Attachments
This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 4,522,235 to enable the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RCSBiH) to deliver assistance and support to some 10,000 flood-affected families (40,000 people).
As significant needs for ongoing recovery activities still remain, this Operation Update wishes to confirm the need to support the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina in its activities to help the population affected by the extraordinary floods. The RCSBiH continues to support the ongoing relief and recovery activities.
Summary
Extraordinary rainfall affected over a million people in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 14 and 19 May 2014, causing the largest floods in 120 years. The number of casualties was 25. The severe and widespread rains triggered over 3,000 landslides. It is estimated that a total of 81 local municipalities suffered damages as well as social and environmental impact of a varying degree.1 In total, nine municipalities were severely affected (Samac, Odzak, Orasje, Brcko, Doboj, Magalj, Zepce, Domaljevac-Samac). Around 90,000 persons were temporarily displaced from their homes.
As soon as the waters receded, people began to move back to their homes to clear them of mud, debris and to clean and disinfect primary dwellings. More than 40,000 people took extended refuge in public or private shelters or moved temporarily to relatives or friends. Over 43,000 houses and flats were flooded and 1,952 houses were destroyed due to the landslides. The situation is normalizing now, ten weeks later, and most municipalities are entering the recovery phase which is expected to last for several years. The major needs are for livelihood and small scale rehabilitation of homes.