affected by heavy rainfall during the first three months of the semester. According to DGR, the total figures for the semester show that 14,291 families were affected, 643 houses were destroyed and 472 houses were damaged.

Arauca Department

3 Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería. 4 The national system for prevention and attention to disasters. 5 Source: http://apelosdoceu.com/blog/wp‐content/uploads/2009/02/galeras‐colombia‐vulcao‐blog‐300x191.jpg. 3 In May, the road linking the municipalities of Arauca with Saravena was destroyed due to flooding along the Arauca River. Large parts of the road in the Trapiche sector were washed away when the river flowed over its banks.

Boyacá Department The first rainy season destroyed the road connecting the Municipality of Soacha (Norte de Boyacá) with .

Casanare Department On 21 May, six rural towns in the Municipality of Pore in the north of the department were flooded due to heavy rains. Reports indicated that there were 2,080 persons (419 families) affected and 419 houses damaged. Roads in nearby municipalities were also affected. CREDPAD6 declared an orange alert level for the entire department.

Norte de Several roads in the department were affected by landslides. Traffic was occasionally interrupted for longer time periods, leading to blocked roads and isolated communities. Due to heavy rains, the road connecting the Municipality of Ocaña with Cúcuta, in the sector of La San Juana, was affected by 14 landslides.

Nearly 6,000 families were affected by landslides in the area known as “Alto de los Compadres”, along the road connecting Cúcuta with the Municipality of Santiago. On 3 April, a total of 220 persons (59 families), including 96 children, were affected by a landslide in the Tucunaré sector in the neighborhood of Juan Atalaya in Cúcuta. On 5 June, 250 persons (50 families) in the town of Tropezón in La Esperanza Municipality were affected by strong winds as 4 houses were destroyed and 46 houses were damaged. Strong winds also affected the municipalities of El Tarra and Tibú, blocking the road connecting them. According to the Regional Director of CREPAD, the affected persons were given temporary shelter while their houses were being repaired.

Santander Department Strong rains lead to flooding in the sectors of Álvarez, Morrorrico, Llanogrande, Galán and Zarabanda. Flooding also affected Bucaramanga, where strong winds led to blocked roads and left 30% of the city without energy. Several roads were affected by heavy rains, amongst others the roads connecting Bucaramanga to the airport and the transport terminal.

Magdalena Medio region Due to heavy rainfall during the second rainy season of 2008, the region experienced several landslides and flooding in the beginning of 2009, destroying 600 houses, 13 water systems and 3 bridges. According to the CREPAD (Santander Department), the situation in the rural zones of San Vincente Chucurí reached a critical level. Heavy rains caused flooding along the creeks Cantarranas and Las Crueces, displacing 30 families. Other affected municipalities included Barrancabermeja, San Benito, Ocamonte, Molagavita, Sabana de Torres and Galán. In Puerto Wilches Municipality (Santander Department), more than 1,000 hectares of crops: banana, yucca, citrus fruits and palm oil were destroyed by flooding.

Coordination and humanitarian response

Arauca Department As a response to the destruction of the road linking the municipalities of Arauca with Saravena caused by the overflow of the Arauca River, the municipial administration of Arauquita started the construction of an alternative route on 20 June: Araquita‐La Unión‐La Chigüira‐Brasilia‐San Rafael‐San Lorenzo‐Saravena. This route is 23 km long and will take an hour longer than the original route to drive.

Bolivar Department Through CORMAGDALENA7, a package of protection measures with a total value of COP$9,300 million were approved for the municipalities located along the in Bolivar Department. The majority of the projects were reconstruction projects of dykes and destroyed infrastructure, together with financing for the completion of water protection walls in 12 riverside municipalities, as well as protection measures to secure land from flooding and erosion.

Bolivar, Cesar and Santander Departments

6 Comité Regional de Prevención y Atención de Desastres (CREPAD). 7 Corporación Autónoma Regional del Río Grande de la Magdalena (Cormagdalena). 4 More than 14,000 families affected by the second rainy season of 2008 received humanitarian assistance from Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN)8. The donations contained items of basic necessity: clothes, shoes, sheets etc. The donation had a total value of COP$900 million.

