Appeal for more aid for flood victims

More aid is needed for people displaced by floods in the southwest of Yemen, government officials have said. “The aid given by some international and local aid agencies doesn’t cover the needs of the people,” said Ahmad al-Azab, coordinator of the interior ministry’s disaster management unit. “Only some 70 percent of the needs of the 584 people displaced –now living in two schools in the city – have been covered.” Al-Azab added that some of the displaced had refused to live in the schools, opting instead to live with relatives. The city of Ma’abar in Thamar governorate was hit by flash floods that killed three people on 20 February. “There is still a need for foodstuffs, water, medicine and shelter,” al-Azab went on to say, noting that the national civil defence unit had begun contacting aid agencies for additional assistance. The unit was chosen by international and local humanitarian agencies to act as coordinator for relief efforts. President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered tents and facilities to be speedily dispatched by the Yemeni Red Crescent society and urged that damaged roads be opened to provide access to stricken areas. “The situation is very difficult [in Ma’abar]…The city is very cold and this could increase the suffering of the displaced,” said Khaled al-Mualed, country representative of the Islamic Relief NGO. “We visited the city on Wednesday and distributed food commodities, water and other supplies.” Some 10 houses were completely destroyed and a further 40 damaged by heavy flooding. Al-Mualed stressed that, given the lack of drainage systems, a number of mud houses had collapsed. “The problem isn’t the rain, but the absence of drains in all streets of the city,” he stressed. He went on to urge that a system be installed to prevent such disasters from recurring. Aid agencies from elsewhere in the region have also contributed to relief efforts. “We’ve received support from the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent for 265 people,” said al-Azab. “Food and blankets were distributed on Wednesday in the presence of the UAE ambassador.” CARE International has also provided food and blankets, while the UNDP is supporting a disaster-management unit to help coordinate the humanitarian response. Other UN agencies are also assessing needs. A 22 February statement from the civil defence unit said that a team from the Ministry of Water and Environment was conducting a study on the environmental impact of the floods. The Ministry of Health, meanwhile, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, is evaluating the health implications of the disaster.