ACT Alliance demonstrates its value as the leading faith-based alliance in humanitarian response by working with faith and humanitarian actors at the global, regional, national, and community levels. ACT harnesses the combined strength of its members in delivering humanitarian response at scale and with considerable reach through joint programming approaches.
We commit to an effective ecumenical response that saves lives and maintains dignity, irrespective of race, gender, belief, nationality, ethnicity, or political persuasion. Humanitarian needs define our priorities and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence guide our actions. We remain committed to strengthening the resilience of affected communities and to being accountable to people and communities affected by a crisis. The ACT Alliance Secretariat is certified against the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability and is committed to the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response.
Through its national, regional and sub-regional forums ACT Alliance provides humanitarian and emergency preparedness support to local communities helping them during a crisis and to become more resilient.
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The Rapid Response Fund is an innovative funding mechanism designed to put local communities at the centre of decision-making and is recognised as one of few such funding mechanisms across the sector. The RRF provides valuable opportunities to demonstrate the niche of faith actors in humanitarian response as we work closely with local ACT members and their community networks. On average, the RRF funds 20 emergencies annually and responses are implemented within six months.
The primary mechanism for large scale or global emergencies, including protracted crises: ACT Alliance raises an appeal to its membership with both requesting and funding members co-owning the process. Appeals are open for funding during their entire project period and accessible to both national and international ACT Alliance members.
Consortia represent a new funding mechanism for ACT Alliance. As part of Emergency Preparedness planning, consortiums are established before a disaster strikes and consortium members share a vision and strategic focus. Members self-organise and develop their own financial management models and programme strategies supported by the EPRP process and tools.
Emergency preparedness and response planning is integral to the strengthening of ACT Alliance’s capacity to respond effectively in emergencies through joint programming.
ACT national and regional forums develop emergency preparedness and response plans (EPRPs), working collaboratively to understand potential disaster risks and plan how to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively. Forum EPRPs are accessible by members through an online platform, which can be viewed by other members who may be interested to support them. ACT Forums use specific ACT guidelines and tools to support the process of developing an EPRP which is reviewed regularly.
As part of the holistic and integrated approach to humanitarian response, development and advocacy, ACT’s emergency preparedness and humanitarian response is supported by stronger humanitarian coordination and advocacy with stakeholders and duty bearers.
In the current strategic period our advocacy focuses on three banner commitments to the Grand Bargain at the World Humanitarian Summit where ACT has made significant investments and where member engagement is quite strong: the localisation agenda and the primary role of national/local members and local faith actors; demonstrating the important role of faith actors in humanitarian response; and strengthening of cash-based programming across the humanitarian sector.
Malawi is experiencing the most severe prolonged dry spells and army worm infestation, which are threatening the agricultural production of 3.8 million people. With little or no rain in parts of the country and fall army worms still destroying crop fields, the outlook is alarming which will result in hunger for over 3.8 million people till the next planting season. Even before the prolonged dry spells, Malawi Government had declared a national disaster in December 2017 because of fall army worms. The President of Malawi has declared this situation a national disaster, as a result the dry spell and the fall army worm infestation attack in December 2017. As a result, there is imminent food shortage in 20 out of 28 districts of Malawi. The following are the sectors that will be addressed by the Malawi ACT Forum
In the evening of Wednesday the 24 January 2018, refugees fleeing fighting in South Kivu started streaming in Makamba and Rumonge Provinces aboard boats. Since August 2017, the security and humanitarian situation have significantly deteriorated in South Kivu, more specifically on the axis Sebele ‐Kikonde‐Kazimia, the southern coast of Kazimia (Yungu, Talama) and the coastal communities of Ubwari in the Fizi area. On-going clashes between the army FARDC (Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces) and the Mai Yakutumba rebel armed group—claiming to be from the National People's Coalition for the Sovereignty of Congo (CNSPC)—are behind this deterioration of the situation since January 2018. Thousands of children, women and men have abandoned their homes, in the midst of intensified military operations against Mai-Mai armed groups in South Kivu province. Almost 7,000 people have crossed to neighbouring Burundi and an additional 1,200 to Tanzania. It is believed that many more are displaced inside South Kivu in difficult conditions without shelter or food.
