Yemen: Floods August 2013 Situation Report No. 2 (as of 29 August 2013) This report is produced by OCHA Yemen in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It is issued by OCHA Yemen. It covers the period from [26 to 29 August 2013]. The next report will be issued on or around 05 September. Highlights • At least 37 people have been confirmed dead and close to 20,000 people affected by flooding and heavy rains. Since the rains started in mid-August, 21 districts of eight governorates have been affected. • An earthquake struck Bani Ghushaim village of Bani Awam District of Hajjah, resulting in destruction of two houses and displacement of 23 people on 24 August. A week earlier, heavy rains and landslides caused damages to three houses and forced 41 people to leave their homes in the neighboring area of Qal’at Khazin in the same District. • Humanitarian agencies, including UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, NGO implementing partners and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society (YRCS) have begun assessments and humanitarian response to assist the victims in areas most affected by flooding. Areas and numbers of people affected by the heavy rains and floods # of houses/ # of # of # of people # of shelters Locations Households people killed people destroyed/ affected affected (confirmed) injured damaged Rudum, Ahwar, May'fa, Usayan, Bayhan Districts and surroundings areas of Arqa City, an area in 1,307 9,150 7 12 Shabwah and covering part of Abyan Mawyah, Mashra'ah Wah Hadnan, Sharab and 21 3 Jabal Habashi Districts of Taizz Dhamar City and Utmah Districts of Dhamar 1 Bani Matar District of Sana'a 20 140 Al Mashannah and Jiblah Districts of Ibb 116 812 2 Three IDP camps in Haradh, and Midi and Bani 1,185 8,317 1 1,179 5 Awam Districts of Hajjah Al Mighlaf, Al Qanawis and Al Sukhnah Districts of 200 1,400 5 Al Hudaydah Total 2,828 19,819 37 1,191 8 + For more information, see “background on the crisis” at the end of the report www.unocha.org The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. Coordination Saves Lives Country Emergency Situation Report No. XX | 2 Situation Overview Torrential rains have triggered flash floods in several parts of Yemen. The recent storms and heavy rainfall began on 14 August and have since continued. As many as 37 people have been confirmed dead and several others are still missing as a result of floods and lightning strikes throughout the country. There are reports of family displacements and loss of livestock, as well as livelihoods and infrastructure in eight governorates. In some areas, damage to water networks and scarcity of drinking water have been reported. Humanitarian agencies, including UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, NGO implementing partners and the Yemeni Red Crescent Society (YRCS) have begun assessments and humanitarian response to assist the victims of the disaster. Central Regional The floods and lightning killed at least two people including a soldier in a military camp, and injured three others, blocked roads, destroyed two houses, swept away agricultural lands and damaged school buildings in Mawyah and Mashra’ah and Hadnan Districts of Taizz on 16 August. Another man was drowned on the same day in Jabal Habashi District. In Ibb Governorate, heavy rains swept away the homes of 80 socially marginalized (muhamashin) families from Al Mashannah District on 23 August. Another 36 families were affected in Jiblah District whose houses were swept away on 14 August. According to a recent report, the torrential rains also swept away a medium-size bus and killed two people in the City of Ibb on 19 August. In Dhamar Governorate, lightning killed a girl and the flood water damaged some rural roads in Utmah District. A number of old houses have been damaged in the City of Dhamar, as the flood water remained in the lower grounds for an extended period of time. 18 people, including eight women, three girls and five boys confirmed dead when a wedding party was swept away by flood water while driving in a convoy of three vehicles across Wadi Nakhla, a valley between Taizz and Ibb Governorates on 17 August; initially, it was reported that 27 people died in the incident. All the casualties were from the Fara Al Udayn District of Ibb Governorate. Floods inundated the village of Hilalah - Bani Qais in Bani Matar District in Sana’a Governorate on 17 August, destroyed three old houses and partially destroyed ten houses, resulting in the displacement of 20 families within the District. Southern Region: Heavy rainfall resulted in flooding in Arqa, an area in Shabwah Governorate and covering part of Abyan Governorates, destroying homes, the city's infrastructure, and sweeping away belongings and vehicles. The floods also wiped out livestock and acres of agricultural