Norte de Santander The majority of the families, who were re‐located in provisional shelters due to the landslides in Tucurnaré in Cúcuta on 3 April, could move into houses rented by the municipal administration on 4 April. A number of families did not get this opportunity and continued to live in neighbourhoods running a great risk of being affected by new landslides. The national government offered plans for pre‐fabricated houses to the Mayor´s Office in Cúcuta, funding for houses (subsidies for the repair of houses) and to help with renting of houses to affected families. For these families, a project was started through the local administration, focusing on finding appropriate land for the construction of new houses.

The Colombian Red Cross and DGR in Norte de Santander assisted 44 families in the La Esperanza Municipality who were left with damage to their houses and crops due to strong winds hitting the area on 5 June.

Santander Department Four years after the avalanche along the Oro River, 56 affected families received new houses, constructed by the Instituto de Vivienda in Bucaramanga. The families have been living in shelters provided for by the municipality during the construction period.

In the cooperation framework between UNICEF, WFP, ICBF9 and the Mayor of Barrancabermeja, school children in the rural towns of Caño Rasquiña, Caño Ñeque, La Unión, La Florida and La Candelaria were assisted with school materials, as they lost practically everything during the second rainy season of 2008. UNICEF provided education packages to each school, containing two kits: one for educational purposes and one for sporting activities.

Norte de Santander and Santander Departments The strong rains caused landslides and the collapse of a number of roads in the departments of Norte de Santander and Santander. Despite efforts to overcome the emergency, several roads continued to be in precarious conditions, leading to high levels of vulnerability among the inhabitants in the region. As a consequence, on 19 May, the Governor of Norte de Santander declared a road emergency in the Department, i.e. extraordinary measures were taken and funding provided to immediately repair the damages on the roads.

NORTH‐WEST REGION (Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Caldas, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Guajira, Magdalena, Quindío, Risaralda, Sucre)

Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms, affected large parts of the region during the semester. The areas most affected were the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Chocó and Risaralda.

Antioquia Department Antioquia experienced heavy rains, winds and hailstorms through the semester. According to DAPARD10, 138 disaster events took place between 1 January and 29 June. The majority of events were related to strong winds (25%), followed by landslides (19%). Reports indicate that 21,132 people (4,918 families) were affected and 60 people were reported dead, 2,286 houses were damaged and 319 houses were destroyed.

Caldas Municipality: Due to heavy rainfalls in February and March, landslides and flooding caused damages in several parts of the department. The flooding of the creeks La Quiebra, La Mandalay, La Yunque, La Planta and La Valeria destroyed 12 houses and affected 250 families in 16 neighbourhoods. According to the departmental disaster response authorities DAPARD, the most serious events occurred in Mandalay neighbourhood where 9 houses collapsed.

Medellín Municipality: On 6 April, landslides were registered in several sectors in Medellín, affecting 26 houses, killing 5 persons

8 The directorate in Colombia being in charge of taxes. 9 Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF). 10 Departamento Administrativo del Sistema de Prevención, Atención y Recuperación de Desastres (DAPARD). 5 and affecting an additional 200 persons. The municipality declared a yellow alert.

Murindó Municipality: Flooding of the Murindó River on 14 and 20 January affected 14,000 people (2,850 families). As 1,050 houses were damaged, people had to seek shelter in the hospital, on the Mayor’s premises and in the schools, leaving school children without education facilities. Tropical diseases were reported to increase as a consequence of standing water.

San Andres de Cuerquia Municipality: On 11 April, strong winds damaged 522 houses, leaving 2,610 people (522 families) affected. Infrastructure and agricultural crops in the town were damaged.

Atlántico Department The Department was affected by flooding and strong winds, as well as a serious incident of high tides.

Baranquilla Municipality: On 9 March, the municipality was hit by strong winds, affecting 145 persons (29 families), destroying 1 house and damaging 28 houses. On 3 May, 6 June, 22 June and 28 June, the municipality was affected by floodings, affecting 6,640 Persons (1,259 families), destroying 47 houses and damaging 881 houses.

Puerto Colombia Municipality: On 6 March, high tides left 1,500 persons (300 families) affected.

Cesar Department

Valledupar Municipality: Strong winds affected 2,250 persons (450 families), destroyed 9 houses and damaged 400 houses.

Chocó Department According to DGR, flooding and landslides are the natural disaster events that affected Chocó most frequently during the first semester.