Those refugees seeking to reach Burundi are mainly doing so by crossing Lake Tanganyika on small fishing boats. As of 28 January 2018, according to authorities in Burundi, 8,152 persons have crossed Lake Tanganyika and settled into Burundian provinces of Rumonge and Makamba (this includes 6,934 Congolese and 1,218 returning Burundians). On 29 January 2018, 823 additional persons arrived in Burundi. It is therefore estimated that a total of 9,078 people crossed to Burundi so far.
ACT Burundi Forum is planning to implement a project to provide life-saving assistance to Congolese refugees and host communities in Burundi. The project will reach a total of 6,578 households (3256 male-headed households and 3322 female-headed households). In total, about 32,890 individuals will be reached with food, cash and WASH interventions.
BURUNDI_Emergency Response to DRC Refugees - BDI 181 (Concept Note).
Appeal for ACT Alliance Rapid Response Fund Contributions ACT Alliance has the privileged position of being a network of local, national and international actors committed to partnerships amongst each other. This commitment enables international and global members of ACT to enhance the capacity of local and national actors, through resources, training and/or other support, allowing for first response in the beginning of a crisis or disaster to come directly from the community itself. ACT Alliance prioritizes approaches that attempt to ensure a commitment of responsibility towards communities in emergency response. As part of the commitments made by ACT at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul in 2016, we have identified the localization agenda as a banner for humanitarian advocacy, recognizing the primary role that our national members and local faith communities play in humanitarian response. Dignity, community empowerment and capacity-building are cornerstones of our local and national responses. Our members at the local and national levels are embedded within communities, familiar with the needs of communities and able to respond before any other actor in times of crisis. It is the role of the ACT Alliance, in the context of its emergency response mechanism, to ensure that the tools and resources available lend towards reinforcing this ambition. The Rapid Response Fund (RRF) is a global fund of the ACT Alliance administered by the ACT secretariat. Funds for the RRF are provided by ACT Alliance members and non-members on the basis of an annual appeal, and is intended to be accessed exclusively by ACT national members in pursuit of the localization agenda and in recognition of their distinct advantage of being at the forefront of emergency response in their own localities. This year, in keeping with the full rollout of the revised Humanitarian Mechanism, strengthening of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning (EPRP) process of ACT Forums and national members, and improving compliance to the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Sphere, the request for funding is for $2,983,403. GRRF 2018
Somalia is in the grip of an intense drought, induced by four consecutive seasons of poor rainfall. In the worst affected areas, poor rainfall and lack of water has wiped out crops and killed livestock, while communities are being forced to sell their assets, and borrow food and money to survive. Since mid-2015, drought conditions have been expanding with impact worsening over time. The drought situation is compounded by protracted conflict, which is causing displacements, seasonal climatic shocks as a result of most extreme El Niño phenomenon in 50 years, and disease outbreaks. Although famine has been prevented due to the scale up of humanitarian assistance, most people are still in crisis and the risk of famine is still very high. Recent assessments from UNOCHA and FSNAU predict a continuation of the drought in 2018 and 2019 with an increase in regions sliding to the next higher ICP phase.The latest food security and nutrition analysis from the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) issued on 2 February 2018 reveals that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased from 5 million in September 2016 to 6.2 