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Situation
Report on Floods in Muzarabani, Zimbabwe
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA)
December 15, 2007
Muzarabani floods
displace and affect more people - approximately 210 households (1,260
individuals). Food, tents/plastic sheeting, cooking utensils, search
and rescue top priority needs. The Department of Meteorological
Services continues to warn of more rains throughout the country
until Christmas.
According to the Police Chief Superintendent Sithole, who was part
of a quick aerial and ground assessment by the government, about
210 households have been displaced and flood affected people have
sought refuge on higher ground at Chadereka Primary School.
The
Superintendent described the situation as tense but not critical
with only one reported case of a 6-year old child who suffered a
fractured arm from the rubble of a felled hut.
An unspecified
number of people are marooned in the Gunduza area within the same
flooded area. These people are not easily accessible. Two major
bridges in leading to the area have been swept away by flood waters.
A total of
400 huts were washed away and completely destroyed by inundation.
To compound
the emergency, the community was affected by the flood on the 13th
of December 2007 when they had just received their food rations
from Christian Care/WFP vulnerable group feeding (VGF) on the 12th
of the same month. This means that they had all their food lost
to the flood.
Other losses
witnessed were; 28 goats, 2 beasts, and 225 chickens which were
washed way.
Needs
The top priority
needs for the affected communities are:
- Tents, plastic
sheeting
- Prepared
food (ready to eat)
- Blankets
- Cooking utensils
- Water treatment
kits
- Search and
rescue capacity for the marooned communities
Response
The Red Cross,
today (15/12/07) dispatched
- 60 blankets
- 30 tarpaulins
- 30 kitchen
sets
- 60 water
jerry cans
- 120 tablets
of soap
NB. No food
as of the time of reporting had been sent to the area.
The air force
of Zimbabwe is flying to the area today (15/12/07) with the Provincial
Governor of Mashonaland Central and the News Crew. Further information
is expected from the Department of Civil Protection.
Recommendations
- The government
through the Civil Protection Unit needs to provide a matrix, showing
how much they are able to provide and what complementary support
they may require from the humanitarian community. This is a relatively
small emergency and the level of alarm by CPU to mobilize resources
is somehow on the higher side. As of the time of reporting, the
CPU was still checking as to how much stock they had in their
warehouses/ storerooms. The CPU
Acting Director also indicated that they also had some capacity
to purchase some food stocks from the government's grain
marketing board (GMB).
- There is
need for strategic planning since the predicament could be more
than what we see at face value; to this end; hydrological and
meteorological experts were dispatched today (15/12/2007) to assess
the real cause of flooding which is likely to be localized ponding
and not back flow from the Cahora Bassa.
- The humanitarian
community would have to wait for the gap analysis outcome and
request for support from the government, which is likely to be
completed at the 17/12/07 emergency meeting. OCHA will continue
monitoring the situation closely and issuing out situation updates.
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