Bojayá Municipality: On 5 February, 6,732 persons (1,392 families) were affected by flooding in the municipality. Bojayá was also hit by a landslide on 19 May, forcing 370 persons (74 families) to leave their houses. The affected population was provided temporary shelter. The landslide also destroyed 19 houses.

Itsmina, Litoral del San Juan, Novita and Medio San Juan Municipalities: Flooding of the San Juan River Basin on 23 March affected all the municipalities, leaving 17,050 persons affected (3,419 families) and damaging approximately 3,400 houses.

Medio Municipality: On 24 January, 2,800 persons (560 families) were affected by flooding and 12 houses were destroyed. On 3 February, the municipality was affected by strong winds, affecting 8,926 persons (1,857 families) and destroying 44 houses. On 6 June, was again affected by flooding, leaving 3,175 persons affected (635 families), destroying 10 and damaging 10 houses.

Córdoba Department

Puerto Libertador Municipality: Córdoba Department was hit hard by the rainy season and heavy rainfall leading to an avalanche almost swept away the town of San Juan. On 23 April, an avalanche in the town11 of San Juan left two people dead. The avalanche was caused by a landslide due to heavy rains. The landslide led to the blockage of a dam, causing water pressure that led to its collapse. Local authorities estimated that more than 60% of the surrounding area was destroyed, as well as large numbers of crops. El Comité Local para la Prevención y Atención de Desastres (CLOPAD)12 accommodated 52 families who lost their houses in temporary shelters, in cooperation with the Colombian Red Cross and the Government. In addition to the destroyed houses, 450 houses were damaged.

Montelibano, Puerto Libertador, , Buenavista Municipalities: The population in the south of Cordoba continued to be affected in May and June. The flooding of the San Jorge and Sinú Rivers affected 10,555 persons (2,111 families). Approximately 1,400 families were forced to leave their homes in the south of Cordoba due to flooding of San Jorge River. The displaced were from Montelibano, Puerto Libertador, La Apartada and Buenavista municipalities. The Municipality of Apartada was the most affected, with 4,400 persons (880 families) affected, in rural as well as in urban areas.

11 Corregimiento. 12 The local committee for the prevention of and atention to disasters. . 6 In Risaralda, heavy rains led to the damage of houses, roads and bridges, and a yellow alert was declared in April. Strong winds also affected the population, leaving the municipalities of Chinchiná, Dosquebradas, Marsella and Pereira the hardest hit.

Coordination and humanitarian response

Antioquia Department IDEAM13 announced early this year that the first rainy season would be approximately 20% stronger than normal due to the “La Niña” phenomenon and the Government of Antioquia therefore prepared themselves for potential emergencies. The first sign of potential flooding were registered on 8 March as the Tarazá River began to increase and strong water flows led to the death of approximately 50,000 fish. The Government therefore announced that all technical equipment would be available to CLOPAD and the local rescue teams in the sub‐regions. The Director of DAPARD in Antioquia confirmed their preparedness for emergencies during the rainy season. The government at departmental level urged the local governments to mobilise their disaster prevention committees.

SOUTH‐WEST REGION (Cauca, Nariño, Putumayo, Valle de Cauca)

Similar to the other regions, the south‐west region was affected by a number of natural disasters events during the semester. The events affecting the most people were flooding and landslides, but strong winds also affected persons and houses.

Cauca Department

Argelia Municipality: On 1 June, an avalanche affected 1,000 persons (200 families), destroyed 4 houses and damaged 196 houses.

Cajibío and Popayán Municipalities: On 8 May and 16 June, the municipalities were hit by strong winds and 1,830 persons (366 families) were affected, as well as 366 houses reported damaged.

Cajibío and Morales Municipalities: On 1 January, flooding affected 2,800 persons (560 families) in the two municipalities and 560 houses were reported damaged.

Corinto Municipality: On 15 February, flooding left 2,585 persons (517 families) affected and 517 houses damaged.

Guapi and Patía Municipalities: 4,045 persons (809 families) were affected by landslides on 25 April. Approximately 800 houses were reported damaged.

La Sierra and Miranda municipalities: On 1 January, 5,465 persons (1,087 families) and 1,087 houses were affected by landslides.

Piamonte Municipality: On 28 January, flooding left 1,750 persons (350) families affected and 350 houses were reported damaged.

