BENIN, CHAD, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, MAURITANIA & TOGO: FLOODS

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1 BENIN, CHAD, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, MAURITANIA & TOGO: FLOODS appeal no. 15/95 17 June 1996 The disaster Between July and September 1995, unusually heavy rains in Mauritania, Benin, Togo, Chad and the Central African Republic caused unprecedented flooding, affecting 285,300 people in the five countries. Most people lost both their homes and belongings, agricultural areas were devastated and local infrastructures (roads, water systems, market places, schools, etc.) were severely damaged. The appeal BENIN C.A.R. CHAD MAURITANI A TOGO TOTAL Population Affected 115,000 1,957 40,343 95,000 33, ,300 Number of Villages Loss of Life Homeless 8,000 1,957 40,343 95,000 22, ,300 Number to be Assisted 12,000 1,957 40,343 9,500 10,000 73,800 After a series of assessment missions carried out by Federation representatives and the National Societies, and taking into account the plans of each country s government to assist the victims, the Federation launched an Emergency Appeal (no. 15/95) on 17 October 1995 for CHF 1,369,000 to provide shelter, food, health care and rehabilitation for 73,800 beneficiaries identified as the most vulnerable of the affected population. The operation Mauritania Donor response to the appeal for Mauritania did not allow the Mauritania Red Crescent Society (MRCS) to implement the programme it outlined in the appeal. One thousand children and 500 mothers were therefore selected from the original 9,500 target beneficiaries (10% of the affected population of 95,000) to receive intensive feeding in ten centres for three months. These feeding

2 centres were established with the assistance of CARITAS and the local community towards the end of October 1995, and for the following month locally-donated food was distributed. Then from December 1995 until February 1996 the following items were distributed: Items Beneficiaries Rations Period Total Cereal 1, g 90 days 20.5 mt Oil 1,520 30g 90 days 4.1 mt Sugar 1,520 30g 90 days 4.1 mt Blankets 1,200 families 1/family 1,200 Family tents 200 families 1/family Large tents 1/centre 2.00 WHO-kits Not covered by the Appeal The objectives of the planned Red Cross programme were achieved in Mauritania. Following the evaluation of this operation, the MRCS intends to work towards improving the situation of women in the flood-affected area through programmes offering professional training in sewing, embroidery, knitting and painting. Togo Of the 33,000 people affected by the floods, the Togolese Red Cross Society (CRTS) chose 10,942 of the most vulnerable (the elderly, women and children, those who had lost their harvests) for monthly distributions between October and December. The operation aimed to prevent malnutrition due to lack of food, limit the outbreak of additional diseases and establish access to health services. An average of 200g of cereal, 40g of beans and 30g of oil per day was given to each beneficiary, with the total amounts of food distributed as follows (all figures in mt): Lacs Ogou Blitta Sotouboua Total Maize Beans Vegetable Oil Total Beneficiaries 10, ,192 Mosquito nets and blankets were also distributed first to mothers and children, then later to the elderly. Lacs Ogou Blitta Sotouba Total Blankets 3, ,300 Mosquito nets 2, ,627 Beneficiaries 10, ,192 Benin Out of 130,000 people from 90 villages in three provinces who were affected by the floods, the Red Cross Society of Benin (CRBS) provided assistance to 12,272 of them in 43 villages in the districts of Djidja, Agbangnizoun and Athiémé between October and December These flood victims had lost their belongings, homes and main source of income the 1995 harvest so the CRBS operation aimed to supply them with household items, food and water, health education and access to health services. 2

