ACT Rapid Response Fund Payment Notification and request for top-up of funds

Colombia

Flooding in Arauca and Cordoba departments

Payment No. 15/2007

Funds Sent To: Lutheran World Federation / Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Amount Sent: US$ 50,000

Date: 25 July 2007

Details of Payment

Emergency: Flooding in Arauca and Cordoba departments, Colombia

Date of Emergency: 13 July 2007

Implementing Partner: The Lutheran World Federation– Department for World Service (LWF/DWS) and the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights will implement the project in Arauca. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) and their partner Benposta will implement the project in Cordoba.

Details of the Emergency: Heavy rains began three months ago. On 9 July, water raised to its highest level causing river banks to burst in different regions. To date, some 600,000 Colombians in 247 municipalities and 27 departments have been affected by the inundations. ACT members LWF/DWS and DKH have investigated damages in two departments, in Cordoba in the north of the country and Arauca in the east at the Venezuelan border.

Since July 13^th, heavy rainfalls have raised the water levels and burst the banks of two rivers, the Sinú and the San Jorge in the Cordoba department. The Office for Disaster Prevention and Response stated that an estimated 50,000 people have been affected. The hardest-hit municipality is Lorica, located on the river Sinú, where an estimated 2,019 families (10,095 people) were left homeless; and the hamlets Palo de Agua, Playón and Nariño, where 1,500 families have been affected. These families are currently sheltered in six temporary camps or are living with family members or neighbours. The families had previously been displaced by the armed conflict as well as big landowners settled in these high-risk zones. Cattle, small domestic animals, fish farms as well as harvests have been partially or entirely lost due to the floods. Schools had to be shut down. The population faces severe risks of diseases, such as dengue fever and skin illnesses. In the Arauca department, the rains have also burst the banks of the river. Hundreds of families were forced to move because of the rising flood waters – people who had already fled their homes before because of the internal armed conflict between left-wing guerrilla and right wing militias and had settled in marginal areas along the river banks. More than 300 displaced families are now living in appalling conditions in urban slums and require short-term assistance.

Purpose of the Response:

• Provide relief aid, community eateries, sanitation training, first aid kits (in the case of Arauca),
• Provide potable water, emergency and mental health care and recreational activities (in the case of Cordoba).
• Strengthen grass roots organizations and community initiatives.

Beneficiaries information and location of the response:

Arauca and Arauquita: 1,434 people (330 families) will benefit from food distribution, health care and sanitation, rehabilitation of public infrastructure (eateries) and housing. The population includes 771 children and 49 elderly people. 50.2% of the beneficiaries are women

Cordoba: 3,060 people will benefit from the rehabilitation of the local aqueduct. In Palo de Agua, Nariño and Playón, 3,500 people (mostly children) will benefit from psychosocial assistance and recreational activities. 325 People will receive emergency health care. In total an approximate 4,600 people will benefit from the assistance.

Proposed Assistance:

Arauca: The national coordinator of LWF/DWS visited the Arauca department on 5 July and the staff subsequently conducted a survey in order to identified priorities. LWS has identified providers in the two municipalities of Arauca and Arauquita. A committee consisting of members of the beneficiary population will implement the project with the support of a LWF/DWS field coordinator. The committee will manage provision of food aid at the community eateries, provision of health care and sanitation, including first aid kits and prevention, rehabilitation of public infrastructure and housing and distribution of relief aid materials, including clothing, shoes, mosquito nets, mattresses, kitchen stoves and cooking utensils.

Cordoba: On 17 and 18 July, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe made an assessment visit to the municipality of Palo de Agua and prepared an action plan together with the municipality’s local Emergency Committee and partner organization Benposta. The assistance will be managed by the emergency committee, with the support of Benposta and closely monitored by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. It will focus on three components: i) improvement of health care conditions and basic sanitation which will include medical check ups during four health care sessions, the repair of the local water supply system, a training health care issues, a hygiene and health campaign; ii) psycho-social assistance that will provide family and group therapy as well as recreational activities. iii) strengthening of community responses by providing capacity building for the three local Emergency Committees.

Implementation period: 25^th July to 24^th October 2007.

The ACT members will closely monitor the development of the humanitarian emergency over the next two weeks and evaluate the need to present an ACT appeal.

BUDGET LWF/DWS: Arauca

BUDGET Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe: Cordoba

ACTION

The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of  US$ 50,000 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful  to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment.

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