Agencies scramble to get aid to Dire Dawa

Humanitarian agencies are sending aid to thousands of people made homeless by flash floods in the southern Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa but more help is still needed, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Thursday. "Tents and blankets are among the most pressing non-food needs, as [officials] are warning of fresh flooding," said Vincent Lelei, OCHA's deputy head of office in Ethiopia. "The displaced must be immediately resettled as the school year is starting in less than a month’s time," The schools, he added, were being used as temporary shelters for 6,000 people. Initial relocation from the schools is expected to begin as early as next week and the Dire Dawa city administration has promised to give free land to those who have the financial means to construct new houses. "The administration has also formed five committees to coordinate activities," said Lelei. "Health and environmental sanitation, support and logistics, food and shelter, aid coordination, and security and infrastructure are the major issues the committee will address." Aid agencies have so far provided 170 tonnes of food, 7.6 tonnes of high-energy biscuits and 6,000 blankets. Four mobile health teams are also providing medical services and public health education to minimise the high risk of disease due to lack of sanitation and overcrowding. A local NGO, Abebech Gobena, said it would take care of 20 orphans. "Our organisation has made a special arrangement by receiving children under the age of seven," said Eshetu Aredo, deputy head of the organisation. "Considering the seriousness of the situation, we extended the age limit by two years." Flash floods hit the city on the night of 6 August while most of the residents were asleep, killing at least 225 people and affecting up to 10,000. The police have warned of further risk of flooding because rain is still falling in the Ethiopian highlands. sa/eo/mw