On Saturday 21^st May 2016, Cyclonic Storm Roanu struck 15 coastal districts of Bangladesh. The death toll in 7 districts was 24 persons. High tidal surge breached embankments in some locations and submerged agricultural land and standing crops. High winds destroyed traditional low cost homes of poor and vulnerable families living inside and outside the embankments. Fully affected families were 29,168 and partially affected 110,684. 500,000 families were moved to cyclone shelters and schools for safety by government, Red Crescent and NGO staff and Volunteers. They have now returned back to their homes.  Further heavy rainfall is expected that will aggravate the present situation.

Alerts_10_2016_Bangladesh Cyclone

Central America is experiencing the worst drought in decades. Drought is affecting food security for a second consecutive year. More than 4.2 million people are food insecure, severe acute malnutrition in some areas is reported to be as high as 8% and need humanitarian assistance after suffering major losses due to prolonged drought conditions. Predictive models show that El Niño intensity is diminishing in Central America and the Caribbean. It will probably reach neutral conditions (neither El Niño or La Niña) by mid-2016.

Alerts_09_2016_El niño Central_America

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on September 30, 2015 announced that a mature “strong” El Niño has prevailed in the Pacific Ocean affecting the Philippines. 14 provinces in Luzon and 12 provinces in Visayas experience dry spell, while drought is expected to be experienced by 6 provinces in Luzon, 3 provinces in Visayas, and 23 provinces in Mindanao. As of February 2016, the drought has already caused P5.32 billion worth of damages to the agriculture sector alone. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has reported that at least 100,000 fisher folk are also affected by drought through fish kills and red tide.

Alerts_08_Philippines Drought

The plight of Palestinians continues, the combination of the three recent wars among the previous 6 years, insecurity, political instability, political divisions, tight blockade, economic hardships and increasing poverty in the Gaza Strip continues to have a negative impact on the health, wellbeing and economic situation of Palestinians. The blockade policy enforced in 2007 has greatly impeded economic development in the Gaza Strip. The fragile humanitarian situation prevailing in the Gaza Strip following the summer 2014 war on Gaza in which more than 13,000 people were killed and/or injured  deteriorated further since the end of the war. A key driver of deterioration is the slow progress in the reconstruction of homes, infrastructure and assets destroyed during the hostilities, compounded by limited available resources and efforts to restore the destroyed livelihood opportunities, as well as the devastating impact of the exposure to conflict-related violence in Gaza on the psychosocial well-being of children, adolescents and families.

Alerts_07_ME PSE 2016

Last Friday April 15, at 16.30, a tornado hit the village of Dolores, Dpt. Soriano, 15 km. from the Uruguay River, in south western Uruguay, without warning. Dolores has a population of approximately 20,000. The tornado, considered as an F3, cut through the middle of the town travelling from West to Northeast, destroying everything in its path for 800 m. A third of this city`s population has been affected. Until now, we have registered 4 deaths, 12 persons disappeared, and more than 500 wounded, mostly children. A primary school, the secondary school and the local Hospital are seriously damaged, as well as near 1,000 houses and other buildings. Many of the damaged buildings are still at risk of collapsing. People have been taken in by neighbours and family, others in improvised shelters set up by local authorities. It continues to rain, causing some flooding, making it difficult to save personal belongings from damaged buildings. If the rain doesn`t stop, there will be health problems in addition to the existing housing problems.

Alerts_06_Tornado Uruguay

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck on Saturday night, on the northern coast of Ecuador, with the epicentre 27 kilometres southeast of the coastal town of Muisne and 170 kilometres northwest of Quito the capital city (U.S. Geological Survey). The earthquake occurred as the result of shallow thrust faulting on or near the plate boundary between the Nazca and Pacific plates.

It is the most powerful earthquake to hit the region in 36 years. The death toll from the quake has risen to more than 246, Ecuador’s Vice President Jorge Glas said Sunday evening on Ecuador TV. At least 2,527 people were injured, he said.

