ICRC
Press release
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thousands of people in eastern Puntland are trying to cope with the aftermath of a devastating cyclone. Further south, in Middle Shabelle, tens of thousands are struggling to recover from major flooding by the River Shabelle, especially in and around the town of Jowhar.In Puntland, a cyclone that struck on 10 November left dozens of
people dead and up to a million head of livestock wiped out by freak
freezing temperatures, high winds and severe floods. "The regions of
Nugal and Bari were the most affected," said Abshir Omar Jama, who is
coordinating the ICRC's relief effort in Puntland. "Hundreds of families
have been rendered homeless, and the economy – highly dependent on
livestock farming – has been shattered through the loss of so many
animals."
"It was raining for three days. It was getting more and
more windy and cold," said Mohamed Osman Jama, a livestock herder from
Naasa Hablood. "We had 150 goats and lost half of them. We had three
houses and they were all swept away by the flood. Our food was lost,
too."
ICRC and Somali Red Crescent Society personnel have managed
to reach the stricken areas and for the last week have been providing
much-needed assistance, but access remains very difficult owing to the
storm's impact on the road network. "In some places, we had to swim
across flooded roads to get to the affected areas," said Mr Omar Jama.
In
Middle Shabelle, the humanitarian situation is no better. Heavy rains
in the highlands of the Horn of Africa over the last two months have
swollen the Shabelle River massively, causing major flooding that has
forced more than 10,000 people to flee to the town of Jowhar, where they
are living in wretched conditions. In addition, the town is trying to
cope with some 5,000 people who have sought refuge near the airstrip, 13
kilometres to the north, following violent clashes between rival ethnic
groups.
"Those who have remained in flood-hit areas, especially
in and around Jowhar town, are having to contend with very difficult
conditions," said May Hazim, in charge of the ICRC's water and
sanitation programmes in Somalia. "Their shallow wells and other sources
of water have been contaminated, which represents a major health
hazard."
All the standing crops in the affected areas have been
destroyed. This is primarily an agricultural region, where the farmers
are now facing a severe food shortage with the loss of their harvest.
Recovering from this economic shock will be a challenge for the
community for a long time to come.
This month, the Somali Red Crescent Society and the ICRC have:
In eastern Puntland:
- distributed
emergency one-month food rations and household items to more than
12,000 cyclone victims in Dhir Waraabe, Lebi Cadaad, Xoolo Keen, Balli
Shilin, and Abqow;
- made available water as well as chlorine tablets and other items needed to store and distribute water;
In Middle Shabelle:
- provided
25,800 people with such essentials as kitchen sets, tarpaulins, hygiene
items, jerrycans, clothes, buckets and sleeping mats;
- distributed fortified biscuits, Plumpy'Nut and other nutritional supplements to needy people;
- cleaned and de-watered 19 hand-dug wells and upgraded 13 of them;
- stopped flooding and reinforced river banks at five locations;
- launched
a water trucking operation to distribute a survival ration of five
litres per person per day to 5,000 people displaced by inter-ethnic
violence;
- started building 100 latrines for 5,000 displaced people at the airport;
- dispatched
emergency surgical supplies to Jowhar Hospital for the treatment of
weapon-wounded patients and facilitated the transfer of war-wounded
people from Jowhar to the ICRC-supported Medina Hospital in Mogadishu.
The
ICRC and the Somali Red Crescent Society were already working in both
eastern Puntland and Middle Shabelle before the recent cyclone and
flooding. Both organizations have been supporting the efforts of local
communities to strengthen their self-reliance, and will continue to do
so.