Padilla Municipality: On 19 February, flooding affected 1,375 persons (278 families) and 275 houses were reported damaged.

Suárez Municipality: On 29 January, a landslide killed one person. On 9 March, the Mayor’s Office declared a public emergency as heavy rains caused two creeks to overflow, affecting 2000 persons (400 families) and approximately 5,000 people as 10 towns were cut off from the town centre. Suárez were affected again by flooding on 11 April, affecting 300 persons (60 families).

Nariño Department

13 Instituto de Hidrología, Meteoroligía y Estudios Ambientales. 7 Flooding of the Mira River in Nariño Department in the southwestern Colombia due to heavy rainfall earlier this year caused the river to reach 20 meters above its normal level, affecting 53,384 persons (11,089 families), destroying 1,213 houses and damaging 2,266 houses during the first two weeks after the flooding.

Barbacoas Municipality, Nariño Department, 2009. Source: http://barbacoas‐narino.gov.co

Tumaco Municipality: On 23 February, Tumaco Municipality was declared a disaster area due to the damages caused by the flooding of the Mira and Telembí rivers on 16 February14. At the time of the declaration, 6,000 families were reported to be affected. Close to 1,200 homes were destroyed and 1,400 houses were damaged, as well as 104 education facilities, 8 health centers and 5 water systems were destroyed. On 21 February, CLOPAD reported that 162 rural towns had been affected and 62 towns were completely flooded. One of the implications of declaring Tumaco a disaster area was that local authorities were provided with exceptional measures to speed up rehabilitation and reconstruction (e.g. not having to follow standard procedures of operation)15.

The municipalities of Barbacaoas, Roberto Payán and Magüí Payán were seriously affected as well. Landslides destroyed houses and roads in both municipalities. In Barbacoas, 9,130 persons (1,988 families) were affected, in Roberto Payán 7,500 persons (1,500 families) were affected and in Maguí Payán, 1,250 persons (250 families) were affected. These municipalities were not declared disaster areas, but were rather declared calamity areas as the damage was regarded as severe.

14 Comité Nacional de Prevención y Atención de Desastres (CPAD). 15 Dirección de Géstion del Riesgo para la Prevención y Atención de Desastres; Boletín No.30, Febrero 23 de 2009. 8 The Galeras Volcano in Nariño Department has been active this year and the alert level has altered between yellow, orange and red levels16. The activity level of the volcano was set to yellow at the end of January 2008 and stayed stable until February 2009 when a more active period started. Due to several explosive eruptions, the alert level reached red and orange on several occasions during the first semester. The most serious incidents occurred on 7 and 8 June when explosive eruptions led the Government to order the evacuation of 8,500 persons (INGEOMINAS). At the time this report was finalized, the alert level has been adjusted to level yellow.

