The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.
In Brief
This Bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the situation and the information available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at this time.
The International Federation undertakes activities that are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to achieve the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
The Situation
Severe and long-lasting rainfall in Bolivia during the first months of 2007 has caused significant flooding, particularly in several regions of Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and northern La Paz and Beni departments. In addition, there was hail reported in Potosi and flooding in Tarija. The continuous rains and the overflowing of major rivers such as Rio Grande, Pilcomayo, San Juan del Oro, Bermejo amongst others, have caused landslides and obstruction of some of the main roads, and isolated several rural communities. The flooding is still continuing, particularly in the Bolivian lowlands. Santa Cruz is one of the most affected departments. At this moment, the city of Santa Cruz is under red alert as the nearby Pirai River dramatically increased its flow, herewith necessitating the immediate evacuations of several neighbourhoods in the city.
The General Directorate for Emergency and Relief (Dirección General de Emergencia y Auxilio), under the Vice- Ministry of Civil Defence and Integral Development Cooperation (Viceministerio de Defensa Civil y Cooperación al Desarrollo Integral) reported that a total of 18,806 families (94,030 people) have been affected, including 17 persons dead and three missing in several regions throughout the country. It is likely that the total number of affected people will rise once assessments are finalized, given that some communities are still isolated because of landslides and destroyed roads.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Bolivia: Dr. Abel Peña y Lillo, President, Bolivian Red Cross, email cruzrobo@caoba.entelnet.bo, phone (5912) 220 2934/ 212 9225 fax (5912) 235 9102
In Peru: Giorgio Ferrario, Head of Regional Delegation, Lima; email giorgio.ferrario@ifrc.org, phone (511) 221-8151, fax (511) 441-3607
In Geneva: Olaug Bergseth, Federation Regional Officer, Americas Department, Geneva; email olaug.bergseth@ifrc.org, phone (41 22) 730-4535, fax (41 22) 730-0395
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
For longer-term programmes in this or other countries or regions, please refer to the Federation's Annual Appeal. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society profiles, please also access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org