Attachments
Background
On Monday morning, 01 October 2018, the villages of Dsegh in Lori and Arapi, Voskehask, Harij in Shirak mountainous regions in Armenia were affected by sudden heavy rains and hailstorms that swept away 130ha of crops in Dsegh and 185,8 ha - Arapi villages, 28,2 - Voskehask, 64,29 - Harij. The dwellers lost 70 to 80% of their crop. Local authorities have declared these regions in state of emergency due to the damages caused by the natural disaster and asked national and international organizations to support the affected population.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development asked the Armenia Round Table Foundation (ART) for humanitarian assistance to help the affected communities. According to the official information from the ministry, the damages affected 300 communities in 9 regions out of 10. More than 7000 hectares of wheat, barley and grain, fruit, vegetables/orchards, and vineyards were damaged. According to government official information, the total damage to agriculture is estimated to be 8,7 billion AMD which equals to 18,125,000 USD. The hailstones and storm were so heavy that they broke the roofs and windows, and flooded houses.
Humanitarian Needs
The hailstorm and heavy rains put the rural communities in a state of crisis as winter frost is already starting this October-November.
Based on the official information from government, the ACT Armenia Forum (AAF) selected 4 affected regions to conduct Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA). The RNA concluded that Dsegh, Arapi, Voskehask, Harij of Lori and Shirak regions were heavily affected.
The affected population find themselves in a desperate situation as they lost their harvest to the storm and hailstones. The harvest from the crops was going to be their main source of food. The impact is more severe for people with special needs, including people with mental and physical disabilities. The socially vulnerable families require additional support to access assistance for spring harvest utilities, especially because heavy rains are still continuous and the upcoming winter could be severe in mountainous regions.
There is a pressing need to provide immediate assistance to minimize loss of life and to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are covered.