Galeras volcano – volcanic activity and alert levels – 1. semester 2009 DATE ALERT LEVEL 2008‐Feb 2009 After the explosive eruptions on 17 January 2008, Galeras was placed on yellow alert throughout the year, until changes in its activity level were registered in February 2009. February 14 Explosive eruption on the 14 February followed by gas emissions due to built‐up pressure and seismic activity. Volcanic ash affected areas up to 25 km away from the volcano, including the Municipality of Pasto. A seismic wave was felt in townships located within the Pasto Municipality. 16 Seismic activity continued at a relatively low level. Some gas emissions and seismic movements were registered. 20 Explosive eruption, accompanied by shock waves which could be felt in areas located close to the volcano. Ground movements were reported from the city of Popayán in the east to the town of Mapachico in the western part of Pasto Municipality. Volcanic activities decreased during the day, but the alert level was kept on level red as the danger of eruptions was imminent. 21 Seismic movements could be measured, though not felt on the ground. The alert level was adjusted to orange as the activity of the volcano continued to indicate possible eruptions. March 03 Seismic activity continued to stay at a low level and the alert was lowered to yellow. 12 Increased activity level; more gas emissions and smaller seismic movements. 13 Explosive eruption, accompanied by several gas and ash emissions. Ash fell in the area surrounding the city of Pasto and the alert level was increased to red. The explosions could be heard in the sectors of San Cayetano, Anganoy (Pasto Municipality), San José de Bomboná and San Antonio (Cansacá Municipality). INGEOMINAS reported ash downfall in all directions from the crater. 14 The volcanic activity decreased from 14 March and was stable at yellow between 24 March and 24 April. 24 Abril 24 Changes in activity level were registered from 23 April. Seismic activity and gas emissions were altering between high and low levels. On 24 April, volcanic activities similar to those leading up to earlier serious events were registered, i.e more seismic activity, gas emissions and changes in behaviour. The alert level was therefore increased to orange. Through the day, two explosive eruptions were registered and the alert level was changed to red. Ash fall was registered up to 20 km away. The first eruption caused shock waves felt in surrounding communities up to 25 km away. 25 The alert level was reduced to orange as the volcanic activity decreased. Gas emissions and strong sulphuric gases continued to be released at a relatively high level, indicating a probable risk of new eruptions. Volcanic activities continued to fluctuate and the alert level was therefore kept at level orange. Mayo 07 The alert level was set to yellow on 7 May, but again increased to level orange when volcanic sediments broke off 11 from the crater due to increased seismic activities. Movements on 9 May registered at 2.2 on the Richter Scale and were felt in sectors of Pasto Municipality. The increased activity was regarded as a sign of a potential increase in the volcano’s activity level. 19 Seismic activity was not registered and the alert level was therefore lowered to yellow. Junio 07‐08 On June 7, INGEOMINAS changed the alert level directly from yellow to red as a consequence of an explosive eruption, followed by loud acoustic waves. Ash fell on the north‐west face of the volcano and seismic movements were registered as parts of the volcano wall broke off. This earthquake was registered 3 km away from the volcano and reached a level of 4.0 on the Richter Scale. On 8 June, a second explosive eruption was registered. The explosion could be heard 45 km away. This eruption also led to parts of the volcano wall breaking off and causing an earthquake of 3.0 on the Richter Scale. This eruption was similar to the energy level of the eruption on 24 April. As the volcano’s behaviour continued to be unpredictable, the alert level was kept on level red. 10 The volcano continued to fluctuate in activity level, but was not regarded to have imminent eruptions. 19, 26 The activity level showed no seismic activity and the alert level was therefore lowered to yellow on 19 June. On 26 June, the level was again altered to orange as the activities increased. July, August The alert level stayed at orange through July and was lowered to yellow in August.

Active volcano, but stable activity level/behaviour (IV) Changes in the activity level/behaviour of the volcano (III). Probable eruption within days or weeks (II) Imminent or ongoing eruption (I) Source: INGEOMINAS.

16 Alert levels ranging from lowest to highest: green – yellow – orange – red. 9 Coordination and humanitarian response

Nariño Department

Tumaco Municiplity The Colombian Red Cross (CRC) launched a preliminary emergency appeal to kick‐start the re‐lief activities. To date, 1,790 have been assisted by CRC with relief, non‐food items, shelter, water and sanitation. Health services were provided to 6,554 people through mobile units. The authorities, the national and international donor community have provided in‐kind and cash donations for the first emergency appeal, which is estimated to be completed by the end of September. According to the Colombian Red Cross, longer‐term funding support is needed to sustain the relief operation, since 40% of the estimated needs will be covered by the present appeal.

The day following the disaster, DGR coordinated the assistance response of the SNPAD. Professionals from the Colombian Red Cross, the Civil Defense, the National Fire Fighters System, el Ministerio de Protección Social, el Ministerio de Agricultura and DGR were moved to Tumaco. On 27 February, el Ministerio de Agricultura arrived in the area to evaluate the impact on the agriculture in the region. The Government announced that it would provide COP$5,000 million to the affected farmers owning lots of land of less than 15 hectares in size.

Within two weeks of the flooding, 545 tons of humanitarian assistance arrived in Tumaco. Among the assistance provided were basic food rations, kitchen kits, pots, cooking oil, towels, mattresses, bedspreads and toiletry kits. The Government and the international community worked together to provide the assistance. Likewise, 550 families in the towns of Biguaral, Guachales, Peña Colorado y Bocas de Capipi in Tumaco were attended to in the first two weeks of the disaster by a group of specialized health personnel. The intention of this operation was to vaccinate the children and diagnose the health situation of families affected by the disaster. The group of health experts was made up of doctors, nurses, one psychologist, vaccination experts and one water/sanitation expert17.

