The Kasai Provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are experiencing one of the most severe crisis in the country’s history. Violent ethnic/tribal conflicts, fuelled by the violent death of the local tribal chief, Kamuina Nsapu and the subsequent calls amongst his followers to avenge his death, have resulted in an unprecedented massive population displacement. These were reported within and outside the 5 provinces of the Great Kasai, which includes Kasai, Kasai Central, Kasai Oriental, Sankuru and Lomami. In June 2017, it was reported that 1.4 million people were forced to flee from their homes, escaping violence. About 33,132 people reportedly crossed the border to Angola. The situation in the Kasai provinces is a complex emergency. According to multi-sectorial needs assessments reports released by a number of humanitarian actors, including Christian Aid, UNICEF, UNOCHA, WAR Child UK and PRONANUT, 2.4 million people are directly affected and in need of multi-sector humanitarian assistance. According to UNICEF’s SitRep, about 1,185,600 children with their parents and 96,000 pregnant women are in need of humanitarian assistance: shelter, food, basic household equipment, education, health, protection, water and basic sanitation.

The ACT DRC Forum (Christian Aid, Lutheran World Federation, Church of Christ in Congo, and Ecumenical Office for Support to Development (BOAD)/The Salvation Army) is proposing an emergency response for 58,279 conflict affected persons in Kasai Region, amounting to $ 2,478,523. This response aims at contributing to save lives and increase the coping capacity of vulnerable populations affected by Kasai Crisis in DRC.

Tropical storm “Nate” formed on Thursday the 5^th of October in the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. The storm caused heavy rains and landslides throughout several countries in Central America. In Costa Rica, landslides caused significant damage to roads and villages, cutting off some areas.  According to the National Emergency Commission more than 11,517 persons are in 178 shelters around the nation after having to leave their homes because of flooding and the risk of unstable ground giving way. More than a dozen main roads were closed, while others were only partially open. In the province of Guanacaste, which has been particularly hard-hit by the heavy rains, many roads were impassable to all but four-wheel-drive vehicles and horses.

A highway that connects the south of the country was washed away in Casa Mata. At least 5,000 residents fled to emergency shelters there, according to the Associated Press. As much of the Costa Rica returns to normal, many communities are still isolated, others without water, and destruction caused by rains continues to be tallied and dealt with. The National Emergency Commission (CNE) on October 9, updated the status of different parts of the country. Much of Guanacaste and Puntarenas, on the country’s Pacific side, remain under red alert, and others have returned to low or no alert as rains have returned to normal rainy season levels.

The Costa Rican government declared a state of emergency, and President Luis Guillermo Solís appealed to the international community for support.  The annual rainy season is currently underway in Central America; a five-month period typically ending in December in which the risk of flooding and mudslides are heightened. This year, some areas in the region, including Costa Rica, have gotten up to 50 percent more rain than average for the months of September and October.

ACT Costa Rica Forum through it local member Lutheran Church of Costa Rica (ILCO) in coordination with implementing partners CSF and ACTUAR are planning to respond to this crisis by providing Shelter/NFI s, Food security, WASH and Livelihoods. Over 1105 households and 5525  individuals will be benefited by this intervention. The ACT Costa Rica Forum is requesting 164,546.04   USD to run the activities.

The first revision of the IRQ161 appeal is hereby issued, as requested by the ACT Iraq Forum.
This revision is based on the evolving humanitarian situation as the fight against Islamic State is coming to the end, and the liberation allows hundreds of people to return to their homes. Significant barriers inhibit return movements, such as the destruction of property and lack of security and access to basic services, while the conflict between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region may trigger new displacements. The humanitarian situation keeps evolving in all parts of Iraq, including the current areas of activity of requesting members.

Christian Aid expressed a need to adjust their original proposed activities to allow for responding to WASH activities in more critical areas across Iraq, one of the greatest needs identified in relation to the Mosul response. To reflect this, additional budget lines have been included for hygiene kits, hygiene promotion, and critical health messaging.