Alerts_05_Ecuador Earthquake

Heavy fighting erupted between Armenian and Azerbaijan forces on 2 April along the southern, south-eastern and north-eastern parts of the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. This is the largest fighting since the ceasefire agreement of 1994. Official sources from the government of Armenia state that 18 soldiers and 3 civilians (among them a 12 year old school boy) have died and 35 are injured (including 2 children) as a result of the fighting. Unofficial sources estimated this number to be higher. Seriously wounded soldiers are being moved to Armenia.

The fighting was most prominent near the villages of Agdere (Martakert), Khojavend (Martouni) and Hadrut (Hadrout). As a result, a total of 14,400 people are affected. According to ACT Alliance member, the Armenian Inter-Church Charitable Round Table Foundation (ART), the majority of the population in the affected territories have been evacuated to the regional centres.

AlertS_12_2016_Nagorno-Karabakh-conflict

Chad ranks 185 out of 188 on the Human Development Index and takes the 6^th position on the Fragile State Index^[1]. In this precarious context, Chad hosts millions of vulnerable people, displaced by violence and conflict in neighbouring countries. Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Northern Cameroon and within Chad now exacerbate the challenges of humanitarian response.  In addition to floods, droughts and pests, negatively influence agricultural activities, displacement has caused food insecurity and threatened the livelihoods of over 3.4 million people – refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Chadian host communities living nearby the refugee camps. OCHA’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 indicates that 3.9 million people in Chad are directly affected by the four major crises in Chad and the surrounding countries^[1]. Chad currently hosts more than 505,370 refugees (377,480 Sudanese, 100,000 CAR and 27,890 from other countries)^[2]

The ACT Alliance members in Chad sees the urgency to provide immediate life-saving assistance, but  also aims to continue building resilient communities that are more self-reliant to meet their livelihood as well as their psychosocial needs. A precondition for sustainable solutions to long-term displacement in Chad is to support peaceful coexistence between long-term displaced populations and their host communities and sustainable use of natural resources (livelihood development). This will reduce tensions and provide mutual benefit for national development, peace and stability in the region. The ACT Alliance does not expect a large return of refugees from Chad to Sudan or CAR. Darfur, Sudan remains a complex crisis and CAR continues to experience insecurity and violence following elections in 2015. Sustainable solutions to long-term displacement in these protracted crises are needed.

Chad Alerts 04_2016

ACT Alliance Alert Reference Number: 03/2016

Following the post-election violence in Burundi and the continued deterioration of the lives of affected population, the ACT Alliance members in Burundi are concerned about its impact on the economy and their livelihood systems. A total of 263, 000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers have arrived in the neighboring countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Rwanda since April. Internal displacement has been difficult to ascertain due to the complex political situation but current figures estimate at least 25,000 across a few of the provinces who are accommodated by host communities in the respective provinces. Given that the situation in Burundi remains volatile, more displacement is expected. Initially, most of the refugees were women and children, while recently it is observed that a growing number of young men are among the arrivals. In addition to population directly influenced by the political situation, Burundi also has more than 900,000 people who are severely affected by food shortages, 150,000 children are malnourished and without services due to aggravation of crisis and suspension of funding by external donors. An estimated 30,000 are affected by floods and landslides are also without services from the government.

Alerts 03 2016 Burundi Conflict

Zimbabwe experienced a poor 2014/15 agricultural season characterized by dry spells in most parts of the country particularly in Masvingo and Matabeleland North and South Provinces. This has led to losses in agricultural production of over 60% drop in cereal production as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Development (MAMID). There is also loss of household incomes due to reduced labor opportunities in the agricultural sector.

According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) 2015, there is a nationwide cereal deficit of over 650,000 MT while an additional 350,000 MT will be required to feed livestock. This has put 1.5 million people at risk of starvation. According to ZIMVAC acute malnutrition in children has risen to 3.3% up from 2.3% in the previous season. Average household purchasing power in terms of maize grain dropped from 300 kilograms last season to 244 at the start of this consumption season and FEWSNET expects this trend to continue. Despite the ongoing lean season assistance, FEWSNET reported that most Districts are currently experiencing Stressed (IPC Phase 2) food security outcomes because of a lower than typical level of lean season assistance.

Alerts 02_2016 Zimbabwe_drought