3 The purchasing of food and domestic items began in early October and distributions started immediately after. Thanks to funds received from ECHO, distributions of food aid, household items and used clothes continued beyond the original completion date of December until March Detailed statistics for food and non-food items distributed in the operation are as follows: Djidja Athiémé Agbangnizoun Total Semolina Soya Vegetable Oil Maize Beans Sugar Salt Total Djidja Athiémé Agbangnizoun Total Blankets 1,500 1, ,000 Beneficiaries 4,500 5,250 2,250 12,000 Mosquito nets 1,699 1,977 1,064 4,740 Beneficiaries 5,097 5,980 3,192 14,269 Used clothes (bales) Beneficiaries 3,130 7,844 1,298 12,272 Two CRBS health teams also visited the 43 villages, and between January and March, 22,124 consultations were held. The main diseases treated were malaria, intestinal parasites, skin complaints, anaemia, respiratory problems and different forms of diarrhoea. In March 1996, UNDP donated four generators, 1,115 tools, 312 buckets, four jerry cans, two motor pumps, 190 sets of tools and 14 boxes of soap to the CRBS to boost its future flood preparedness capacity. The donation was a result of the good co-operation between UNDP, CRBS and the Federation. At the end of March, the operation was evaluated and plans for future rehabilitation and preparedness developed. Central Africa Republic After an evaluation in the three most affected towns of Bozoum, Paoua and Bavara in August 1995, Central African Red Cross Society (CRCS) volunteers assisted the population in putting up temporary shelters. Almost 50 small digging and agricultural tools were bought and given out in September and October to the three regional CRCS committees for distribution to the affected population to help them divert the water. Then, of the National Society s target group of 1,946 people, 1,426 were provided with blankets, used clothes and agricultural tools. Hoes were also supplied to the beneficiaries to dig out new drainage systems in the affected villages. Due to difficult road conditions and problems in the local purchase of the blankets, the distribution of 1,100 blankets and eight bales of used clothes only began in November. Chad 3

4 Only 10,000 of the initially targeted 40,343 people could be assisted eventually, in part because of the involvement by the authorities in the importing of blankets into Chad. Nevertheless, the Chad Red Cross Society (CRCS) managed to distribute blankets to these beneficiaries as well as agricultural tools to enable them to begin work once the floods had subsided. The delegation While the operations in Benin and Togo were mainly realised by the National Red Cross Societies with the help of the Federation s representative in Benin, the needs assessment and operational planning in Mauritania were carried out with the finance/administration delegate from the Federation s West Africa Regional Delegation in Abidjan. The co-operation between the Senegalese Red Cross Society, the Regional Delegation and the Mauritanian Red Crescent enabled the latter to receive the blankets in the shortest possible time. In Chad and the Central African Republic, the National Societies carried out their own assessment missions and created their own plans. However, during the implementation of these programmes the disaster preparedness delegate of the Central Africa Regional Delegation in Brazzaville attempted to assist them. Participation of the Operating National Society In all the affected countries, the National Red Cross Societies were the implementors of the operation. In Mauritania, a logistician and nutritionist from the National Society s headquarters were responsible for the intensive feeding centres. They co-ordinated this operation with the government and non-governmental as well as UN organisations. In Togo, one National Society co-ordinator was responsible for the work of the 23-member CRTS team, which comprised one supervisor, five heads of distribution, ten distributors/first aiders, two stock-keepers, one lorry driver, one shipper and two watchmen for the warehouses. In Benin, 48 members of the National Society were mobilised for the relief distributions (a co-ordinator, three heads of distribution, 30 distributors/first aiders, five stock-keepers, one shipper, three drivers, and five watchmen), plus another 26 for the health operations (one co-ordinator, six nurses, six specialists for maternal and child care, 12 first aiders and one driver). One mobile team in each of the three districts toured the villages to treat patients and monitor the health and nutritional situation. A second health team was also established in a CRBS dispensary in each district to reinforce the existing system capacities. These teams all worked under the supervision of the Federation s representative in Benin. In the Central African Republic, the president of the National Society accompanied the country s president in an initial assessment of the flood situation. Red Cross volunteers in the three targeted areas subsequently made the distributions of blankets, used clothes and tools. They reported to their national headquarters in Bangui, who co-ordinated, supervised and reported on the operation to the Federation s Regional Delegation in Brazzaville. 4

