Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2003/0099
OCHA Situation Report No. 9
Algeria - Earthquake
23 June 2003
I. Situation
1. Updated statistics of 30 May report that 2,266 people dead, and 10,261 injured.
2. At the moment, 150,000 people are living in the 185 camps established to host the affected people.
Various sectoral infrastructure have been affected, namely:
- Shelter - 214 buildings and 1029
individual housings have been destroyed.
- Health - 40 to 50% of health
structures based in the affected areas have been destroyed.
- Water and sanitation - The providing
of water and sanitation in many camps are still necessary.
- Education - 699 class rooms have
been destroyed or damaged.
- Electricity - The assessment
of the damage caused by the earthquake on the electrical grid is still
going on. Some major parts of cities such as Boumerdès and Zemmouri
are receiving electricity irregularly.
- Economy/Social dimension: according to some reliable estimations, because of the earthquake, approximately 4,000 persons are unemployed and they may not be employed for the next six forthcoming months at least. Important industrial infrastructures are located in some affected areas (Reghaia and Rouiba). The financial losses are estimated at around 100 million of dollars.
II. Needs
3. According to the report made by the UNDAC focal point for sectoral coordination before his departure, the following pending needs should be covered:
Health
4. Strong initiatives should be taken in order to rebuild the health system in the affected areas.
Water and Sanitation
5. There is a need to provide camps hosting the affected people with latrines and drinking water during the forthcoming months.
Coordination
6. There is a need to support the efforts of the Government of Algeria to develop a national disaster response and preparedness programme to cope with emergency situations related to vulnerability reduction, as well as risk management.
III. National Response
7. The Government of Algeria is playing a significant role in the relocation of affected people. In this respect, authorities have signed an agreement with fourteen Algerian private and public companies to construct 9,000 prefabricated dwellings, to accommodate displaced families.
8. About 5,000 of the planned 9,000 chalets will be built at eleven sites in Algiers district, while the remaining 4,000 will be erected in Boumerdes district on 24 sites already identified.
IV. International Response
9. On 7 June, OCHA sent a humanitarian airlift to Algiers, following a request made by the Government of Italy.
10. The UNDAC Team deployed by OCHA to assist national authorities to cope with the coordination of international response left Algiers on 28 May. Before departure, the team developed an exit strategy, in cooperation with the UN Resident Coordinator, to ensure the continuation of international relief coordination and information exchange between international actors and local authorities.
11. To this end, sectoral coordination was continued until 12 June by a WHO expert who joined the UNDAC Team on 27 May. Sectoral coordination included regular meetings of international responders, the facilitation of information exchange with respective local Government entities and the provision of situation reports, through the UN Resident Coordinator, to OCHA-Geneva.
12. In addition to the assistance given to Algeria during the emergency phase, the Government of France expects to focus its assistance for Algeria in the area of reconstruction. The French contribution for reconstruction is estimated at 30 to 50 million euros.
13. According to a dispatch of France's news agency (Agence France-Presse) dated 12 June, India has offered one million US dollars in aid to Algeria for victims of the earthquake.
14. The Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) has made a donation of US dollars 150,000 to the Government of Algeria for relief works to the earthquakes affected people.
15. The French Caritative Association "Terre des hommes" has provided relief assistance to the affected people; namely generator for hospitals, tents, hygienic products for babies and families as well as psychological support to the survivors.
16. Details about the various forms of assistance provided by the international community to Algeria are available in the eight previous Situation Reports produced by OCHA.
17. This is the last OCHA Situation Report for this emergency. Together with other emergency information, it will be made available on OCHA's Reliefweb on the Internet at http://www.reliefweb.int. Please post any further information you may have on the Virtual OSOCC at (http://www.reliefweb.int/virtualosocc) to keep all interested parties informed. If you require a user-account for the Virtual OCCOSOC, please contact petert@un.org.
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officer:
Mr. Marcel Mikala, Direct Tel. +41-22-917-17 29
Press contact:
(GVA) - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53
(N.Y.) - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-212-963 87 40
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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