UNETE (United Nations Emergency Technical Team)18, with its member organizations: WFP, UNICEF, PAHO‐WHO, IOM and OCHA, as well as the international NGOs such as Plan International, Doctors Without Borders and IRD, have been providing technical support to CLOPAD to attend to the emergency and in preparing an Action Plan, together with DGR, the Nariño CREPAD, the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the Colombian Red Cross, Civil Defense and the Armed Forces.

On 7 and 8 June, the Government ordered the inhabitants of the area to evacuate due to explosive eruptions of the Galeras volcano. Emergency shelters were opened in Pasto, Nariño and La Florida municipalities, and supported by the Civil Defense, the Colombian Red Cross and the National Fire Fighters. However, few families finally decided to evacuate.

SOUTH‐EAST REGION (Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Meta, Vaupez, Vichida)

Amazonas Department During the first semester, DGR reported flooding incidents in two municipalities.

Leticia and Puerto Nariño Municipalities: On 14 January and 14 March, flooding left 8,275 persons (1,653 families) affected and 1,653 houses damaged in Leticia. In Puerto Nariño, 1,665 persons (334 families) were affected and 332 houses were reported damaged.

17 Dirección de Gestión del Riesgo del Ministerio del Interior y de Justicia 18 UNETT (United Nations Emergency Technical Team), in Colombia under the name of UNETE. 10 CENTRAL REGION (Cundinamarca, Huila, Tolima)

Cundinamarca Department

Bogotá, D.C.: In February and March, DGR registered flooding, landslides, hail and wind storms affecting 2,146 people and damaging 446 homes. The most seriously affected neighborhoods were El Quirigua, Bosa, Chapinero and several sectors of northern Bogotá, where children were especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases due to the heavy rainfall and lower temperatures following the “La Niña” phenomenon.

On 2 April, heavy rains caused chaos in central and eastern parts of Colombia. The Mayor of Bogotá declared a yellow alert in the capital due to continuous heavy rainfall19, amounting to five times the normal quantity for the season. Roads collapsed and rivers in the city flooded. No victims were reported, but traffic and public transportation were hit hard. The inhabitants in the southern and western parts of the city experienced flooding of houses, schools and roads. More than 5,000 persons were affected due to flooding along Fucha River in Fontibón neighborhood. Some 70 persons were evacuated in inflatable boats and 205 vehicles were damaged. Shops, cafés and other commerce were also damaged by the flooding.

Soacha Municipality – deslizamiento

On 7 and 22 March, 1,461 persons (417 families) were affected, 25 houses were destroyed and 161 houses were damaged by two landslides in Soacha

Municipality (DGR). Geologists stated that the landslides most likely were caused by the filtration of sewage waste water in the mountain, causing instability in the soil. The affected area was

regarded as a high risk area due to the filtration of the running sewage. However, the majority of the affected population was already displaced from other parts of the country the population and did

not leave their houses.

Soacha, March 2009 Source: http://www.redhum.org

Yacopí Municipality: More than 8,000 persons were affected by landslides along main and secondary roads in the municipality, affecting local agricultural production and commerce. Instituto Nacional de Vías (INVIAS)20 reported that the road passing through La Arena was the most vulnerable point among the roads in the municipality and the section was closed for three months during the semester.

Albán Municipality: On 26 March, the emergency response authorities of Cundinamarca reported three casualties due to a landslide in the rural town of Guayacundo Alto. Aid organizations at the departmental and municipal levels, with the support of local police, assessed the risk level in the zone in order to adopt security measures for the 24 families living in the town.

19 www.desastres.org. 20 The National Road Institute 11

Melgar Municipality: On 2 April, 8 landslides on the road between Fusagasugá and Melgar left 100 persons isolated as public and private transport was stopped for several days.

Flooding along the Melgar and Sumapaz rivers affected 300 hectares of crops, 10 houses were damaged and 400 persons (120 families).

Ibagué Municipality: On 12 April, heavy rains led to flooding along 4 creeks, killing 6 people, destroying 15 houses and affecting 500 families in 10 neighbourhoods.

Coordination and humanitarian response

Cundinamarca Department

Soacha Municipality Families who needed to evacuate their houses on 7 and 22 March due to landslides were provided temporary shelter in a school and a public building. The Colombian Red Cross, ICBF, Red Juntos, the Police and the Civil Defense worked together addressing the emergency in the area and provided water and basic humanitarian assistance.