million between February 2018 and June 2018. That is more than half the population. ACT Somalia Forum (ASF) members through Finn Church Aid, Norwegian Church Aid, Lutheran World Federation, Diakonia Sweden and Diakonia Katastrophenhilfe, have been implementing drought emergency response appeal at the onset of the famine declaration( March 2017- February 2018). The ACT Somalia forum is seeking a revision and extension of the drought response appeal(SOM171) for the period beginning (March 2018- June 2018) due to the prolonged nature of the drought, various assessments by UNOCHA have indicated massive humanitarian needs, secondly due to the over-subscription by one of the requesting members DKH who received more funds than what they had budgeted for hence need for revision and lastly due to late funding that came in at the very end of the implementation period. Appeals_ Drought Response in Somalia_ SOM 171 Revision.1
Violent clashes between the Government of Sudan and armed groups have caused large scale internal displacement since 2003. Approximately 1.1 million of the IDPs are still found in South and Central Darfur where the Darfur Program is intervening. During 2017, the level of armed confrontations in Darfur has continued to decrease but the situation remains highly volatile; increased criminality, the spread of firearms, inter-tribal fighting, the absence of law enforcement and unleashed militia are still major challenges. While a lack of basic services, infrastructure in addition to insecurity continue to prevent the return of IDPs to their areas of origin, the absence of socio- economic opportunities to rebuild their lives means that even after years of displacement, two thirds of displaced people struggle to fully sustain their food needs by themselves. In addition, the South Sudanese refugees and newly displaced people’s needs for shelter, food and other basic services highlights further the need for continued humanitarian interventions. Since 2004, ACT Alliance and Caritas Internationalis network agencies have come together, with respectively the Norwegian Church Aid( NCA) and CAFOD acting as lead agencies, to provide a response to this major protracted and forgotten crisis. The Darfur Program reaffirms its commitment to support the people and communities of Darfur and South Sudanese refugees and in line with the Sudan Multi-Year Humanitarian Plan, acknowledges the need for a change in approach and the move towards recovery and longer-term planning. Hence, the program, adopts for the first time a three year appeal aiming at enhancing resilience of people an communities through a long- term commitment, key to a sustainable, meaningful and measurable impact. The Darfur Programme, with and through its local partners, is planning to reach around 450,000 persons in urgent need of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene( WASH), Primary Healthcare and Nutrition, Emergency Shelter, Livelihoods and Education in South and Central Darfur. Appeals_ Darfur Programme in Sudan- 2018
Mayon Volcano continues to intensify its hazardous activities. As of 6:00 PM, 5 February, a total of 22,399 families (86,052 persons) were affected in 61 barangays in the municipalities of Bagacay, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, Daraga, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo (Libog), and Legazpi City in the province of Albay. Of which, 17,137 families (64,895 individuals) are currently in 58 designated evacuation centers (ECs). While, 2,954 families (12,169 persons) are outside ECs. Moreover, a total of PHP 165,541,749.36 worth of damages to agriculture has been incurred affecting more than 10,000 farmers in the province. This consists of agricultural crops of rice, corn, and abaca.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines, NCCP through Andurog Mayon, and in cooperation with the Bicol Regional Ecumenical Council (BREC), aims to improve the living conditions of disaster affected population in the province of Albay. More specifically, the proposed response will provide immediate relief assistance to 3,446 families of 12,490 persons directly affected by the Mayon volcano eruption in four (4) target municipalities.
