Situation Report 8 – BOLIVIA – FLOODS –13 FEBRUARY 2008 This situation report is based on information received from the Office of the Resident Coordinator, UN Agencies, the Bolivian Government, the UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) in Bolivia and OCHA Regional Office in Panama. HIGHLIGHTS • The floods claimed 52 lives and affected more than 55, 649 families. The President of Bolivia Evo Morales declared a state of national disaster on 12 February. • A Flash Appeal will be prepared in view of the deterioration of the situation. SITUATION OVERVIEW According to the projections of SEMENA, water levels in the Trinidad region will continue to rise 1. Since November 2007, several parts of Bolivia during the next 4 days. At noon on February 12, the have been affected by floods and heavy rains. water level surpassed part of the protecting levees in According to the Vice Ministry of Civil Defense, the the South-East of Trinidad and partially flooded the disaster has claimed 52 lives and affected 55,649 city where thousands of persons had taken shelter. families. Eight persons are missing. On Tuesday Some 25% of the population of Trinidad has been February 12, the Government declared a state of affected i.e. 3, 546 families or an estimated 16,753 national disaster. Some 57 of the 327 municipalities persons. in the nine departments of Bolivia are in red alert. The declaration of national disaster allows the 3. Some 347 schools were damaged or destroyed authorities to immediately request 1% of the national affecting approximately 20,820 students and 694 budget to respond to the situation. teachers. WFP reports that a total of 36,000 families are in need of food. While the food sector is Number of affected families by Department (as of coordinating the assistance, more resources will be February 12, 2008) needed to respond to all needs. Affected Families 55.649 Situation per Department Houses Damaged 469 Houses Destroyed 108 Beni Hect. Damaged 24.000 4. Strong showers since the night of 10 February Deaths 52 and an expected wave of water coming from higher Missing 8 regions surpassed parts of the levees that protect the city of Trinidad. The Joint Military Command, which 2. Currently, the most affected area is the is providing logistical support, began executing a department of Beni. On 11 February, the Prefecture plan to evacuate the population to safer areas close to had declared Beni a “zone of natural disaster”. Water the University in the north side of the city. levels in the Rio Mamoré basin have risen to critical levels, flooding 50 km of each river shore, and 5. Four cases of leptospirosis were confirmed, covering agricultural lands in over 300 communities. while the number of consultations for skin related Bolivia floods Report No. 8 Page 2 diseases, severe respiratory infections and diarrhea, response. Water levels have reached historical reached 500 reported between 6 and 9 February. records in the affected communities with an average However, according to the head of the water rise reported to 1 cm every 2 hours. epidemiological unit of the prefecture, there has been no pidemic outbreak. Three cases of rabies affected 9. With the support of one C-130 of the Bolivian dogs have been confirmed in the city of Trinidad on Air Force, WFP has airlifted 20 MT of food for 503 12 February. families in the municipality of San Ignacio. Two Brazilian helicopters, supporting the Government of 6. The Trinidad’s water treatment plant was only Bolivia, have airlifted 4 MT of food directly to 30 cm above the main river level. Likewise, the flooded communities in San Ignacio. Another 15 MT power plants machineries, which provide electricity, of WFP food for 172 families have been distributed are located in cellars where no pumps or drainage in the municipality of Loreto by World Vision. WFP would be available. To protect the machinery, which (through its counterpart DRIPAD), the Civil Defense is estimated by Civil Defense to provide 75% of the and the Red Cross are coordinating their actions to population of Trinidad with safe drinking water, a provide food to 3,000 families in camps in the city of brick wall was build. Trinidad. 