Due to the high risk of continuing to live in the area, UNDP is leading the consolidation of a macro‐project for the resettlement of families living in houses located in the high‐risk areas. Within the project framework, the plan is to construct 2,400 houses in an area called “El Papiro”. UNDP has hired an expert to manage the project in coordination with the Ministries of Environment and Housing. The project is depending on acquiring the lot “El Papiro”, which currently is privately owned. The Government of Cundinamarca has earmarked COP$500 million for technical studies of the area in question. On Tuesday, 29 September, a public forum regarding the resettlements will be held in Soacha. The intention of this meeting is to inform the affected population and initiate a joint process together with the community.

4. Disaster preparedness ­ completed events

CERF response – flooding 2008 The members of UNETE, in coordination withSNPAD in Colombia, carried out 8 missions to 5 regions in order to assess the needs of the population affected by flooding and the eruptions of volcano. Based on those findings and a request for assistance by DGR, the UNETE Colombia Response Plan 2008 was adapted. The plan amounted to US$33,195,000, of which $3,137,908 was approved for CERF, implemented from January 2009 for a 6 month period.

Response Plan 2008 Resources CERF according to sector and partner 1. semester 2009 Sector Agency CERF Rapid Response Coordinating partner Food Security FAO US$240,000 Local and international NGO´s, UN System Agencies, indigenous and afro‐ Colombian authorities. Shelter IOM $468.986 CISP, NGO’s, local authorities and UN System Agencies. Health/WatSan UNFPA $356.984 The Ministry of Social Protection: Public Health Division, and UN System Agencies. WatSan, Hygiene, Health, UNICEF $800.000 Catholic Church of Quibdó and , Oxfam G.B., Save The Children‐UK, Plan Nutrition and Child and UN System Agencies. Protection Food and Nutrition WFP $1.271.938 Local NGO´s, OXFAM G.B., Diakonia, Action Against Hunger (Spain), indigenous and afro‐Colombian organizations, Catholic Church, pastoral organizations.

$3.137.908

Volcano disaster preparedness ‐ May On 16 January, DGR held a meeting where they urged all the entities of the national disaster prevention system to be prepared for possible emergencies resulting from the activities of the three volcanoes: Nevado del Huila (), Cerro Machín (Tolima Department) and Galeras (Nariño Department). Nevado del Huila and Cerro Machín are not regarded as a immediate threats, but the Government encouraged the relevant bodies to prepare contingency and disaster plans in case of changes in 12 activity level. Galeras is regarded as a more imminent threat to the surrounding communities. Eruptions are expected to occur even if the volcano at the moment is classified as being at yellow alert (the lowest alert level).

UNETE emergency response simulation ‐ May UNETE carried out the first yearly simulation to test humanitarian response capacities in May. The simulation scenario was an earthquake in the city of Popayán, located in the southeastern Colombia. The main themes of this simulation were focusing on security, UNETE’s action plans, and the needs assessment, protection and communication. A preliminary evaluation rendered very positive results, highlighting the seamless coordination of UN and non‐UN actors, information sharing and response capacities. The drill included the participation of 12 international humanitarian organizations, as well as with DGR.

Joint Early Recovery Mission ‐ May During the second rainy season of 2008, 1,877,000 persons were affected by flooding as the rivers of the country reached historical levels. Some 46% of the affected population was located in five departments of the Caribbean region, generating a serious humanitarian crisis due to destruction of houses, roads and water supply systems, loss of agricultural production, as well as poor or no access to food. UNETE, together with international NGOs formulated a response plan contemplating a response period of 6 months and an early recovery period between 6 and 18 months. The assessment mission coordinated by UNETE was joined by 30 participants during 4 days in May this year. The joint assessment identified projects for early recovery having an estimated value of US$33,7 mill. .

Emergency response simulation– May On 27 and 28 May, UNETE organized a simulation exercise in Bogotá in order to evaluate its readiness to respond to and handle a major catastrophe. The exercise was focused on the United Nations System in Colombia, in coordination with NGOs and counterparts in Colombia. The intent of the exercise was to evaluate what works and what needs to be improved in coordination and response in case of an emergency. The integration between humanitarian missions and government institutions was regarded as functioning well. The same was the case for the available administration of resources from the various agencies and coordination during operations.