RRF_01_2018_Mayon_Philippines
It has been seven years and the conflict in Syria continues. More than half of the population has been forcibly displaced from their homes, and many people have been displaced multiple times. The number of daily displacement remains high, with approximately 6200 newly displaced persons each day (HNO 2018). According to report by the UNHCR, it is estimated that 13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of these, 6.3 million are internally displaced, 12.8 million require health assistance, 5.8 million people are in acute need due to multiple displacements, exposure to hostilities, and limited access to basic goods and services, and 4.3 million in need of shelter intervention (UNHCR, 2017 report). In addition, there are approximately 3 million people in need trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, where they are exposed to serious protection threats (OCHA 2017). Children and youth comprise more than half of the displaced, as well as half of those in need of critical humanitarian assistance. While no large influxes of Syrian refugees across borders have currently been witnessed, an additional 570,000 Syrian refugees across the region have been registered in 2017 increasing the number of registered refugees from 4.8 million to 5.3 million (3RP- Regional Overview 2018-2019). The critical response for the refugee situation continues to fall primarily on the neighbouring countries in the region (mainly Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey) who continue to host a large number of registered refugees per capita. The already vulnerable and fragile context of the host community population is further exacerbated as one in three people in Lebanon is a refugee. In Jordan, the ration is slightly higher (one in 12 people is a refugee) but the socio-economic pressure on the country is similar. While some international efforts for a political settlement resulted in talks between various conflicted parties and the establishment of de-escalation zones, the direct impact on Syrians’ safety, protection and lives is still not clear. Though the overall level of violence decreased in some areas of Syria (primarily those linked to de-escalation zones in southern Syria, northern Homs), violence escalated and or remained high elsewhere such as in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Raqqa and Deir-Ez-Zour where fighting continues to inflict high civilian casualties. Cross- border operations in Syria have been ongoing since 2014, following the adoption of UN Security Resolution 2165. The UN conducts on average 4 cross border convoys a week. This has allowed access to UN agencies and implementing partners to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to affected persons. SYR 181 - Humanitarian Response for People Affected by the Syria Conflict - updated SYR181 Annex - Joint Logical Framework SYR181-Annex-Budget-per-Requesting-Member-updated
The current crisis in Iraq began in June 2014, when militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of over one third of Iraq’s territory within a few weeks. Iraqi Security Forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga and various armed groups engaged in the fight against ISIS, and finally recaptured Ramadi in February 2016, Hīt in April 2016, Fallujah in June 2016, Mosul in July 2017, Tal Afar in August 2017 and Hawija in October 2017. The Government of Iraq announced the defeat of ISIS and regained full territorial control on 9 December.
With the major military operations coming to end, many people are now able to return to their homes, and previously experienced large-scale displacements are likely to be over by 2018. However, smaller scale movements are still expected resulting from the tension between the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government, triggered by the referendum on Kurdish independence on 25 September 2017.
Background On 23 October 2017, the Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) declared an alert in five of the country’s departments: Cortés, Yoro, Atlántida, Islas de La Bahía and Colón; the alert was declared in response to the arrival of the first cold front of the season, which brought heavy rains and prompted COPECO to raise the alert level for the departments of Islas de la Bahía, Cortés, Atlántida and Colón at 5:00 pm on 24 October. That same day, the government declared a state of emergency due to the presence of the weather system in the departments of Cortés, Atlántida, Yoro, Colón, Islas de la Bahía and Gracias a Dios. The weather system brought heavy rainfall, which caused rivers and gorges to flood. As of 29 October 2017, a red alert was in effect for the departments Gracias a Dios, Yoro, Islas de la Bahía, Cortés, Atlántida and Colón, while a yellow alert was in place for departments Olancho, Santa Bárbara and Francisco Morazán and a green alert for the departments of Copán, Comayagua, La Paz, Valle, Choluteca, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Intibucá and El Paraíso.
According to official data provided by COPECO, the flooding has had the following impact on Honduras:
• 10,564 affected households
• 50,770 affected persons
• 4876 evacuated households (24,691 persons)
• 25 persons rescued
• 1799 households in temporary shelters (9351 persons)
• 5012 damaged houses
• 13 totally destroyed houses.
Additionally, Tropical Depression Selma formed in the Pacific at the same time as a tropical disturbance in the Atlantic according to COPECO’s National Centre of Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Seismic Studies, producing moderate to strong rains, especially in the country’s south central and western parts.
According to data collected by COPECO in the affected communities, the floods has critically damaged main livelihoods and food stocks. The floods have affected the crops, forcing many of the affected families to change their diets and implement survival strategies; for example, affected farmers have begun selling their agricultural products at a very low cost, which will affect their income generation. Water distribution systems are affected and water is not safe for drinking. Lastly, due to deterioration of residual water and excreta management systems, the affected population is at risk to water and vector-borne diseases and other dangers to their health. There is urgent need of food, water and sanitation support and livelihood restoration.
