dodma sitrep 2 floods 18 january 2015 54

Department of Disaster Management Affairs www.humanitarianresponse.info/operations/malawi

Malawi: Floods DoDMA Situation Report No. 02 (as of 18 Jan 2015)

This report is produced by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) of Malawi. It covers the period from 16 to 18 January 2015. The next report will be issued on or around 19 January 2015. (NB. This version contains slight edits to an earlier version released. No figures have changed.

Highlights

• The number of displaced is still being considered 22,000 households (121,000 people). However, this number is expected to rise as more information is received and analyzed.

• The number of people affected through damage to crops is estimated at 638,000 people (116,000 households).

• 54 people have been killed by recent flooding, with 153 people remain missing in Nsanje District.

• An additional 100 people were evacuated to camps in Nsanje yesterday.

• Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Nsanje and Chikwawa, and relief operations continued as water levels in some areas eased.

121, 000 People displaced

54 People killed

153 People missing

638,000 People Affected

Situation Overview An estimated 22,000 households (121,000 people) have now been displaced by floods, with the most affected districts being Nsanje, Chikwawa and Phalombe. Reports of a large number of displaced people in Phalombe District are being investigated.153 people are still missing in Nsanje. Search efforts continue for these people. The Department of Surveys estimates that 63, 531 hectares of land have been submersed by flood waters as of January 13, 2015. A growing concern is disease outbreaks, given the poor sanitary and drainage conditions at relocation sites. An estimated 200,000 students are not able to attend school due to their schools being flooded or occupied by those who require temporary shelter.

Figure 1: Displaced people at a school in Nsanje Credit: Department of Disaster Management Affairs

Figure 2: Displaced households at a camp at Nchalo in Chikwawa Credit: Department of Disaster Management Affairs

Flood affected houses in Nsanje district

MalawiFloods Situation Report No. 02|2


The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has indicated that a moderate tropical storm that was in the Mozambique Channel has crossed the Madagascar coastline thereby reducing moisture inflow into Southern Malawi. Therefore, there were less rains over Southern Malawi over the weekend which enabled ongoing response operations. The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and Congo Air Masses are active over Malawi. Therefore, heavy rains coupled with strong winds are expected in the next two days and the risk of flooding is still high.

Humanitarian Response Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Nsanje and Chikwawa. An additional 100 people were evacuated to camps in Nsanje from yesterday. More households are arriving at the camps that have been established to accommodate people that have been evacuated from the affected areas in Chikwawa and Nsanje as water in some parts is subsiding. Additional helicopters being arranged with the Republic of South Africa.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs and other organizations are continuing to distribute food and non-food items to the affected. More distributions of relief items are being made now as some of the areas are becoming accessible. Airlifting of relief items to Mlolo area in Nsanje is ongoing.This is being enabled by favourable weather in the lower Shire Valley.

All (local) clusters have now met and most clusters have submitted their cluster response plans. A draft of the consolidated Preliminary Response Plan is being finalized.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team have arrived in the country and are currently in the field supporting an inter-agency assessment in Phalombe district.

Following the Declaration of a State of Disaster by the State President on 13 January, 2015, a number of organizations are coming forward to donate or pledge assistance to the affected population.

The consolidation of a comprehensive response plan is underway. The plan will highlight the needs of the different sectors and resource requirements. A number of Development Partners have pledged support once the response plan has been finalized.

A team from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has arrived in the country to assist in the response coordination efforts. A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) has arrived in the country and is currently in the field supporting and inter-agency assessment in Phalombe. The United Nations team also organized a fly-over yesterday 17 January, 2015 in flood-affected areas (Mangochi, Phalombe, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Machinga, Zomba and Mulanje) to view the damage caused by the floods.

Shelter and Camp Management

Needs:

• According to information available on 15 January 2015 over 100,000 people are currently displaced and in need of shelter.

• In total 3,567 tents are needed for shelter and the provision of services to those affected and displaced, as is plastic sheeting for repairing and reinforcing damaged houses.

3,567 Tents required in

worst affected districts

Source: Department of Disaster Management Affairs. Displaced people at Nchalo in Chikwawa



Response:

• Some tents have been received, which are being distributed to sites, including by Malawi Defense Force. • Plastic sheeting is currently being distributed by partners.

Education

Needs:

• 415 schools have been either submerged by floodwaters or are being used as temporary displacement sites, affecting 200,000 learners.

• Millions of dollars in education supplies have been destroyed. • There is a need for 800 tents to house temporary classrooms. • School-in-a-box kits are needed to resume learning as soon as possible in temporary classrooms. • School feeding and kitchen kits are needed to support resumption of education activities. • Psycho-social support is needed, including play and recreation facilities.