Rapid Needs Assessment Methodology workshop ‐ June OCHA Colombia, with ROLAC’s21 support, hosted a national workshop in June with the participation of field staff from different UN agencies, NGOs and national authorities under the UNETE framework to adapt the REDLAC22 Rapid Needs Assessment Methodology to Colombia. The workshop focused on the humanitarian response during emergencies and early recovery. The workshop built upon recent efforts to reinforce coordinated contingency planning and response, such as the UN Contingency Plan for Disasters and the emergency response simulation in Popayán in the south‐east of the country in May.

Government response ‐ June On 8 June, DGR reported that COP$6,200 million would be provided as part of the “Prevention and Mitigation process”. These projects aim to decrease the impact of the rainy season on communities. The funding will be provided to 5 departments: Antioquia, Cauca, Nariño, Risaralda and Tolima, with the intention of strengthening infrastructure in risk‐prone municipalities in order to reduce the impact of the rainy season.

5. Disaster preparedness ­ upcoming events

Earth quake emergency simulation in Bogotá in October The continuous threat of a major earthquake or other natural disaster event of a large scale in the country has meant preparation is essential. Colombia has a history of major disasters which have provided lessons learned in preparation, response, organization and early recovery. The earthquake simulation in Bogotá will focus on the impacts of a large‐scale earthquake, where several potential scenarios will be played out. The capacity of the national and international agencies to respond to a number of emergency events generated by an earthquake, as well as improving the response mechanisms are the main focus. Generating national and international inter‐agency agreements in order to coordinate assistance in case of a large‐scale disaster event in the capital is also an expected outcome. The UN system in Colombia, represented by IOM, OCHA, UNDP, UNICEF and WFP, will participate in scenarios where they will be tested on their emergency preparedness on the basis of the Interagency Contingency Plan signed in 2008. UNETE is given the task of advisory team for natural disasters and the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) will evaluate the Business Continuity Plan of the UN system.

21 Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos, UN‐HABITAT (ROLAC ). 22 Grupo de Trabajo de Riesgos, Desastres y Emergencias del Comité Permanente Interagencial de la Región Americana y el Caribe (REDLAC). 13 OCHA as coordinator of UNETE is assisting the agencies in the elaboration of scenarios and the review of their response plans. UNETE is also assisting in the activation of the UN Telecommunications Team and the participation of the UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT). The Field Coordination Support Section (FCSS), Emergency Services Branch has agreed with the regional office to deploy an UNDAC23 team of 4‐5 persons to support the exercise in Bogotá, as they did in 2003.

Sources DGR, SNPAD www.sigpad.gov.co IDEAM www.ideam.gov.co INGEOMINAS www.ingeominas.gov.co CREPAD CLOPAD Colombian Red Cross www.cruzrojacolombiana.org OCHA Colombia www.colombiassh.org/ Colombia Reports www.colombiareports.com Reliefweb www.reliefweb.int Newsitemstoday www.newsitemstoday.today.com El Pais Newspaper www.elpais.com Ipitimes http://www.ipitimes.com Radio Santafe http://www.radiosantafe.com Barbacoas, Nariño Government http://barbacoas‐narino.gov.co Webmira http://webmira.netfirms.com Apelosdoceu http://apelosdoceu.com Redhum http://www.redhum.org Desastres www.desastres.org

*This report is based on information collected by OCHA, through the OCHA information system. The report is based on official and secondary sources. In case of questions or need for elaboration of information, please refer to the stated sources.

Contacts

OCHA Colombia María José Torres Macho Maria Claudia Marín Head of Office OCHA Information Officer Calle 98 No.10‐15 oficina 401, Bogotá Calle 98 No.10‐15 oficina 401, Bogotá Tel: (+57) 1 6221100 / Fax: (57) +1 6221232 Tel: (+57) 1 6221100 / Mob: (+57) 3115166667 E‐mail: [email protected] E‐mail: [email protected]

Nina A. Brattvoll Reporting Officer Calle 98 No.10‐15 oficina 401, Bogotá Tel: (+57) 1 6221100 E‐mail: [email protected]

23 United Nations Disaster and Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC). 14