Ethiopia Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 54 | 21 May - 3 June 2018

HIGHLIGHTS

  • ECHO announces €2 million to IOM to deliver critical ES/NFIs humanitarian aid to 55,000 flood-affected displaced persons

  • Heavy rains cause landslides, leading to deaths and displacement in southern Ethiopia.

  • Normal to above normal summer kiremt/deyr rains forecast.

  • The Government relocated all 8,119 IDPs in Hamaresa site in East Hararge zone. The site is now closed.

ECHO announces €2 million to IOM for flood response

The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has announced a 2,000,000 EUR allocation to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Special Liaison Office (SLO) in Addis Ababa, which will see the delivery of critical Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI) humanitarian aid to 55,000 floodaffected displaced persons. The funding was released under the Acute Large Emergency Response Tool (ALERT), which forms part of the Emergency Toolbox Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) ECHO/DRF/BUD/2018/91000 and is intended to provide rapid first-line funding for the immediate response to sudden-onset large scale natural and technological disasters.

Landslides cause deaths in Southern Ethiopia

Landslides caused by heavy rains on 26 May killed 22 people in Tullu Gola kebele of Nansebu woreda in West Arsi zone, Oromia region. At least seven injured people were hospitalized. The landslide displaced 53 people (11 households), who require immediate food, shelter and non-food item support.

The zonal administration, together with the Oromia Disaster Risk Management Commission and the Ethiopian Red Cross have mobilized emergency response, including 8 quintals of maize, 12 bags of Corn Soya Blend (CSB), 25 blankets and 30 plastic sheets. The zonal administration is also looking into rehabilitating the affected households and implementing long term solution to prevent future occurences of landslides in the area.

Similarly, landslides caused by heavy rains on 27 May killed at least 23 people in Sidama zone and nine people in Gamo Gofa zone of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) region. At least 23 people were injured.

Heavy spring (mid-February-May) rains have also been causing flash floods in the southern and eastern parts of the country, particularly since April. The National Meteorology Agency (NMA) forecast for the month of May 2018 had informed of a shift of the heavy rainfall from south eastern Ethiopia (mainly Somali region) to the central, western and parts of northern Ethiopia, including Afar, Amhara, Gambella, southern Oromia, parts of SNNP and Tigray region. The risk of flooding continues in areas along river banks and areas with low soil water percolation capacity. More than 50,000 households were displaced due to flooding nationwide so far this year.