Past lessons noted as flood-waters recede

The humanitarian operation to mitigate the effects of flooding in Sudan, which peaked with the flooding in August and early September, but still continues in certain parts, has highlighted the benefits of contingency planning and prior preparedness, the International Federation of the Red Cross reported on Monday. The seasonal floods came earlier than usual, destroyed entire villages and ruined the homes of over 60,000 people - with Nile River State to the north of Khartoum, and Gezira (Al-Jazirah) and Sinnar states to the south, among the worst affected. Some 70,000 acres of productive land were damaged in Nile River State, when the water level in the Nile rose to the highest peak ever recorded on 7 September. Despite Sudan's worst flooding in 20 years, fatalities were minimised and relief agencies were able to support the coping mechanisms of affected people by means of the rapid establishment of emergency committees, dispatch of relief items from emergency stocks, and coordinated follow-up operations, the Federation stated. Based on experiences gained from past floods, government authorities and NGOs, including the Sudan Red Crescent Society (SRCS), closely monitored the developing situation, drew on contingency plans to react quickly, and established two priority areas: immediate support in the form of shelter, health-care and non-food items; and, wider health activities to reduce and treat water-borne diseases and chest and eye infections. Prior preparedness meant that the SRCS was ready to put in place almost 1,000 volunteers for monitoring and emergency teams (erecting flood barriers, digging drainage canals and destroying insect breeding grounds, for instance); provide sandbags; and help clean water drainage systems, distribute supplies and conduct community awareness sessions in affected areas, the Federation reported. Contingency plans based on six seasonal floods since 1988 also assured good coordination with local authorities, timely access to information and communications equipment, and community mobilisation. Yet, several problems were also encountered, including insufficient disaster preparedness stocks (clothing, sanitation materials etc) to meet initial demands, which hampered response interventions when emergency stocks ran out. The SRCS also reported as limiting factors: insufficient transport and communications equipment; inadequacy of data reporting and analysis skills; inflexible funding arrangements; and, limited access to remote areas, which caused delays in reaching affected people. Although the flood-water levels were now on the way down, SRCS was still engaged in follow-up activities in certain areas, notably Nile River and Sinnar states, and the society's emergency medical and relief stocks were "in urgent need of replenishment", the Federation said on Monday. Interventions in Sinnar and Nile River states will now be concentrated on medical activities, due to a recorded increased in the incidence of disease following the floods, it said. In addition, considerably more needed to be done on advocacy work with the government on flood mitigation, including a permanent move of people from the most flood-prone areas, it added.