August 2006 Focus
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FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 1 than 20,000 displaced when the Omo River burst its HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE: banks. In Amhara Region, flooding displaced at least 29,360 people. In South West Shewa zone in Oromiya · DIRE DAWA AND BEYOND: THE CHALLENGE OF Region, more than 2,000 people were displaced. RAPID RESPONSE · REGIONAL OVERVIEW Flooding reached as far as Gambella, Somali and Tigray. · RELIEF FOOD AND NON-FOOD UPDATE The magnitude of the crisis overwhelmed the country with · RESOURCES FOR FLOOD EMERGENCY a scale of devastation and damage than had not been · UPCOMING & ONGOING MEETINGS witnessed in recent memory. All told, the flooding has so far killed more than 600 peo ple, displaced approximately Focus on Ethiopia is produced by UN Office for the 136,000 others and affected population of 357,611 in 9 of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the country’s 11 regions. collaboration with other UN agencies and partner NGOs. Focus on Ethiopia provides a monthly overview of humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, as well as The government’s initial response to the crisis was focus ing on particular issues of interest. Send comments, nothing less than impressive. Within 24 hours of the Dire suggestions and contributions to [email protected] Dawa floods, the DPPA chartered a plane to visit the scene and the Prime Minister became actively involved in the response. A joint assessment team evaluated the extent of the causalities, damages and the most DIRE DAWA AND BEYOND: THE CHALLENGE OF RAPID immediate needs. Gaps were identified and filled by RESPONSE government and humanitarian partners and coordination of efforts was facilitated from the onset. As the flooding On the night of 5 August, the Dechatu River raged through the began to ravage South Omo Valley, the Government was city of Dire Dawa. The flood waters spread 200 metres beyond able to rescue more than 1,360 people and provided the banks of the river and swept with unprecedented force much needed food and non-food items to more than through the city. The following day, Dire Dawa awoke to 4,300 households. A committee chaired by the Deputy devastation and death. Entire buildings and the homes of over Prime Minister was established to address the crisis 9,000 people were destroyed. The night had claimed 256 lives nationwide. and left 244 missing. But as the crisis continued, the flooding revealed The Dire Dawa floods were the beginning of a month of crisis. significant challenges that Government and Humanitarian The following week 364 people were reported killed and more actors face in dealing with rapid onset emergencies. A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 2 Standard Operating Procedures for joint assessments that proposals from UN agencies that address the gaps were used to great effect in Dire Dawa were not identified in the Joint Flash Appeal launched on 25 institutionalized as the flooding continued in other areas. August and it is envisaged that this fund will strongly Information sharing mechanisms on flood monitoring that contribute to replenishment of depleted stock. would avoid duplication of efforts by humanitarian agencies were not sufficiently utilized. Federal and regional government In sum, what began as a model response to a limited players needed to augment their efforts both at collaboration crisis evolved into a challenging nationwide emergency, and mobilization of resources. A more systematic effort at taxing capacities of government and humanitarian Early Warning information sharing needed to be established. partners. To enhance future response, measures must be taken to maximize coordination, increase government As the flooding continued across the country considerable capacity with appropriate equipment, protocols and other gaps emerged in both the food and non-food sectors. In non- resources to react quickly to rapid and unforeseen food areas such items as life jackets and even plastic sheeting emergencies. In this regard, efforts are already underway became scarce. Access to flood affected areas became to coordinate Early Warning information with the increasingly complicated . Search and rescue required boats establishment of th e DPPA-led Early Warning Working and helicopters, both of which were in short supply. As a Group, which will offer a forum to develop protocols for result, critical aerial assessments were also limited. quick onset emergencies. Communications was hampered by lack of equipment. In the food sector, the floods came at a time when some 2.8 million people were placed on the emergency food rolls. The REGIONAL OVERVIEW additional requirements to feed 200,000 people as a result of flooding further taxed food provision and distribution Afar resources. Coordination of the assessment process began to break down. When floods ensued in other parts of SNNPR, The region is presently experiencing two varying natural Oromiya, Afar and Amhara, coordination further deteriorated