CHINA FINAL REPORT. FLOODS 1996 Appeal no. 10/96

CHINA FINAL REPORT FLOODS 1996 Appeal no. 10/96 18 December 1996

1.0 DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 THE DISASTER Since January of 1996, more than 20 provinces in China have been significantly affected snowstorms, earthquakes, fires, floods, typhoons, cyclones, and drought. Extensive loss of life and property resulted. Based upon the official Government statistics 200 million people were affected, 3,048 died and 363,800 were injured, 18 million rooms were damaged and 3.7 million were destroyed, over 24 million hectares of farmland were significantly affected. The direct economic loss exceeded 100 billion RMB. Heavy rain began to fall in the flood prone areas of China at the end of May. In June more rain caused flooding in several provinces. The rains persisted and massive flooding began to occur in at least 6 provinces on 1 July. As the monsoon season continued heavy winds, hail storms, more rain, and tornadoes caused widespread destruction of homes, businesses, infrastructure, and farmlands in several provinces during July. By the end of the monsoon season more than 12 provinces had experienced significant flooding. Forty-one typhoons and tropical storms formed in the Pacific Ocean. While China was impacted by most of these storms, Typhoon Sally and Super Typhoon Herb caused the most death and destruction. The floods of 1996 took a terrible toll on the people of China. The statistics for the 12 provinces covered by the appeal are : Data from 12 provinces covered in the appeal: Dead 1,529 Injured 18,816 Rooms damaged 7,855,000 Rooms destroyed 1,902,000 Farmland damaged 6,382,000 Cities/towns affected 646 Villages affected 5,231 Rendered homeless during floods 10,000,000 Population affected 114,000,000 Direct economic loss 90,100,000,000 The 1996 floods hit some areas that have not fully recovered economically from previous floods. 1

1.2 THE APPEAL On 1 July, the Federation Secretariat learned that flooding in at least 6 provinces was becoming serious. The RCSC remained in contact with its local and provincial branches as well as Government information sources to monitor the impact of the flooding. Daily contact was kept with the Federation Secretariat. By the end of the week it was determined that the assistance of other National Societies and other donors was needed -- but it was anticipated that the worse of the flooding was yet to come as this was the beginning of the monsoon season. On 8 July a preliminary appeal was launched for CHF 3.09 million. As the situation continued to worsen, the appeal was launched on 22 July for CHF 4.442 million to assist 1.2 million people over 3 months. In August the rains and typhoons continued. By the end of the month an additional 6 provinces, 5 in the Yellow River catchment area, were in need of assistance and the appeal was revised on 28 August to CHF 5.442 million to assist 1.47 million beneficiaries for 3 months, increasing the coverage to a total of 12 provinces. Beneficiaries were selected by local RCSC staff, together with local Government officials and community leaders. They were those most in need - those surrounded by water with no food supplies, those who had lost their homes and belongings, and those deemed most vulnerable because of age and health concerns. 1.3 THE OPERATION The International Federation-assisted relief operation commenced on 8 July when the preliminary appeal was launched. The RCSC Relief Department called on its branches in the affected provinces to complete the needs assessment and to begin local procurement and to proceed with distribution on a limited basis until the Plan of Action, based upon the needs assessments, was finalised. Two teams from the RCSC Headquarters participated in the assessments. With its extensive experience in flood relief operations, the RCSC could anticipate that food, medicine, disinfectants, clothing, and bedding would be needed. The objectives of the preliminary appeal were to provide the following to the most vulnerable in Anhui, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces : basic food rations medicine and first aid for treatment of flood victims potable drinking water and sanitary living conditions appropriate clothing and bedding When the appeal was launched on 22 July, the needs assessment resulted in the addition of shelter material and an increase in the number of beneficiaries. The objectives of the operation were to : provide emergency shelter materials to Hubei and Hunan provinces reduce the spread of disease by disinfecting water supplies, public areas, and living space in community - reaching 1.2 million beneficiaries give medical treatment to 200,000 people injured or ill because of the flooding provide 160,000 beneficiaries with rice and/or grain flour for 1 month distribute summer clothing to 40,000 flood victims provide quilts to 40,000 flood victims most vulnerable to the cold add to the capacity of the RCSC in responding to disasters 2