The ACT Honduras Forum through its local member Mennonite Social Action Commission (CASM) by it´ Spanish acronym, is responding to this crisis by providing Food security, WASH and livelihood recovery to 1463 households. The target for this appeal is $109,875.04 USD to provide humanitarian relief.
The humanitarian crisis in the six states of the North-Eastern Nigeria has intensified after eight years of violent conflict. In 2016, this was compounded as the Nigeria Government Forces took back territory previously held by the Boko Haram insurgency. The conflict caused widespread forced displacement, acute food and nutrition insecurity and serious human rights violations. Since 2009, 14.8 million people in North-Eastern states of Nigeria have been affected by conflict. Violence caused by insurgency activities of Boko Haram and counter military operations have left widespread devastation to families, infrastructure and livelihoods within the region.
The latest needs assessment carried out in April 2017 by Christian Aid in coordination with the Humanitarian Clusters across Borno, including in Konduga Local Government Areas(LGA), focused on identifying key need gaps for vulnerable populations in the sectors of food security, WASH, NFIs and protection. There are approximately 4.2 million people in host communities and 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs); 54% of the affected population are female and 59% are children. With disrupted agricultural production, poor functioning markets and high food prices, most of the population are dependent on humanitarian assistance with an estimated 3.3 million people food insecure (IPC phase 3-5) with numbers expected to significantly deteriorate during the lean season. There is thus need for life saving support and activities to alleviate suffering through integrated and coordinated humanitarian response focussing on the most vulnerable people.
Christian Aid (CA) has been working in the North-East and Borno state for over 2 years. Ongoing humanitarian operations in Nigeria are being implemented directly by CA or via local partners. This proposed intervention to ACT Alliance will be directly implemented by CA and also through local partners with teams in Maiduguri and Konduga and through partners in Dikwa and Munguno LGAs.
In the evening of 12 November 2017, the Governorate of Halabja region, North-East of Iraq experienced an earthquake in the magnitude of approximately 7.2-7.5, according to European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The epicentre of this earthquake is located 32kms from the city of Halabja. According to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), approximately 1,840,000 people live within 100km of the epicentre of this earthquake in both Iraq and Iran. Local experts seismologists in the area see potential occurrence of such shocks in the future as the area has entered into a new level of intensity, and therefore it is likely that future earthquakes will be of a same or higher magnitude.
There have been nine reported fatalities and over 550 people injured in Iraq as a result of the earthquake, according to the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The Darbandikhan areas has been most severely impacted, with most earthquake related injuries reported in Darbandikhan, Halabja, and Garmyan districts. Many houses in the areas of Darbandikhan, Maidan, Qurato and Bamo have been damaged and/or destroyed. According to the KRG, damage to the infrastructure is most severe in Darbandikhan, where landslides have blocked the Darbandikhan tunnel, while work to clear and open the road is ongoing. The water and electricity network of Darbandikhan is also damaged and requires significant repair. The water treatment plant in Halabja is partially damaged and produces clean water at only 50% capacity.
According to the KRG, the situation is stabilizing; NGOs in the area are coordinating with each other on further actions and locations. ACT Alliance response is needed since a gap in adequate interventions will lead to affected people leaving the area as a consequence of bad living condition. This is a frequent effect of post-earthquake situation, when the response is either missing or inadequate. Right now, the proposed action comes at a point in time when the affected population is still willing to stay in the area, and rebuild their livelihoods with some humanitarian support.
On 23 October 2017, the Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) declared an alert in five of the country’s departments: Cortés, Yoro, Atlántida, Islas de La Bahía and Colón; the alert was declared in response to the arrival of the first cold front of the season, which brought heavy rains and prompted COPECO to raise the alert level for the departments of Islas de la Bahía, Cortés, Atlántida and Colón at 5:00 pm on 24 October. That same day, the government declared a state of emergency due to the presence of the weather system in the departments of Cortés, Atlántida, Yoro, Colón, Islas de la Bahía and Gracias a Dios. The weather system brought heavy rainfall, which caused rivers and gorges to flood. As of 29 October 2017, a red alert was in effect for the departments Gracias a Dios, Yoro, Islas de la Bahía, Cortés, Atlántida and Colón, while a yellow alert was in place for departments Olancho, Santa Bárbara and Francisco Morazán and a green alert for the departments of Copán, Comayagua, La Paz, Valle, Choluteca, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Intibucá and El Paraíso.