disasters: flooding in some zones and in contrast as various organisations conducted assessments on their own shorta ge of water in others. without knowledge of the activities of other humanitarian partners resulting in frequently conflicting conclusions. The belg/pastoral assessment has identified 10,400 people that require immediate food assistance for the second half of the year. Following the recent heavy rains, the regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Food Security Bureau (DPPFSB) in Afar has reported that the Awash River has flooded affecting 26,000 people although this number needs further confirmation. Floods are reported to have severely damaged farm lands in Dulecha, Amibara, Gewane and Buremudaitu woredas. The situation is currently being closely monitored as there are fears of further flooding from Awash basin Flooding is not new to the region and the people have their own coping mechanisms. This year, however, the people’s coping capacity has been exhausted due to the In many ways the bright spot of the crisis was varied funding successive failure of rains in the region. Their movement mechanisms that were utilized in the response. Despite initial is also restricted due to intensified clashes with their rival coordination challenges, the DPPA was able to launch a joint clans, including the Issas and the Oromos. The Regional government and humanitarian flash appeal on 25 August early warning committee deployed two teams to zone 1 requesting US$27 million for immediate food, non-food and st and zone 3 to assess the flood damages in already rehabilitation needs. By 1 of September more than US$10 affected woredas and those vulnerable to future flooding. million is estimated to have been pledged or contributed by The team has prepared a contingency plan for the high direct grants from embassies, private donations and in kind risk areas, including Amibara and Boremudaitu woredas. contributions. Special OCHA and UNDP grants were also DPPA has so far dispatched 212 tons of wheat, 19 tons available during the crisis. Other funding mechanisms include of supplementary food, 7 tons of oil and 3 tons of oil to the Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF). A larger the flood victims in zone 3. replenishment of non-food items through the HRF for which DFID had recently provided an additional UK£1 million is On the other hand, Afdera, Teru, Erbeti, Megale, Yalo currently being considered. Jan Egeland, the Emergency and Gulina woredas of Zone 2 and 4 are suffering from Response Coordinator, has also approved an allocation from chronic shortage of water. These areas have not received the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of US$3 rains during this season. The belg/pastoral assessment million to be channeled through UN agencies for the flood report indicates that up to 10,400 beneficiaries in pockets response to assist the government. OCHA has requested of Zone 2 and 4 will require an extension of the existing A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 3 relief food assistance until the end of the year. The water task Inadequate sanitation in the resettlement sites in the force was charged with identifying gaps and organising western woredas of North Gondar zone is of major partners to enhance the capacity of the region to deal with concern, according to assessment reports by Save the water related issues. In the recent regional coordination Children-UK, IFRC, USAID/OFDA, CARE and MSF- meeting in Semera, UNICEF volunteered to provide technical Greece. A Joint OCHA/UNICEF/WFP mission is currently and coordination support to the task for ce. assessing the situation in the affected areas. To date, SC-UK has been providing humanitarian support and According to the report from the Livestock Concern Working MSF-Greece, in collaboration with the Bureau of Health, Group, there are no reports of animal disease outbreaks is providing ongoing medical assistance in the temporary except for the prevalence of unknown camel diseases. An shelter sites in South Gondar zone. Furthermore, the animal health vaccine programme focusing on livestock skin DPPA has dispatched 300 tons of relief food commodities diseases was sponsor ed by World Vision. Efforts to identify the to South-Gonder, Oromiya, North Gonder zones and cause of the unknown camel disease are ongoing. FAO has Bahir Dar allocated resources and has developed a Terms of Reference to conduct further investigation in collaboration with The first Amhara Emergency Coordination Forum on the international experts. floods took place on 3 September in Bahir Dahr between government, NGO partners and UN agencies. As a Following improvements of the physical condition of livestock result, five task forces were established – Food, non -food that has increased market accessibility and the implementation and shelter; Heath and nutrition; Agriculture and of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), the livestock; Water, Environment and Sanitation; and belg/pastoral area assessment report expects the food security Education, HIV/AIDS and Protection.