26/10/2012

I. International

Horn of Africa – Displacement (ECHO)

• With more than 170,000 refugees, Dollo Ado (Ethiopia) has now become the world’s biggest refugee complex after Dadaab in Kenya. The establishment of a new camp site is planned to host this increased caseload.

Somalia – Conflict (ECHO)

• In South-Central Somalia, humanitarian operations continue to be affected by security concerns. Including in Kismaayo that had been re-taken from Al Shabaab recently.
• Approximately 473 IDP households (2,800 people) that had been residing at the Talex school in Hodan district in Mogadishu were forcibly evicted by city officials on 24 October.

Ethiopia – Food Insecurity (ECHO)

• The pipeline for relief food assistance continues facing a shortage of resources. In these circumstances, the Ethiopian Government is considering revising the number of districts benefitting from the 7th yearly round of food distribution.

Uganda – Epidemic Outbreak (ECHO)

• An outbreak of Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever took place in Kabale District, South-Western Uganda; to date, 3 lab confirmed cases and 5 deaths are recorded, with an so far undetermined number of contacts and sites. The Government of Uganda, WHO, CDC and MSF are addressing the outbreak.

Guinea Bissau – Cholera (ECHO)

• The cholera outbreak in Guinea Bissau on 11 October saw a significant increase of cases over the past week.  5 regions are affected and 92% of cases were identified in the capital Bissau. The Reference Hospital in Bissau reports that existing medical stocks are nearing exhaustion.

Pakistan – Floods (ECHO)

• Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) assesses the number of people affected by the 2012 Monsoon floods at 5.06  million.
• Latest information from UNOCHA indicates that critical humanitarian needs remain unmet across all sectors in the flood-affected areas: 1.3 million people need immediate food and livelihoods assistance and safe drinking water. Over 338,400 vulnerable children under five and pregnant and lactating women need urgent nutritional support, while some 296,800 families need emergency shelter assistance.
• Humanitarian partners urgently require funds to meet critical needs. Funding constraints are severely limiting the humanitarian response. The UN Monsoon Humanitarian Operational Plan for $168.5 million is only 16% funded.
• Although not requesting international assistance, the NDMA has endorsed the joint UN/Government Multi‐sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) piloted in five of the most severely affected districts: Jaffarabad, Naseerabad (Balochistan); Rajanpur (Punjab); and Jacobabad, Kashmore (Sindh). The MIRA found a total of 2,022,753 people in need of humanitarian assistance in the five assessed districts. Other districts not covered by the MIRA have also been severely affected.

Caribbean - Tropical Cyclone SANDY-12 (NOAA, CNN, AFP, ODPEM, Cuban Media, Haitian Media, Bahamas Media, Dom Rep Media)

• At 03:00 UTC 26 Oct SANDY was a Hurricane Category 1 with a max. sust. wind speed of 150 km/h and its centre was passing near Eleuthera Island in the NW Bahamas, moving NNW.
• In the next 24/48 SANDY is forecast to turn NW and then again NE, weakening slightly but keeping Hurricane strength, always close to the NW Bahamas. A Hurricane warning is in effect for NW Bahamas and a Tropical Storm warning for the central Bahamas. SANDY is now moving closer to the US coast, and a Tropical Storm warning is in effect also for parts of the eastern coast of Florida.
• CUBA: 11 deaths are reported in Cuba as of 05:00 UTC 26 Oct – 9 in Santiago de Cuba (where SANDY made landfall) and 2 in Guantanamo. More than 3,000 buildings are reported damaged in eastern Cuba as well as extended power cuts. Up to 122mm of rain were recorded in Santiago. Thousands of people are reported evacuated.
• HAITI: As of early on 26 Oct, according to Agence Haitienne de Presse, 9 people were killed in Haiti and another 2 are missing. 5 of the deaths were in the Sud region. Around 1,000 houses were destroyed or flooded and ca. 10,000 people were evacuated in the southern and SW regions of the island.
• DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: As of 26 Oct, 12,581 people were displaced and 1,149 houses were damaged by the rains caused by SANDY. 104 communities remained cut off and 14 out of the 35 provinces remain in Red Alert.

South China Sea - Tropical Cyclone SON-TINH-12 (PDC, JMA, NDRRMC)

• SON-TINH has left the Philippines and is heading towards Vietnam. At 00:00 UTC 26 Oct it was a Tropical Storm with a max. sust. wind speed of 101 km/h, located ca. 750 km east of the Vietnamese coast. In the next 24h it is forecast to continue heading NW in the general direction of southern Hainan (China) and northern Vietnam, strengthening, possibly becoming a Typhoon in the next few hours. It could approach the Vietnam coast late on 27 Oct or early on 28 Oct.
• In the Philippines, where it crossed a large swath across the country, as of late on 26 Oct SON-TINH had caused 5 deaths (by drowning, fallen trees); 9 people were still missing, 10 were injured and a total of ca. 11,000 people were affected.

Somalia – Tropical Cyclone MURJAN (Indian Meteo, NASA)

• MURJAN made landfall in the NE coasts of Somalia, just south of Cape Guardafui in the Bari region, in the evening of 25 Oct as a Tropical Storm. It then moved inland in a WSW direction and gradually weakened into a depression.
• Moderate winds and rainfall affected the Somali coast, but as of early on 26 Oct there were still no reports of damage or casualties.

II. Europe

Italy – Earthquake (GDACS, INGV, Local Media)

• A 5.3M (5.0M according to INGV) earthquake at a very shallow depth of 3.8km struck near the town of Mormanno in the province of Cosenza, southern Italy at 23:05 UTC 25 Oct.
• As of 05:15 26 Oct, one death has been reported (by heart attack) in Scalea, 10km from the epicentre.
• Some houses are reported damaged in Mormanno and the town’s hospital was evacuated.
• Minor damage in buildings was reported also in the communities of Laino Borgo and Altomonte.

Meteoalarm

• Strong winds in coastal Estonia, eastern and northern Latvia, Toscany and Sardinia in Italy and central Norway – Orange Alert
• Heavy rain in NE Spain – Orange Alert
• Thunderstorms in western coastal Italy (except the south) – Orange Alert
• Low visibility in Montenegro – Orange Alert
• Coastal event in NW Poland – Orange Alert

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