According to official data provided by COPECO, the flooding has had the following impact on Honduras:
• 10,564 affected households
• 50,770 affected persons
• 4876 evacuated households (24,691 persons)
• 25 persons rescued
• 1799 households in temporary shelters (9351 persons)
• 5012 damaged houses
• 13 totally destroyed houses.
Additionally, Tropical Depression Selma formed in the Pacific at the same time as a tropical disturbance in the Atlantic according to COPECO’s National Centre of Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Seismic Studies, producing moderate to strong rains, especially in the country’s south central and western parts.
After a month of the emergency there are still unmet needs among the affected population. ACT Honduras Forum through its local member Mennonite Social Action Commission (CASM) by it´ Spanish acronym, are responding to this crisis by providing Food security. 700 households will be benefited by this intervention. The ACT Secretariat have approved the use of 35,257.00 USD towards the budget from its Rapid Response, to provide humanitarian relief.
On the morning of Friday the 25 August 2017, the state of Rakhine in Myanmar, conflict broke out disproportionately affecting the minority Rohingya community as a result of operations of the Myanmar military and other non state actors in response to attacks on three border posts on the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh allegedly by a group of Islamic militants leading to the death of nine policemen. The extent and degree of implications and sufferings of people fleeing the ongoing violence still remains uncertain. Though incidents of violence against the Rohingya community are being constantly reported by the media and other sources, the Myanmar government officially have denied such events. To date, estimations based on consolidated field reports of the agencies working in Cox’s Bazar are that 370,000 people are estimated to have crossed the border into Bangladesh seeking refuge from the violence of Myanmar military and local Rakhine communities. Alerts_Bangladesh_Rohingya Refugee Crisis
During the night of Friday, 25 August 2017, the state of Rakhine in Myanmar, was attacked by armed groups. The Arakhine Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in three northern townships of Rakhine. The Government has officially declared ARSA a terrorist organization which gives the state authorities wide powers of arrest and detention of those suspected of belonging to ARSA. Military operations ensued immediately and have continue to-date in townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung which have been declared Military Operations areas. The UN and INGOs and the diplomatic missions have all made statements condemning the violent attacks and expressing sympathy for all those affected by the violence. According to the latest displacement figures, 300,000 conflict affected people have fled to Bangladesh. ACT Alliance has been working in Rakhine since LWF started humanitarian work in 2012. Christian Aid is also working in the Rakhine state through local organizations. Both are now planning to help people affected by the conflict. The ACT Myanmar forum has identified a gap in humanitarian aid and has resolved that if funded, it will have the capacity to properly bridge the identified gap. Alerts_09_2017_Rakhine Conflict Myanmar
As of 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 295 km/hour, it has significantly strengthened to become one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. To date, it has passed over Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Anguilla, Saint Marten, British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, the Bahamas and passing through Florida. Irma caused extensive damage in Barbuda and Anguilla where 70-90% of the buildings were destroyed. 27 people reported dead across affected territories, 34,000 people displaced in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Over 1 million people were evacuated, especially from the municipalities in the northern coastline in central and eastern Cuba. 17,000 people in need of immediate shelter across the affected eastern Caribbean islands. Initial reports highlight that in Haiti there are significant damages to agricultural fields, livestock and banana plantations. Assessments will take place over the coming days to determine the number of people in need of food assistance. More than 10,000 people are in temporary shelters in the North.
Given the level of damages so far, the Haiti and Dominican Republic forums respectively decided to submit a RRF, and an appeal is going to be submitted to respond in Cuba, the most affected among the three islands.