7. Currently, the total number of affected families in Santa Cruz the department of Beni is 11, 260 in 283 10. Heavy rains in the department of Santa Cruz communities; there are 29 shelters in Trinidad; see have increased Río Grande and Pirai rivers water details in the following table: levels. According to the EDAN Commission, as of the first week of February, 12,240 families have been affected in 15 provinces, 33 municipalities and 303 Province Municipality Community Families communities According to the Departmental Education Service of Santa Cruz, classes have been San Andrés 47 1896 postponed in San Julián, Pailón, Minero, Portachuelo, Yapacaní, Porongo, El Torno, El Puente, Urubichá, Marbán Loreto 1 87 Okinawa, Buenavista, Fernández Alonso, San Pedro Loreto 44 961 and Saavedra. San Ignacio - TIMI 53 1835 San Ignacio - 11. Almost 50% of all the population in shelters Moxos TIM 8 249 in Santa Cruz are located in the community of Los San Ignacio - Troncos (351 families or 2,457 persons). There are TIPNIS 49 955 hundreds of children without adequate protection. San Javier 11 175 Families are keeping their animals inside their tents Trinidad since corrals have not been built yet. There is no Cercado (urban) - 3081 Trinidad access to safe water in the camps and insufficient (rural) 6 465 latrines in both the camps and shelters. Santa Rosa 8 225 Ballivián 12. Other areas hit by floods are the communities Reyes 16 577 in the municipality of El Puente. A report by Plan Yacuma Santa Ana 5 168 International states that 4 improvised camps in poor Vaca Diez Riberalta 35 586 conditions are sheltering 136 families from 11 TOTAL 283 11,260 communities. The existing camps have insuficient matresses, among other shortcommings. Another 8. The departmental road network has been group of aproximately 100 famlies from 3 affected almost in its totality. The situation of rural communities are completely isolated and refuse to be communities is severe and requires immediate evacuated, as they had lost their animals and stocked Bolivia floods Report No. 8 Page 3 provisions alst year. The affected population – but actors to report and inform on the humanitarian mostly women and children - are suffering from assistance developments. migraine, articular pains, skin disesases, conjunctivitis and are at risk of snake bites. Plan Beni International and WFP are considering to jointly 17. First aid medical posts have been installed in provide food to these families. 17 camps in the city of Trinidad. Between 29 January and 8 February, 29 emergency kits were distributed to 13. WFP, through its counterpart DRIPAD, 16 urban and rural camps in Trinidad. The distributed 16 MT to 338 families in the municipality Departmental Health Service of Beni has an of Santa Rosa del Sara. In the municipality of San additional 20 health kits in stock. A group of a total Julian, 36 MT were distributed to 834 families. The of 40 voluntary doctors is expected to arrive soon. A WFP representative is joining these distributions. military boat is on its way to Santa Ana del Yacuma with medication and will provide medical services to Cochabamba the communities of Riberalta at the river Mamoré. 14. In Cochabamba, the number of affected families has risen from 269 to 9,325. Some 136 cases 18. The Prefecture of Beni will provide two of dengue were reported since last November; of medical kits to two hospitals to serve evacuated which some 70% of the cases were in the Chapare persons in the whole department. Two doctors were province, in the municipalities of Puerto Villarroel, assigned to carry out emergency missions by Entre Ríos and Villa Tunari. 344 MT of food was helicopter to evaluate the needs of the communities. delivered to the affected families, according to the In the province of Moxos, three health brigades left to Civil Defense data. As the water of the flooded rivers the park Isidoro Sécure with the support of the starts returning to normal levels, several landslides on Canary Cooperation, to respond to needs in San river banks occurred, putting at risk infrastructures Ignacio and surrounding communities. Before the rise such as the port in Puerto Villarroel. The above of water levels on 12 February, all shelters were mentioned towns postponed the beginning of school fumigated; in total 4, 940 tents for approximately 36, classes until 18 February. 000 persons were distributed. 15. The water levels of the dam of La Angostura Santa Cruz are close to overflowing, putting in danger three 19. The Bolivian authorities sent 200 doses of anti municipalities, including Cochabamba, the capital rabies vaccination, 10 doses of heterologic serum and city. a medication kit (this kit was send to Yapacaní). La Paz Cochabamba 16. Water supply is still restricted to 25 20. The Bolivian health authorities sent a neighborhoods in the southeastern and eastern areas medication kit and 90 liters of insecticide and of La Paz, due to the fracture of the main water obtained Bs. 200,000 to buy another 400 liters. All pipeline on January 25th. School and educational departments have stocks of yellow fever, anti-tetanus activities have been postponed until 18 February due vaccinations and anti-rabies vaccinations, both for to these water restrictions. human and canine use. Kits of PAHO-WHO to vaccinate 1,000 persons over three months are NATIONAL RESPONSE available. Departmental Operational Emergency Centers INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE continue to working extensively in each of the affected departments.