Southern Romania Flood Affected

Balance Requested: US$135,155  

Several countries in eastern Europe have been affected by severe flooding as major rivers overflowed due to heavy rains and melting snow in the month of April. The ACT Co-ordinating Office has been approached by its members in Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria and is in the process of issuing three appeals for the Europe Floods.

This appeal deals with the floods in Romania and the response of ACT member AIDRom.

Many parts of Romania were still recovering from last years’ floods when a new calamity swept across 14 southern Romanian districts in April this year. The river Danube, swollen by heavy rains and melting snow following a harsh winter, has devastated counties in the southern Romanian provinces. In Romania's western county of Timis, the country's worst hit region in last year's floods, people who were displaced last year have again been forced to leave their homes. The state of emergency has been declared in 12 counties.

The floods have submerged more than three thousands homes in south-western Romania leaving nearly fifteen thousand homeless and tens of thousands more at risk. People who lost their houses are sleeping in army tents or have gone to relatives, sometimes in other parts of the region, less affected by flooding. The army and local mayors are providing basic assistance – food and shelter – for those accommodated in army shelters or community buildings. Many of those affected are subsistence farmers whose lives are normally already very difficult and now find themselves in an impossible situation without resources to fall back on.

Important towns flooded or threatened along the Danube include: Gruia, Calafat, Bechet, Corabia, Turnu Magurele, Zimnicea, Giurgiu, Oltenite, Fetesti, Galati, Braila, Tulcea.

Across the region, thousands of soldiers, civil defence and emergency workers and volunteers have been deployed round the clock to reinforce defences, bolster dikes along the Danube and battle the churning waters which are flowing at the highest level in more than a century. Authorities have started controlled flooding to divert water away from low-lying villages.

ACT member AIDRom has already assisted 500 of the most vulnerable evacuated families with family food packages (35–40 kg of non-perishable food), water and personal hygiene kits.

In the post crisis rehabilitation AIDRom will not engage in the reconstruction of destroyed houses, but will make a substantial contribution in construction materials to 50 of the most vulnerable families who will not benefit sufficiently (partial support) from the Governmental reconstruction program, and who will have to build their new home mainly from their own resources.

Project Completion Date: 30 September 2006

ACT Reporting schedule

• Interim narrative and financial reports covering the first half of the implementation will be submitted to ACT CO by 31 July 2006.
• Final narrative and financial reports will be submitted to the ACT CO by 30 November 2006 (two months after the completion of the project).
• The final audit will be submitted to the ACT CO by 31 December 2006 (three months after completion of the project).

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested (US$)

Total Appeal Target(s): 199,250
Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd.: 64,095
Balance Requested from ACT Alliance: 135,155

Signed by:

John Nduna
Director, ACT Co-ordinating Office