Since Monday ,14 August 2017, 14 districts of Bihar state in India, were experiencing heavy rainfall. The unprecedented rainfall and consequent floods in Nepal and Himalayan catchment areas during the last three days exacerbated a bad situation and resulted in severe flooding in the 14 districts of Bihar. Rivers such as the Mahananda, Gandak and Kankai are in spate. 98 people have lost their lives so far because of the floods and an estimated 6.5 million people are affected in the Bihar. The floods have severely hampered communication. More than 248,000 people have been evacuated to safer places by the rescue teams. The state government has set up 343 relief camps in which 93,149 people are living. An additional 10 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions each comprising 40-45 personnel have been deployed in flood-hit districts of Kishanganj, Purnia and Araria to strengthen the existing 9 NDRF battalions. A team each of the NDRF has already been deployed in East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Supaul and Purnia districts, while two teams have been positioned at Kishanganj. Alerts_24_ 2017_Flooding_in_Bihar, India
The first half of 2017 has marked an important period in the Iraq crisis that has been ongoing since 2014. On 17 October 2016, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) engaged in operations to recapture the city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). East Mosul has been under ISF control since January 2017, and as of July 2017 the removal of ISIL has been substantially completed. Since the beginning of the operations, the cumulative number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Mosul is close to 850 000. Due to an improved sense of security among affected populations, the number of returnees has grown to over 220 000 individuals by July 2017. Many of them have their houses damaged, limited access to water, food and health assistance, as well as no income opportunities. ACT members are committed to provide assistance to vulnerable communities in many locations of Iraq and the Kurdistan region as part of their individual responses. The complex nature of Mosul’s problems requires a well-coordinated, multi-sector response, and ACT members are dedicated to combine their capacities for a more effective response. alerts_08_2017_returnees-and-residents-of-mosul_irq161_rev-1
In the afternoon of Tuesday the 15th August 2017 severe floods were caused due to incessant rains in 20 districts in the northern part of Bangladesh. According to National Health Crises Management Centre (NHCMC) of Director General of Health Service (DGHS) control room on 14th August 2017, the death toll has risen to 89[1] and approximately 1.7 million people[2] have been affected by the floods. At least 110,400 hectors of cultivated land have been affected. An estimated 1,031 primary schools had to be closed. Even though the flood-affected families have taken shelter in higher ground but some are marooned in rising flood waters. Roads and railway communication between northern districts and the capital remain disconnected. Flood waters are flowing downstream and new areas in central part of the country are being affected. The Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Ganges and Padma rivers along with other major river systems in the country are expected to continue to rise during next couple of days, flooding more down stream areas. Affected people have taken shelters along the highways, road sides, embankments, and schools. [1] Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) [2] National Health Crises Management Centre (NHCMC) of Director General of Health Service (DGHS) control room Alerts_23_2017_Flooding_in_northern_Bangladesh
On the evening of the 14th August, mudslides triggered by three days of heavy rains poured in and around the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown. The most severe mudslides occurred in the coastal suburb of Racecourse on the city’s eastern edge, as well as in Regent and Lumley where thousands of makeshift settlements are home to the city’s poorest communities. Torrential rains have led to a series of significant floods and mudslides in several areas of Freetown. Emergency support is being provided for the two types of responses: floods and mudslides. According to Freetown Mayor, rescue workers have recovered 270 bodies so far mainly from the Regent neighbourhood where the mudslides happened. As rescue operations are still ongoing, the death toll is expected to rise. An estimated 3,000 or more people are believed to have lost their homes and are in immediate need of emergency assistance and shelter according to Sierra Leone’s Office of National Security (ONS). Alerts_22_2017_Flooding in Freetown - Sierra Leone
On the morning of Sunday the 13 August 2017, the 18 districts in the southern plains in Nepal, were struck by floods due to continuous torrential rainfall. The Nepal government has reported 115 deaths, 38 missing, and approximately 6 million people being directly affected by the floods. Land in the southern plains are heavily populated and is known as an agricultural farming land. Almost all of the cultivated crops and agriculture farming lands have been affected by the current floods. Livestock has also been affected by the floods. This has also meant the loss of livelihoods. Alerts_21_2017_Flooding_in_Southern_Plains_Nepal
In the evening of Tuesday the 8 August 2017, the province of Sichuan in China, was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, killing 19 people and injuring 343.[1]The epicentre of the tremor was in Ngawa prefecture, largely populated by ethnic Tibetans, many of whom are nomadic herders. It was also close to the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve, a popular tourist area and, it is the peak of the summer school holiday tourist season in China.