Food Security and Agriculture

Needs:

• It is estimated that 50,000 households are in need of food assistance in the 15 affected districts.

• It is estimated that 116,000 farmers have been affected by the flooding of over 32,000 hectares of agricultural land.

• Food assistance will likely be required up to April, and high-energy biscuits are an immediate requirement.

• The possibility exists for replanting immediately after floods subside.

Response:

• Food distribution is ongoing, initially using prepositioned stocks earmarked for the response to food insecurity situation.

Gaps & Constraints:

• Access to distribution areas is likely to be made difficult by the floods. • Boat and air operations to deliver urgent supplies to difficult-to-access areas are currently being planned. • Replanting immediately after flood waters reside may prove difficult due to risk of further flooding, and much of

the area to be re-planted remains submerged.

Health

Needs:

• Prevention and control of disease outbreaks such as cholera, dysentery, malaria, malnutrition.

• Provision of treatment of acute and chronic diseases and injuries. • Distribution of supplies and commodities such as insecticide treated nets (ITNs),

chlorine-based products for water treatment, emergency contraceptives, condoms, and nutrition and therapeutic supplements.

• Establishment of temporary consultation, treatment and maternity delivery shelters within the campsites. • Strengthen early detection and reporting of disease outbreaks. • Sustain immunization and growth monitoring of children under age 5.

200,000 Learners displaced from their schools

50,000 Households requiring

food assistance

116,000 Farmers affected by

floods

US$ 3.6 m Funding needs of

health requirements



Nutrition

Needs:

• Providing supplements for the nutrition of children at risk of malnutrition. • Provision of nutritional and therapeutic supplements. • Community mobilization around nutrition. • Feeding of young children, expectant and lactating mothers, the elderly, people with

disabilities, orphans and the chronically ill.

Protection

Needs:

• Psychosocial support including counselling. • Security and protection of displaced people including through the provision of lighting and security. • Referral and linkages to families and other services such as reproductive health, counseling and rehabilitation. • Provision of assistive devices to persons with disabilities.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

The supply of safe water has been disrupted in all the affected districts. For example, some boreholes, shallow

wells and tap points have been flooded and contaminated. In some districts, most of the piped water supply systems have been washed away.

Most of the sites where the affected population has been relocated have no access to safe water supply and sanitation facilities.

Surface water monitoring stations have been washed away / submerged;

Most of the sanitation facilities such as pit latrines have been damaged.

Most of the waste disposal sites have been affected and waste has spilled to water supply facilities and surrounding environment;

Personal and environmental hygiene in the temporary settlements has been compromised.

Irrigation infrastructure has been washed away and submerged.

Needs:

• Conduct rapid assessment for water, irrigation, sanitation and hygiene on affected population and determine the duration of the impact. (15 districts)

• Mobilize and operate plants (mobile water treatment plant and water tank truck) to affected areas. • Provide a minimum of 15 litres of safe water per person per day (Sphere Standards 2011) to the affected

populations. • Construct temporary latrines (one latrine for every 20 persons) and hand washing facilities to provide adequate

sanitation for displaced people and for those remaining in households in the disaster areas considering accessibility for the elderly and physically challenged in a camp situation.

• Promote the construction of temporary latrines at household level • Conduct hygiene campaigns to promote good hygiene practices among the affected populations (15 districts). • Provide basic water, sanitation and hygiene supplies and equipment, which include chlorine/water purification

tablets, plastic sheeting, and soap water testing kits( to the estimated 14,000 households/ 70,000 people) • Provide at least 20 litre water storage buckets and cups for each affected household • Provide spare part kits for immediate repair of water installations (piped water supply systems, hand pumps

and springs) at institutional and community level. • Undertake sanitary surveys of contaminated drinking water sources • Ensure adequate water and sanitation facilities are available in places designated for learning and health

services for affected population

US$ 2.6m Estimated requirement

to meet nutritional needs of flood-affected

population

US$ 1.1m Estimated requirement

to meet WASH requirements



• Ensure adequate water facilities provision in camps approximately 50 boreholes • Carry out supervision, monitoring and evaluation of response activities • Provide feedback to stakeholders on response activities including response evaluation • Determine flood magnitude on affected catchments • Assess damage to existing irrigation infrastructure • Repair damaged irrigation infrastructure

Response:

• Chlorine stocks earmarked as a contingency for Ebola has been distributed to affected communities. This will need to be urgently replenished.