As the monsoon continued the catchment area of the Yellow River began to flood. Then horrific flash floods caused extensive damage in Xianjiang Autonomous Region to the north west. In late August the need to provide assistance to those affected in it and in Fujian, Hebei, Henan, Shangdong, and Shanxi provinces became evident. The revised appeal carried the same objectives as the appeal but added 270,000 beneficiaries. The total number of those assisted, and the type of aid and quantity are reflected in Table 1 : Table 1 China Floods 1996: Number of beneficiaries, type and quantity of aid Province Beneficiarie s Disinfectant s Medicine Food Tents Quilts/Clothes Admin TOTAL 868,016 206,604 96,774 7,360 53,000 1,231,754 Distribution of funds in RMB by Province Anhui 299,800 599,900 300,000 200,000 350,000 15,000 1,764,700 Fujian 400,125 400,700 400,000 210,000 1,410,825 Guizhou 300,255 600,550 300,000 200,000 350,000 15,000 1,765,805 Hebei 570,000 498,510 700,000 560,000 2,328,510 Henan 322,500 251,355 400,000 350,000 1,323,855 Hubei 499,800 1,099,448 300,000 600,000 560,000 15,000 3,074,248 Hunan 499,800 1,099,448 300,000 600,000 560,000 15,000 3,074,248 Jiangxi 299,800 399,470 300,000 100,000 140,000 15,000 1,252,470 Shangdong 247,500 249,330 300,000 350,000 1,146,830 Shanxi 302,500 299,955 300,000 140,000 1,042,455 Xiangjiang 300.00 300,000 600,000 1,200,000 Zhejiang 298,000 399,900 300,000 140,000 140,000 15,000 1,294,270 Headquarters 809,856 809,856 TOTAL RMB 4,340,080 6,198,136 4,500,000 1,840,00 0 (6.67 RMB = approximately 1CHF) 3,710,000 899,856 21,488,07 1 The operation concluded on 20 October when commodities from the last funds were distributed. 1.4 THE DELEGATION A Relief/Monitoring Delegate, from the Canadian Red Cross, was recruited for a 3 month period beginning 30 July. The Delegation in Almaty released its Information Delegate for a 2 week mission which resulted in extensive international media coverage. The Regional Delegation in Kuala Lumpur provided technical assistance and support in a number of ways. The Regional Information Delegate provided technical support to the RCSC as it dealt with numerous media contacts, worked closely with the Media Services at the Secretariat and with the Information Delegate in the field, and liaisoned with international media sources stationed both in and outside the region. The Regional Finance Delegate was available for consultation by the RCSC, as well as handling financial matters for the delegates in the field. The Regional Head of Delegation also provided technical assistance and support to the RCSC, and other Societies and donors in the region. 3

The Deputy Director of the Asia & Pacific Department held meetings with the RCSC in Beijing during early December and reviewed the operation as the final report was being prepared by the RCSC. 1.5 PARTICIPATION OF THE RED CROSS SOCIETY OF CHINA The RCSC responded immediately at the local level through its branches and grassroots units. As the situation worsened provincial branches, and then Headquarters moved in to help. Staff and volunteers were quickly mobilised and needs assessments were done in the affected areas. The Deputy Director of Relief Department, assigned by the RCSC as the main point of contact with the Federation Secretariat remained in daily contact with the Desk Officer for the first two weeks of this disaster, and frequently after that. The RCSC in co-operation with the Public Health Department deployed 5,940 medical/disease prevention teams (62,547 medical personnel) benefited 3,785,304 people Staff and volunteers procured and distributed relief goods Staff and volunteers at the Disaster Preparedness Centres participated in local fund-raising, distributed commodities from their relief stocks, and sorted and distributed in-kind contributions Staff and volunteers assisted in the rescue of floods victims Staff at the RCSC Headquarters, provincial and local worked closed with and provided logistical support for the Federation Delegates Local fund-raising throughout the country by provincial and local branches and Headquarters raised 65,750,000 RMB in cash and in-kind contributions. In addition, special note must be given to Hong Kong RC which provided RMB 18,690,000 in cash and kind, in addition to the 6.7 million RMB contributed towards the Federation appeal. Because the plan to use 80% of their "bi-lateral" contribution in the same 12 provinces covered by the Federation appeal, in essence it reduced the amount needed from other donors significantly. Taiwan contributed 24,000,000 RMB. Other organisations in China provided a total of 4,260,000 RMB. 1.6 CO-OPERATION WITH AUTHORITIES AND WITH OTHER AGENCIES The RCSC worked closely with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the lead government agency in disaster situations, at the national, provincial and local levels. Included in the Ministry is the Public Health Department which released medical staff from their duties in order to participate on RCSC Medical Teams. The Government also assisted in transportation of relief goods and personnel to and from the disaster areas. Authorities provided the RCSC information about the weather conditions, the flood and its impact on the population, and assisted the assessment teams in accessing the stricken areas. In many cases, government officials joined these teams. In total the Government distributed 700 million RMB in aid. The RCSC Information Department regularly issued press statements and worked closely with local and national media. Film crews from the CCTV accompanied RCSC assessment teams as well as covering distribution ceremonies and other disaster related RCSC events. As a result of the work done by the Information Department, the RCSC and Federation were frequently cited in the press, radio, and television. 4

2.0 ANALYSIS OF THE OPERATION 2.1 NEEDS ASSESSMENT As of mid-december, the floods waters have receded. Most of those homeless had found other housing or returned home. The quick response reduced the spread of disease and illness significantly. Government support has provided the homeless with materials and assistance in reconstruction or new house building. With the coming of winter some of the people in the affected areas need heavy winter coats and quilts and a supply of winter food. The RCSC, which only has a 3 month supply of food, will continue to organise local fund-raising throughout every province to supply aid. 2.2 OBJECTIVES/PLAN OF ACTION The Objectives and the Plan of Action were appropriate for this disaster operation. Generally the operation was carried out as originally conceived although, as anticipated, the area covered by the appeal had to be enlarged and additional funds sought. Following the launch of the appeal, the RCSC had to adjust the Plan of Action and apportion funds according to what it received and to the changing needs in the affected areas. Every transfer of money involved adjusting the plan. Delays in the receipt of funds from donors and the Secretariat's inability to pre-finance pledges beyond CHF 500,000 from DREF. The last contribution came in more than 3 months after it was pledged. The procurement was done in co-operation with Headquarters and branches. If the capacity of the branch allowed and the commodity was available in the community, procurement was done at the local level. Regardless of which level procured the commodities, three bids were required. Prices and quality were compared and contracts signed with the selected provider. Distribution plans were developed at the national, provincial, and then local level. All distribution plans had to be submitted to the Relief Department at RCSC Headquarters. The staff and volunteers of the RC branches distributed the commodities in numerous villages to selected beneficiaries. Official announcements were posted in each village listing the beneficiary, type and quantity of commodity, and the name of the supplier. When the beneficiary received the commodities, s/he had to provide a signature (or thumb print) to confirm receipt. Visibility of the RCSC and the Movement was stressed. All the transportation vehicles were required to carry a RCSC flag. Staff and volunteers wore their RCSC identifying badges or pins. Packaging was required to have the RCSC and Federation emblems on it (and ECHO when appropriate). Given the efforts the RCSC has undertaken to educate the community about proper use of the emblem it was even more important to prominently display the RCSC emblem during this disaster. After this operation began, the RCSC was sought out by several NGOs seeking local partners. Based upon experiences learned in the Yunnan earthquake (February 1996), and again faced with a similar situation the RCSC established a policy in which they will refer NGOs seeking local partners to the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the future. During the first critical week of the operation, the external auditors arrived to audit past records. This placed a tremendous burden on the RCSC. To ensure that this situation does not happen again, the Audit Department at the Secretariat has agreed, if at all possible, to not schedule audits between June and October of each year. 5

Visits to the field (other that those of essential RCSC and Federation staff) stretch the resources of the RCSC headquarters. Given that the RCSC is not able to expand its staff significantly, it is recommended that during such critical time potential visitors take note of the stretched resources. The RCSC utilised the Rules and Principles of Disaster Relief and sought guidance from the Secretariat in several situations. They held a number of high level meetings to establish policy and procedures and to ensure that the plan of action would be driven by the needs of the victims, and that NGOs seeking local partners would be referred to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the early stages of the operation the use of the Emergency Response Units (ERUs) was discussed at the Secretariat. Subsequently, several National Societies with ERUs were alerted, prior to discussions with the RCSC, and some took this to mean that a formal alert had been made. The RCSC carefully considered the offer of medical, information and water ERUs but felt that these areas were adequately covered at the time or that deployment would be quite difficult. In November, the Secretariat staff responsible for ERU co-ordination met used his visit to Beijing as the Secretariat resource person for the Basic Training Course to discuss the role of the ERUs with staff from the RCSC. The value of letting the RCSC know of these important resources in a non-disaster time was very fruitful. While an ERU may not be appropriate in a flood situation, one may be extremely valuable in other disasters such as earthquakes when a field hospital might be needed. Whilst efforts were made to provide adequate international media coverage through the Federation more external support could have been given and plans are in hand to be more proactive during the next flood season. In this operation, the RCSC achieved a very good level of media coverage. Media coverage could have been increased had the Regional Information Delegate been available or a Secretariat Media staff freed up to respond immediately while an Information Delegate was recruited. As this situation was reflected upon, important changes resulted. Media Service has dispatched someone to the field immediately twice since. And the Asia & Pacific Department has prepared a plan to provide coverage in the region during monsoon season. ANALYSIS OF USE OF FUNDS COMMODITY PERCENTAGE BENEFICIARIES Disinfectants 20.0% 868,016 Medicine 28.8% 206,605 Food 20.9% 96,774 Tents 8.6% 7,360 Quilts/Clothes 17.3% 53,000 TOTAL BENEFICIARY 1,231,775 ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS Local RCSC branches 0.4% 90,000 RMB RCSC Headquarters 3.8% 809,856 RMB 6

3.0 CONCLUSIONS China is a country that suffers from many natural disasters. The devastating floods of 1996 affected a large area and many people. The size and seriousness of this flood makes it one of the worst in history. With the help of the participating national societies and other donors, the RCSC was able to provide humanitarian aid to over 1.2 million people. The RCSC extends its warm appreciation for the assistance of the Participating National Societies, their donors, to ECHO, and other contributors to this large relief operation. Jerry Talbot Director, Asia & Pacific Department Luc Voeltzel Head, Appeals & Reports Services 7