The earthquake has put the region in a state of crisis. The earthquake affected persons find themselves in a desperate situation, with many unmet vital humanitarian needs such as access to sufficient food and safe shelter and basic non-food items.
The emergency response is currently being coordinated by Ministry of Civil Affairs and China National Commission for Disaster Reduction.
ACT Alliance works in areas affected by the earthquake, and is assessing the impact of the disaster to better understand the needs and vulnerabilities .
ACT Alliance emergency teams are ready/preparing to respond according to the results of a contextual analysis and rapid needs assessment. In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the ACT member Amity Foundation has identified a gap in Non-food items like clothes and tents and has resolved that if funded, it will have the capacity to bridge the identified gap.
Alerts _20_2017_Earthquake_in_Sichuan_China
The state of Odisha has been witnessing heavy to very heavy rains since 16 July 2017. These heavy rains have triggered flash floods in parts of Rayagada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts of the state of Odisha in India. Swollen rivers have become a cause for concern in the state. While the Thuamul-Rampur area of Kalahandi received 260 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours, the Kashipur block of Rayagada recorded 237 mm rainfall during the same period, causing flash floods in the Nagabali and Kalyan rivers. The Nagavali and the Kalyani rivers have risen, due to which many areas in Kalahandi and Rayagada were inundated. In Kalahandi, the water level in the river Hati is rising. The flood has claimed the lives of 4 persons and above 100 animals so far. As many as 28,000 people in 70 villages have been affected in the Rayagada district. In addition, in the Kalahandi district, the administration evacuated 5,731 people to safe places due to flood in Hati, Tel and other small rivers. Alerts_19_2017_Floods in Southern Odisha, India
There have been heavy torrential rains since 2nd July 2017 in the North-Eastern state of Assam in India. The rains have continued and the floods have intensified in the last 24 hours. 23 districts of Assam have been affected during this current phase of floods. A population of 1,518,365 have been badly affected by current floods and are struggling with the worsening flood situation in the state. The situation is likely to worsen in coming days as the water level in major rivers is continually rising above the danger level and more rainfall has been predicted by the Meteorological Department of India. Alerts_18_2017_Flooding in North-Eastern State of Assam India
Four countries (Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad) in the Lake Chad region are affected by the on-going, Boko Haram conflict. As the needs continue to increase, this slow-onset “forgotten” crisis is urgently requiring attention to save lives and maintain human dignity. Approximately 21 million people live in the conflict-affected areas, of which 2.6 million are displaced and in dire need of support. The conflict has had devastating effects on the region; visible not only through the widespread destruction of homes, livelihoods, infrastructure and large-scale displacements, but also in the conflict-induced trauma and fear in the affected communities. The already grim situation is further compounded by climate change, as the Lake Chad – the peoples’ principle source of income and livelihoods – is receding at an alarming rate. In some of the affected areas, humanitarian access is often hampered by insecurity. Access may also be limited due to the rainy season (June - August). Moreover, social and political institutions in the region are fragile or underdeveloped and corruption is widespread. Call 4 Action_Lake Chad Region Crisis_07_2017
Head of Humanitarian Affairs
Global
niall.orourke@actalliance.org
Geneva, Switzerland
Regional Humanitarian Officer
Africa
Caroline.Njogu@actalliance.org
Nairobi, Kenya
Humanitarian Operations Manager
Global
Cyra.Bullecer@actalliance.org
Bangkok, Thailand
Humanitarian Programme Advisor
MENA
Amman, Jordan
