Ecuador El Niño Floods Situation Report No. 7

Ref: OCHA/GVA - 98/0179
I. SITUATION:

1. Floods, landslides, and heavy seas attributed to El Niño continue to claim lives and cause damage to homes, roads, bridges, and farmland along the coast and in the lower areas of the upland provinces of Ecuador.

Areas Affected

2. During the past weeks, heavy floods have been reported in the provinces of Manabi, Guayas, and Los Ríos. Several cities, i.e., Portoviejo, Manta, Bahía de Caráquez, Milagro, Naranjal, Santa Lucía, Palestina, Daule, and others, have been flooded, and some have been left isolated due to the destruction of the main roads, particularly in Manabi and in the Santa Elena peninsula. Landslides have been caused by heavy rains in several areas of the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, El Oro, and Azuay, and heavy seas have destroyed 56 homes and damaged several dikes in Esmeraldas, Manabí, and Guayas.

Impact

3. According to the latest official report (as of 31 March), the death toll has risen to 187 people. 91 have been wounded, and 31 are missing. A total of 1,156 houses have been destroyed.

4. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, losses in that sector exceed USD 271 million, of which USD 127 million correspond to direct losses, and USD 144 million are attributed to the decrease in farmed area.

5. The Ministry of Public Works reports that 2,100 km of the national road network have been affected by El Niño. Several bridges in primary and secondary roads have been destroyed, some of which have been temporarily substituted with Bailey or floating bridges. According to local estimates, over USD 500 million will be needed in order to rehabilitate this sector.

Projected Evolution/Secondary Threats

6. According to the latest reports provided by the technical commission on El Niño, due to current weather anomalies caused by the warm episode in the Equatorial Pacific, heavy rains are expected to continue throughout May 1998.

II. NATIONAL RESPONSE:

7. National efforts to respond to the emergency are being maintained with emphasis in urban areas. Approximately 15,393 persons are presently being attended in 288 temporary shelters. An undetermined number of families affected by El Niño in rural communities are not receiving any emergency assistance and are going through a very difficult situation because of the loss of crops and for not being able to farm their land for an extended period. Access to most flooded areas in rural communities by land is almost impossible, thus creating logistics problems.

8. According to WHO/PAHO, the Ministry of Health has mobilized 66 epidemiological surveillance brigades to the affected areas and continues to provide medical attention, supply chlorine in temporary shelters, and intensify sanitary education campaigns. The poor quality of drinking water in several areas continues to be a critical problem.

III. ON-SITE LEVEL INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE:

9. Contributions reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN system since OCHA's Situation Report No. 6 of 24 February are:

IV. ASSISTANCE NEEDS:

10. Priority relief requirements include kitchen utensils, building materials (zinc sheeting, lumber, and tools), food rations, and water treatment equipment.

V. CHANNEL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS:

11. OCHA is prepared to serve as a channel for cash contributions, to be used during the immediate relief phase, in coordination/consultation with relevant organizations of the United Nations system.

OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed. Donors wishing to channel their contributions through OCHA should transfer funds to OCHA account no. CO.590.160.1 at the Swiss Bank Corporation, Case Postale 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, with reference: Ecuador - El Niño Phenomenon.

12. For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva, as indicated below, of relief missions, pledges or contributions and their corresponding values by item.

Telephone number: + 41 22 917 1234
In case of emergency only: + 41 22 917 2010
Desk Officers: Mr. Dimitri Balabanov, direct tel: +41-22-917-2827
Ms. Kayo Gotoh, direct tel: +41-22-917-1258
Telex 41 42 42 ocha ch
Fax: + 41 22 917 0023

E-mail: info at dha.unicc.org