Tropical storm “Nate” formed on Thursday the 5th of October off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. The storm caused heavy rains and landslides throughout several countries in Central America. According to the report of SINAPRED (National System for Disaster Prevention), 73 municipalities from 11 departments were affected by heavy rains and winds (Chontales, Madriz, Boaco, Rio San Juan, Nueva Segovia, Triangulo Minero, Carazo, Rivas, Granada and the North Caribbean.). There are varying degrees damage throughout the 124 neighbourhoods and communities. 8236 houses were reported to have incurred some type of damage, of which 33 are totally destroyed; moreover, 6185 houses were flooded, and 27 remain at risk. 425 people were evacuated to solidarity homes. The Nicaraguan authorities have registered 16 fatalities as direct result of the storm. The government of Nicaragua has provided food supplies for more than 1600 affected households. The Ministry of Health has deployed 56 medical brigades composed of 544 health workers to the affected areas. Protection measures are being taken for vulnerable people in affected villages.

Data collected by the National System for Disaster Prevention in the affected communities indicates, that tropical storm Nate has critically damaged main livelihoods and food stocks. The population affected by Tropical Storm Nate in Nicaragua are in dire need of food, shelter, health services, access to safe water and restoration of livelihood. For this response the requesting member has identified gaps in food security. The Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua (CEPAD) is the requesting member for this response in coordination with Interchurch Center for Theological and Social Studies (CIEETS), to attend 700 households with food security. ACT Secretariat have approved 58,676.00 USD towards the budget from its Rapid Response Funds to attend the emergency.

Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest nations, has seen a massive influx of Rohingya people fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar. As of 21 Oct 2017, at least 815,000 Rohingyas are estimated to be sheltering in Bangladesh. Violence which began on 25 August has triggered a massive and swift influx and resulted in a critical humanitarian emergency. 603,000 new arrivals are reported, according to IOM Needs and Population Monitoring, UNHCR and other field reports. Population movements within Cox’s Bazar remain fluid, with increasing concentration in Ukhia, where the Government has allocated 3,000 acres for a new camp. Over half of the new arrivals are living in spontaneous settlements with little access to aid.

As this is a cross-border crisis which impacts Myanmar and Bangladesh, a coordinated and complementary humanitarian response among ACT Alliance members in the countries is necessary. Consequently, ACT Bangladesh Forum (Christian Aid, DanChurchAid, Diakonia, ICCO Cooperation) will assist over 60,000 households and 112,600 individuals in Bangladesh by providing Shelter/NFI s, Food Security, Protection/Psychosocial,  Health/ Nutrition, WASH, and advocacy programs. The ACT Bangladesh Forum is requesting for 3,578,740 USD to run the activities. Any indication of funding or other support is encouraged to be made in the name of the ACT Bangladesh Forum, and allocations will be made according to agreed mechanisms among requesting members.

While ACT Myanmar Forum members (Christian Aid and LWF) will respond to this crisis in Myanmar by providing Shelter/NFI s, Food Security, Protection/Psychosocial, Early Recovery/ Livelihoods, Unconditional Cash ,Education, and Advocacy programs. Over 21,000 households and 15,000 individuals will be benefited by this intervention.

In Liberia, since the beginning of this year, there have been constant storms and floods resulting in significant damages and losses. On Tuesday, August 31^st, it was reported on the National Radio Station (ELBC Super Morning Show) that a heavy storm had occurred in Bong County (Central Liberia) which caused the destruction of houses thereby leading to the displacement of hundreds of local community dwellers.

There are presently 5,244 people who are affected and 118 houses destroyed in Suakoko Town. 560 persons are without shelters, according to reports received from the National Disaster Committee based Gbarnga, Bong County.Other impacts of the storm and floods include the destruction of school buildings, offices, etc. Other parts of the country including Grand Cape Mount County and Margibi County have also been affected by heavy flooding which subsequently damaged individual houses. As the rainy season is at its peak in Liberia, more storms and potential flooding are expected.

The ACT Liberia Forum through Lutheran Development Services is planning to support the affected communities through the provision of food, non-food items and safe drinking water to restore their dignity and livelihoods.

