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Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Floods - Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) DREF Operation n° MDRET023

Attachments

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

On 10 September, heavy rainfall was reported in South Gondar zone in Amhara Region, with 62 mm recorded in 24 hours. The heavy and above average rain led to the backflow of Lake Tana and overflow of Gumera & Rib rivers, causing severe flooding.

Across1 the country, heavy and prolonged Kiremt rains have led to flooding and landslide incidents in Afar, Oromia, Gambella, SNNPR (Southern Nations Nationalities, and People's Region) , Somali and Amhara regions between June and September. The latest National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) reports indicates that close to 1,017,854 people have been affected and 292,863 people are displaced by floods across the country since the beginning of the season. The floods have killed livestock, destroyed crops, and damaged homes and public infrastructure to an extent not seen in decades.

Ethiopia Red Cross has been responding to those affected by the flooding disasters in Afar, Oromia, and SNNPR regions. This DREF will support those displaced in Amhara region, South Gondar zone, following the latest phase of floods on 10 September as there are no other actors responding in the region.

Rapid assessments conducted by ERCS South Gondar zonal branch from 10th to 12th September revealed that 10,505 households were affected with population of 63,030 people; 1,886 households (11,316 people) are displaced and being accommodated in schools.

According to the IGAD Climate and Prediction Centre, the current weather forecast is predicting moderate rainfall of 50-200 mm between 22 and 29 September in most of the flood affected regions of western and central Ethiopia.
Temperatures in this area remain low to moderate throughout the forecast period.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the protracted vulnerability of the affected populations due to conflicts, epidemics, and locust invasion that reduced agricultural output worsening food security, the floods-induced displacement further compromises the wellbeing of the affected population in terms of health, water and sanitation services, shelter and basic needs including food and makes them susceptible to further exposures to secondary opportunistic health crisis like cholera and vector borne diseases as a result of the situation. Moreover, this crisis can further exacerbate the infection rate and effect of COVID-19 due to high concentration of the displaced populations.