Logistics and Transport

Needs:

• To ensure availability and efficient operation of transport vehicles (e.g. Motorbikes, trucks, helicopters and boats)

• To ensure secure access routes are available for delivery of relief items (e.g. Road and bridge repair)

• To secure entry ports and international routes for unhindered transportation of international assistance.

• Transportation and warehousing of relief items, including fuel provision

Gaps & Constraints:

• The flooding has damaged a significant amount of roads and bridges.

Source: Department of Disaster Management Affairs. Displaced people at Nchalo in Chikwawa

General Coordination DoDMA is leading the response, with support from partners. The (local) cluster system has been activated, and the Vice President has requested all clusters to submit response plans; some clusters have already done so. Government will be establishing Emergency Operations Centres in Blantyre, Lilongwe (which will be the National Level Coordination Centre) and Mzuzu. The National Emergency Operations Centre in Lilongwe is now operational and welcomes seconded officers from the various (local) clusters to be deployed there. These structures are not

US$0.5m Immediate

requirements for Logistics and

Transport



Background on the crisis Heavy rains over the last few weeks have led to severe flooding across Malawi. The floods have also caused extensive damage to crops, livestock and infrastructure. The Southern districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe and Zomba are the most affected. A growing concern is disease prevention, given the poor sanitary and drainage conditions at relocation sites. In response, the President of the Republic of Malawi declared a State of Disaster in the 15 affected districts (out of a total of 28 districts) on 13 January 2015. With the numbers of people affected and displaced continuing to rise, the President has appealed to the international community for support, specifically in the provision of tents, food and non-food items; and in the conducting of search and rescue operations. Some areas are inaccessible, impeding the conducting of assessments. While a decrease in rainfall is forecast for Southern Malawi over the next week, more rains are predicted for the North of the country. Malawi has been receiving significant rains since December 2014, and this trend is expected to continue as the country is forecast to receive normal to above-normal rainfall between January and March 2015.

intended to bypass already existing local structures, with District Commissioners continuing to be responsible at the district level. Government is also ramping up preparedness efforts in the North of the country where more rains are expected. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed staff to Malawi to support the response.

For further information, please contact: MR. FYAWUPI MWAFONGO Department of Disaster Management Affairs [email protected] +265 991005681 MR SAMUEL GAMA Department of Disaster Management Affairs [email protected] +265 999673535 MS. NATASHA MBENGO Department of Disaster Management Affairs [email protected] +265 999106113

p

p

Mzimba

Kasungu

Lilongwe

Chitipa

Dedza

DowaMchinji

Nkhotakota

Nkhata Bay

Neno

Ntchisi

Mwanza

Lilongwe City

Mzuzu City

Zomba City

Likoma

CENTRAL REGION

SOUTHERN REGION

NORTHERN REGION

Bua

Shire

Chire

Linthipe

Ruhuhu

North

Ruk

uru

Mangochi

Rumphi

Chikwawa

Ntcheu

Zomba

Machinga

Karonga

Balaka

Salima

Nsanje

Mulanje

Thyolo

BlantyrePhalombe

ChiradzuluBlantyre City

MOZAMBIQUE

ZAMBIA

UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

ZIMBABWE

Kamuzu International

Lilongwe

Lake Malawi

Lake Chilwa

Lake Malombe

Legend

Capital

p Main Airports

Main Rivers

Dams and Lakes

Region Boundaries

District Boundaries

15 Districts declared disaster zones

Worst Affected Districts

International Boundaries

Flooding UpdateMALAWI

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the UN

Creation date: 18 Jan 2015 Map No: 420v01 Sources: Malawi DoDMA, Geonode, HYCOS, Humanitarian Partners Feedback: [email protected] www.unocha.org/rosa

10 km

www.reliefweb.int http://rosa.humanitarianresponse.info

18 January 2015

Many of the 121,000 people displaced by the floods have sought shelter at camps established or schools, churches and evacuation centres. Disease outbreak is a concern due to the potential for poor sanitary and drainage conditions at relocation sites. Some affected areas remain inaccessible and rescue operations continue.

Following the Declaration of a State of Disaster by the State President on 13 January 2015, a number of organizations are coming forward to donate or pledge assistance to the affected population.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) is leading the response, with support from partners. DoDMA and other organizations are continuing to distribute food and non-food items to the affected areas. Tents and plastic sheeting are urgently needed for shelter. A UN Disaster Assess-ment and Coordination Team is currently supporting an inter-agency field assessment in Phalombe district. Local clusters have met and a draft consolidated Preliminary Response Plan is currently in the process of being finalized.

121,000 Displaced

54 Deaths

153 Missing

638,000 People Affected

200,000 School Learners Displaced

dodma sitrep 2 floods 18 january 2015 54

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