Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2002/0205
OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Albania--Floods
1 October 2002

This report is based upon information from the Albanian Government and the office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania.

1. UPDATE ON EVENTS

After eight days (September 21 - September 29) of heavy rainfalls and resulting floods, the overall situation is improving (even though weather forecasts predict more rains in the North). The worst affected regions remain Lezhe and Shkoder in the Northwest. In Lezhe, schools

PRAGUE, Oct 1 (CTK) - Nine Czech regions, which were hit by the worst floods in the country's modern history, have calculated the damage incurred in the August flooding at Kc79.6bn, which is within the interval of Kc60-90bn estimated by the government in mid-Aug.

In early September however Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka did not rule out that the flood damage could climb beyond Kc100bn.

The South Bohemian region, with Kc29.3bn damage, was hit the most, followed by Prague with Kc24bn. The Usti nad Labem region in North Bohemia suffered a loss of Kc11.3bn and Central Bohemia Kc10.1bn.

DISASTER SITUATION REPORT TO UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE

1. Summary of Current Disaster Conditions in Vietnam

1. Flood Damage Potential: LOW IN THE THAI BINH RIVER SYSTEM AND THE RED RIVER SYSTEM; MEDIUM IN THE CENTRE RIVER SYSTEM AND HIGH THE MEKONG RIVER SYSTEM

2. Situation Analysis of Floods on Rivers in Vietnam:

(According to Bulletin No.112 DB/TV, issued by the Hydro-meteorological Service of Vietnam in Hanoi at 14:00, 01 October 2002).

NORTHERN RIVER SYSTEMS:

Key Statistics on Mozambique
An estimated 69.4 per cent of the total population of 17.0 million is living below the poverty line.

Mozambique has one of the highest under-five mortality rates of the world. One quarter (246/1000) of children die before reaching age five.

By John Sparrow in Budapest
The worst flooding in years has hit the Albanian lowlands after a week of torrential rain, and the Albanian Red Cross has warned the consequences could be catastrophic for thousands of rural people in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Homes, crops and infrastructure have been destroyed, remote communties isolated, water and electricity supplies disrupted. Around 26,000 hectares of arable land are under water and a state of emergency has been declared in six prefectures around the country.

BEIJING - A slump in donations for its emergency operation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is forcing the United Nations World Food Programme to halt cereal distributions to three million hungry women, children and elderly people. An additional 1.5 million beneficiaries will be deprived of rations in the depths of winter unless substantial fresh pledges are made soon.
"Such across-the-board cutbacks would cause acute suffering on a massive scale", said Rick Corsino, WFP Country Director for the DPRK. "As we head into the harsh North Korean winter, those

DISASTER SITUATION REPORT TO UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE

1. Summary of Current Disaster Conditions in Vietnam

1. Flood Damage Potential: LOW IN THE THAI BINH RIVER SYSTEM AND THE RED RIVER SYSTEM; MEDIUM IN THE CENTRE RIVER SYSTEM AND HIGH THE MEKONG RIVER SYSTEM

2. Situation Analysis of Floods on Rivers in Vietnam:

(According to Bulletin No.111 DB/TV, issued by the Hydro-meteorological Service of Vietnam in Hanoi at 14:00, 30 September 2002).

NORTHERN RIVER SYSTEMS:

1. On September 30 (Mon), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency assistance (20 tents, 4,065 blankets, 10 water purifiers, 12 electric power generators and 12 reels of electric cord, valued at roughly 14 million yen), to the Republic of Albania, which has sustained damage from recent floods.

2. Torrential rain fell in Albania from the latter half of the third week in September and caused damage in wide areas of the country including the capital, Tirana, leaving about 80,000 evacuees stranded. At present, the Government of Albania has declared a

CROP AND FOOD SUPPLY SITUATION
OVERVIEW

As of September 2002, the number of countries facing serious food difficulties throughout the world stands at 32, with 21 in Africa, 6 in Asia, 3 in Latin America and 2 in Europe.

In southern Africa, the food crisis following two consecutive years of poor cereal harvests is worsening due to insufficient and slow food imports, both commercial and emergency relief. Prices of cereals are rising throughout the sub-region further curtailing access to food for large sections of the population. A series of FAO/WFP