lands, which are the source of income for the local community. Four people were confirmed dead when heavy rainfall and torrents destroyed eight houses, damaged five vehicles, and blocked the road between Aden – Mukalla in Ahwar District on 15 August. More houses were damaged in Rudum District in the same area where the floods blocked the Alwar – Shabwah highway. One person was confirmed dead, three houses damaged and one completely destroyed in Bayhan District on 15 August. The flood also destroyed five farms and caused family displacements to neighbouring areas. Verified information confirms the death of a young boy, loss of livestock and the destruction of agriculture farms in May’fa District, neighborhood of Gawl Al Sheikh on the same day. Gawl Al Sheikh, with a population of around 7,000 people, has been isolated from the rest of the region and sustained serious damage because of its vulnerable and low-lying geography, including damage to the water networks. Reports received on 26 August indicate that the flood water in entire Arqa area has dried up. However, communities are still concerned about possible rains in the coming weeks that may affect their houses or livelihoods. In the south of Shabwah Governorate, floods caused damages to the only water source – a network that supplies water to approximately 6,000 people in Arqa City and its surrounding areas, including Al Husoon, Lahjen, Mohaiseer, and areas inhabited by nomads. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | www.unocha.org Country Emergency Situation Report No. XX | 3 Northern Region Landslides caused damage to three houses and forced 41 people to leave their homes and settle with relatives and in a school in Qal’at Khazin area of Bani Awam District. Meanwhile, an earthquake struck the village of Al-Khalat in Bani Ghushaim area of Bani Awam District on 24 August, resulting in the destruction of two residential houses. The 23 affected people were accommodated in the area. Strong winds and heavy rains in Haradh District of Hajjah damaged over 50 per cent of the shelters in the three IDP camps at Al Mazraq on 20 August. More than 600 latrines were partially damaged after the superstructures made of iron sheets were blown off. Twenty temporary classrooms in camp II, two temporary outpatient rooms at the clinic run by ADRA and the WFP Rub Hall in camp III were extensively damaged. Five people, including three children, sustained light injuries from the collapsing shelters in the camps. A man was reported to have drowned in the Midi District of Hajjah Governorate on 26 August. Lightning hit a house, killing four people, including three women, in Al Mighlaf District of Al Hudaydah Govenorate on 17 August. On the same day, a man was killed by lightning in Al Qanawis District. In the neighbouring Al Sukhnah Districts, the flood swept way a number of houses, agricultural lands and farms. Around 200 families were affected by the floods across three districts. Funding Humanitarian partners are delivering humanitarian assistance to the victims of flooding in the eight affected governorates of Yemen. Humanitarian organizations in country have the capacity to respond to the immediate needs of the people affected by the flooding, thus no additional funding is requested from donors at present. However, only US$308 million (44 per cent) of the total US$702 million required for implementation of the 2013 Humanitarian Response Plan has been received so far. All humanitarian partners, including donors and recipient agencies, are encouraged to inform OCHA's Financial Tracking Service (FTS - http://fts.unocha.org) of cash and in-kind contributions by e-mailing: [email protected] Humanitarian Response Food Security Needs: • Central Region: An assessment team to be deployed to the affected districts of Taizz and Ibb Governorates to assess the situation and identify the needs of people affected by flooding. YRCS has identified the needs of 20 flood affected households in the village of Hilalah - Bani Qais in Bani Matar District of Sana’a Governorate. • Southern Region: The people in Arqa City and its surrounding districts are suffering from lack of food as their food storages have been spoiled by floods water. Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS) – a National NGO active in the area has assessed the needs of 450 households affected by flooding in the Arqa area of which 90 households were in immediate need of food assistance. SHS is currently assessing the four floods affected areas inhabited by nomads, namely Al Raaya, Sharq al Amhata, Gul Al Asjaa and Al Ahgal in surrounding the City of Arqa, which still require further verifications and technical assessments. • Northern Region: Provision of food is one of the critical needs of the 1,179 households affected by flooding in the three IDP camps at Al Mazraq.