The conflict in Rakhine started in 2012 and displaced about 140,000 individuals. During the period 2015-16, about 25,000 IDPs were resettled near their original home by the government. On 9 October 2016 an armed group attack on border guards in Northern Rakhine and the retaliation by the Myanmar army caused severe unrest and affected the lives of thousands of people especially in Northern Rakhine. The violence intensified further on 25 August 2017. According to the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) of the UN, 500,000 people are reported to have crossed the border since 25 August 2017.

As this is a cross-border crisis which impacts Myanmar and Bangladesh, a coordinated and complementary humanitarian response among ACT Alliance members in the countries is necessary. Consequently, ACT Myanmar Forum members (Christian Aid and LWF) will respond to this crisis in Myanmar by providing Shelter/NFI s, Food Security, Protection/Psychosocial, Early Recovery/ Livelihoods, Unconditional Cash ,Education, and Advocacy programs. The ACT Myanmar Forum is now requesting for 1,512,360 USD to run the program. Over 21,000 households and 15,000 individuals will be benefited by this intervention. Any indication of funding or other support is encouraged to be made in the name of the ACT Myanmar Forum, and allocations will be made according to agreed mechanisms among requesting members. ACT Bangladesh Forum (Christian Aid, DanChurchAid, Diakonia Sweden, ICCO Cooperation) will assist over 6,600 households or 39,600 individuals in Bangladesh.

On September 6^th, 2017, Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 295 km/hour, became one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. This highly destructive hurricane approached the eastern coast of Cuba (in Guantánamo) on Thursday, September 7^th. Hurricane Irma battered the entire north coast for 4 days. At 8:00 p.m. on Monday, September 11^th, the hurricane finally left Cuban territory leaving a huge amount of devastation in its wake. Approximately 2,000,000 persons were evacuated from their homes and sought refuge with their relatives, neighbors, in emergency shelters or in local churches. Tidal surges measuring up to 9 meters in height came crashing down on the coastline.  10 human casualties were reported as direct result of the hurricane.  Irma has caused considerable environmental, economic and social damage throughout the country; more specifically, there is inadequate supply of safe water for human consumption; significant loss of coastal dunes, forests, fruit trees, as well as seed granaries, banana and other crops; total or partial destruction of houses, health and educational centers, markets, bridges and access roads to those communities. Widespread flooding promoted unsanitary conditions which have resulted in health issues. Many communities remain without electricity and telecommunications, due to extensive infrastructural damage to the national network. The tourism industry, the main source of income for the Cuban economy, was seriously impacted, due to the destruction of hotel infrastructure. All this has seriously affected the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable groups, especially elderly persons, children, teenagers, youth, women, persons with disability and persons with chronic illnesses.

The Cuba Council of Churches (CIC) an ACT Alliance local member in the Cuban Forum are supporting the Hurricane affected households to have sufficient food, access to safe water and sanitation, Psychosocial support, shelter rehabilitation, and livelihoods recovery. Over 20,000 households in 75 communities will be benefited by this intervention, the requested budget for this intervention is  1, 395,795.00 USD.

The volcanic activity from seismicity of Mt. Agung in Karangasem Regency, Bali Province, has kept increasing over the last weeks. On 22 September 2017 at 20.30 WITA,  the status was raised from orange alert (level 3) to red alert (level 4, the highest), by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM). The high volcanic activity has put some districts in a state of emergency with any potential eruption in the future. National and provincial authorities reported the significant increase of volcanic activity and by 23 September 2017, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) deployed initial team to assess and set up the command post. On 5 October 2017, the total numbers of IDPs at 427 points in 9 districts is 146,797.

Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU), a national member from the ACT Indonesia Forum is the ACT requesting member for this response,  and had identify the following sectors as priorities: Shelter, non-food items, Health/ Nutrition, and WASH.  Although, YEU is requesting for USD 59,998  but considering the current funding level of the global RRF pot at ACT Alliance Secretariat,  ACT Secretariat has approved the use of USD 40,000 to the ACT Indonesia Forum in implementing the activities under this RRF.  However,  YEU remains positioned to receive additional contributions especially if a huge eruption occurs. .