5 In Chad, the National Society headquarters imported blankets from Nigeria but purchased the tools in-country. Volunteers from the three regional committees concerned made the distributions. Reports and accounts from the operation were submitted to the Federation s Regional Delegation in Brazzaville. Co-operation with authorities and other agencies In all the countries concerned, the Red Cross Societies co-operated with their governments at a national as well as regional level. All these governments launched separate appeals to the international community to obtain support for the victims, but in four of the five countries the government did not interfere directly in the relief efforts, merely co-ordinated the assistance provided by different organisations. In Togo, the Togolese Red Cross depended on the government s strong influence on the food wholesalers, who tried to export all available food stocks to Guinea instead of selling it to the National Society at a lower price to meet the emergency needs in their own country. In Mauritania, the MRCS worked closely with Caritas and local donors in Nouakchott in setting up feeding centres and using their donations in the initial stages of its own food programme. In Benin, a joint mission of UN organisations and the government made a thorough evaluation of the disaster situation and developed a two-year action plan made up of an emergency relief programme for six-months followed by a rehabilitation and disaster preparedness programme for the following 18. This programme includes the provision of clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, as well as issues related to health and hygiene, roads, agriculture, food security and the environment. The Benin Red Cross Society (CRBS) elaborated its own plan of action to improve its capacities in disaster preparedness as well as the population s capacities to cope with recurring floods. During the implementation phase, the CRBS worked in close co-operation with the governing authorities in the capital and the three districts. Under the co-ordination of WFP, active agencies such as the CRBS met twice a month to evaluate their projects, co-ordinate donations and plan future action. In Togo, the government created a Comité de Secours d Urgence (CSU) which co-ordinated the disaster assessments and the appeals to the international community. The government reinforced its medical services in the affected areas with medicines worth CHF 10,000. The CSU then circulated all information from the field amongst the implementing agencies and the government. The Central African Red Cross Society continued to keep the government informed on its activities and co-ordinated them with both the local and national authorities. The government of Chad was particularly closely involved in the disaster response, particularly in the importation of blankets, an essential though time-consuming service. Analysis of the operation Needs Assessment The needs assessments made by the National Societies together with Federation delegates proved realistic. While in West Africa the designed programmes were mostly implemented as planned (only the Mauritania Red Crescent received insufficient funds to 5

6 realise all its intended activities), the National Societies of Chad and the Central African Republic did not receive enough financial, logistical and personnel support to serve all of the identified population in need. Nevertheless, the projects that were implemented showed a high degree of professionalism in terms of mobilisation of volunteers, coordination and supervision by the national headquarters and regional committees, as well as financial transparency. All the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies adjusted their initial plans according to the activities of other agencies and their own capacities. These adjustments are reflected in the changed numbers of beneficiaries, the different figures of distributions each month and the shift of emphasis from emergency food aid to shelter and protection, and eventually to rehabilitation projects. Objectives / Plan of Action Because of the essential accuracy of the needs assessments, the Red Cross/Red Crescent objectives and plans of action proved appropriate. The exception was in Chad, where the National Society based both on the expectation of more support from the government and donor community. As both reacted fairly late, the implementation of activities was delayed though still highly appreciated by the beneficiaries. This was the case in all the other countries as well, owing to each National Society s efficiency, dedication of its volunteers and timeliness and appropriateness of its interventions. Especially in remote areas of Chad and the Central African Republic, the image of the National Society amongst the general public was greatly enhanced even though in both places logistical constraints hampered the purchase of the needed materials and their subsequent distribution. These shortcomings are reflected in the plans of both National Societies for the follow-up of their floods operation. Conclusion The operations for the victims of the floods in 1995 showed a high degree of professionalism in assessment, planning, coordination with governments and other agencies, and in implementation and supervision. All the Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies evaluated their operations and developed detailed plans for rehabilitation projects after the emergency phase was over. These plans are now awaiting funding. Support from the international community for the two central African countries of Chad and the Central African Republic was insufficient, resulting in delayed action. While the activities which were carried out were nevertheless appreciated, the limitations and delays reflect the need for a much greater focus on this region. Equally, the funds raised to realise vital rehabilitation projects now that the emergency stage has passed are insufficient in all countries, thereby risking a similar disaster in the future. The operation for the floods in 1995 showed in a very distinct way the efficiency of National Societies in assessing needs, planning action accordingly, and implementing and adjusting appropriate programmes when sufficient support is offered quickly. As the time factor is crucial when natural disasters strike, preparing ahead of time for these reoccurring catastrophes must be the focus of attention not only of the National Societies concerned, but also to all those dedicated to improving the lives of the most vulnerable. 6

7 Barbara Petersen Desk Officer Africa Department Bekele Geleta Director Africa Department 7