DIRE DAWA AND BEYOND: THE CHALLENGE
OF RAPID RESPONSE
On the night of 5 August, the Dechatu
River raged through the city of Dire Dawa. The flood waters spread 200
metres beyond the banks of the river and swept with unprecedented force
through the city. The following day, Dire Dawa awoke to devastation and
death. Entire buildings and the homes of over 9,000 people were destroyed.
The night had claimed 256 lives and left 244 missing.
The Dire Dawa floods were the beginning of a month of crisis. The following week 364 people were reported killed and more than 20,000 displaced when the Omo River burst its banks. In Amhara Region, flooding displaced at least 29,360 people. In South West Shewa zone in Oromiya Region, more than 2,000 people were displaced.
Flooding reached as far as Gambella, Somali and Tigray. The magnitude of the crisis overwhelmed the country with a scale of devastation and damage than had not been witnessed in recent memory. All told, the flooding has so far killed more than 600 people, displaced approximately 136,000 others and affected population of 357,611 in 9 of the country's 11 regions.
The government's initial response to the crisis was nothing less than impressive. Within 24 hours of the Dire Dawa floods, the DPPA chartered a plane to visit the scene and the Prime Minister became actively involved in the response. A joint assessment team evaluated the extent of the causalities, damages and the most immediate needs. Gaps were identified and filled by government and humanitarian partners and coordination of efforts was facilitated from the onset. As the flooding began to ravage South Omo Valley, the Government was able to rescue more than 1,360 people and provided much needed food and non-food items to more than 4,300 households. A committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister was established to address the crisis nationwide.
But as the crisis continued, the flooding revealed significant challenges that Government and Humanitarian actors face in dealing with rapid onset emergencies.
Standard Operating Procedures for joint assessments that were used to great effect in Dire Dawa were not institutionalized as the flooding continued in other areas. Information sharing mechanisms on flood monitoring that would avoid duplication of efforts by humanitarian agencies were not sufficiently utilized. Federal and regional government players needed to augment their efforts both at collaboration and mobilization of resources. A more systematic effort at Early Warning information sharing needed to be established.
As the flooding continued across the country considerable gaps emerged in both the food and non-food sectors. In non-food areas such items as life jackets and even plastic sheeting became scarce. Access to flood affected areas became increasingly complicated. Search and rescue required boats and helicopters, both of which were in short supply. As a result, critical aerial assessments were also limited. Communications was hampered by lack of equipment. In the food sector, the floods came at a time when some 2.8 million people were placed on the emergency food rolls. The additional requirements to feed 200,000 people as a result of flooding further taxed food provision and distribution resources. Coordination of the assessment process began to break down. When floods ensued in other parts of SNNPR, Oromiya, Afar and Amhara, coordination further deteriorated as various organisations conducted assessments on their own without knowledge of the activities of other humanitarian partners resulting in frequently conflicting conclusions.
In many ways the bright spot of the crisis was varied funding mechanisms that were utilized in the response. Despite initial coordination challenges, the DPPA was able to launch a joint government and humanitarian flash appeal on 25 August requesting US$27 million for immediate food, non-food and rehabilitation needs. By 1st of September more than US$10 million is estimated to have been pledged or contributed by direct grants from embassies, private donations and in kind contributions. Special OCHA and UNDP grants were also available during the crisis. Other funding mechanisms include the Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF). A larger replenishment of non-food items through the HRF for which DFID had recently provided an additional UK£1 million is currently being considered. Jan Egeland, the Emergency Response Coordinator, has also approved an allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of US$3 million to be channeled through UN agencies for the flood response to assist the government. OCHA has requested proposals from UN agencies that address the gaps identified in the Joint Flash Appeal launched on 25 August and it is envisaged that this fund will strongly contribute to replenishment of depleted stock.
In sum, what began as a model response to a limited crisis evolved into a challenging nationwide emergency, taxing capacities of government and humanitarian partners. To enhance future response, measures must be taken to maximize coordination, increase government capacity with appropriate equipment, protocols and other resources to react quickly to rapid and unforeseen emergencies. In this regard, efforts are already underway to coordinate Early Warning information with the establishment of the DPPA-led Early Warning Working Group, which will offer a forum to develop protocols for quick onset emergencies.
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