Period covered by this Ops Update: 1 February to 30 June 2009.
Appeal target (as of 30 October 2008): CHF 9,604,366 (USD 8,811,345 or EUR 6,156,645).
Appeal coverage: 64% of the revised Appeal budget of 30 October has been covered. Revised budget (current): CHF 6,412,000 (USD 5,929,461 or EUR 4,222,032). The appeal reflects 96 per cent coverage in relation to the reduced revised budget attached.
Appeal history:
- CHF 150,000 was initially allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the National Society in Cuba in starting early damage and needs assessments following Hurricane Gustav.
- The Emergency Appeal was launched on a preliminary basis on 8 September 2008 for CHF 6,417,524 (USD 5,834,112 or EUR 3,973,699) to assist 40,000 people for a period of nine months.
- Given levels of affectation and the impact of subsequent hurricanes, the Emergency Appeal was increased on 25 September 2008 to CHF 10,106,348 (USD 9,187,600 or EUR 6,257,800) to assist 60,000 beneficiaries for nine months.
- The Appeal budget was revised on 30 October 2008 to CHF 9,604,366 (USD 8,811,345 or EUR 6,156,645) with a reduction in the quantity of relief items and the same number of beneficiaries.
- With Appeal coverage standing at 64 per cent, the operational activities have been revised in line with the publication of this update including a reduced budget of CHF 6,412,000 (USD 5,929,461 or EUR 4,222,032) to assist 35,000 people (7,000 families) over a period of twelve months.
Summary:
On 31 August 2008, Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Cuba with strong winds and heavy rains causing widespread flooding and damage throughout the island. Gustav left thousands of people affected nationwide and is considered to be the worst storm to strike the country in the last 50 years. Gustav was swiftly followed by Ike, a category three storm which struck Cuba on 7 September and crossed the island as a category one hurricane causing additional widespread damage.
The Emergency Appeal was launched on 8 September to mobilize resources to finance the Cuban Red Cross (CRC) plan of action designed to provide rapid and effective response to meet the needs of the most affected families. This report covers progress in Appeal objectives aimed at delivering emergency relief and shelter materials to assist affected families to repair damaged or destroyed roofs, as well as longer term activities to assist families in their recovery from the effects of the emergencies. This report also reflects challenges in the sourcing of shelter materials at regional level, and customs procedures at national level which have led to delays in distributions.
In line with revisions to the Appeal budget and objectives, the implementation period of the operation has been extended and the operation will be completed by 8 September 2009. A Final Report will be made available three months after the end of the operation (8 December 2009).