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Ethiopia

Responding to Ethiopia floods

Geneva, 21/08/2006: ACT Ethiopia Forum members - DanChurchAid, Christian Aid, Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) - are preparing to respond to floods in Ethiopia. The response will be implemented mainly through EECMY’s South West Synod in Omo Valley and EOC in Dira Dawa region.

© DanChurchAid

Source: ACT International

The Omo Valley floods have already claimed over 364 lives and losses of more than 2700 livestock and 76 granaries, and consequently the needs might be immense.

The Ethiopian government today stepped up evacuation warnings in low-lying areas as heavy rains threatened to trigger more flash floods that have already killed more than 600 people and affected tens of thousands around the country.

A Christian Aid Emergency officer has this past weekend checked on the availability of non-food items (plastic plates, glasses, cups/mugs, cooking pots and mosquito nets) and has identified a local supplier. Some funds for the purchase of these relief items have already been pledged by ACT members locally.

In order to avoid duplication of efforts, ACT members are coordinating their response with the UN OCHA office, and they will issue a joint needs statement early this week after which aid agencies will be requested to make their contribution to the overall humanitarian response. UNICEF is already taking the lead on the distribution of non-food items.

The initial amounts of relief goods proposed to come from the ACT members are 2000 plastic plates, 1000 cups/tumblers, 2000 mugs, 1000 cooking pots and 2000 mosquito nets, but these amounts will depend on the available supply in the Addis markets. EECMY hopes to deliver these items this week. Distribution may then follow by the end of this week, subject to the local authorities screening and identifying the needs.

A request for ACT Rapid Response Funds for Dire Dawa and Omo Valley is expected when the team consisting of EECMY and EOC/DCAC representatives returns from Dire Dawa and Omo Valley.

DanChurchAid is a member of ACT International - a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies.