U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
BACKGROUND AND KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- Extremely hot temperatures and below normal rainfall across southeast Europe from June to August 2007 led to numerous wildfires in nearly every country in the region. Although wildfires are annual occurrences, and the local ecosystems are fire-adapted, the 2007 season was among the worst on record, according to national firefighting authorities and government officials.
- In response to numerous requests for international assistance, the U.S. Government (USG), through USAID/OFDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Forest Service (USFS), provided fire-fighting assistance to Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, and Macedonia.
- Drought conditions in Moldova led to widespread crop and livestock losses. In response, USAID/OFDA also supported agriculture and food security activities to replenish Moldovan farmers' seed stocks.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
|
SOURCE
| |
Albania | 15 homes destroyed, 2,000 hectares land burned | U.S. Embassy in Tirana, July 27, 2007 |
Bulgaria | 1 killed, 9 injured, 230,000 hectares land burned | U.S. Embassy in Sofia, August 1, 2007 |
Croatia | 12 killed, 170,000 hectares land burned, city of Dubrovnik threatened | Croatian Fire Fighting Association, September 18, 2007 |
Greece | 76 people killed, 270,000 hectares of land burned | U.S. Embassy in Athens, September 10, 2007 |
Macedonia | 1 killed, 1 million affected, 3,000 hectares of land burned | U.S. Embassy in Skopje, July 26, 2007 |
Moldova | Drought conditions across most of the country | U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, September 4, 2007 |
FY 2007 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Albania:
$225,000
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Bulgaria : $50,000
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Croatia : $50,000
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Greece: $1,950,833
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Macedonia: $50,000
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Moldova: $250,000
Total USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Southeast Europe for Wildfires and
Drought: $2,575,833
CURRENT SITUATION
Albania
In mid-July, 150 forest fires burned across 21 out of Albania's 36 districts. The most serious fires were located in Kolonja, Vlora, Puka, and Tropoja districts. In total, the fires destroyed 15 homes, consumed 4 fire trucks, and burned 2,000 hectares of forest land. In addition to threatening residential and forest areas, widespread smoke also reportedly led to health issues, particularly in women and children. The Government of Albania responded to the fires with 1,300 military personnel, 500 police, and 800 firefighters. However, the rough topography and terrain surrounding the fire locations and the remote location of the fires hampered the ability of fire responders to fight the blazes on the ground.
Bulgaria
In late July, Bulgarian authorities reported as many as 2,000 wildfires across the country. Extremely high temperatures, heavy winds, and ongoing dry conditions exacerbated the fire situation and caused the blazes to spread. The fires killed one person, injured 9 others, and destroyed 230,000 hectares of woodlands, parks, and farmlands. Smoke inhalation also led large numbers of Bulgarians to seek medical assistance. According to the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, the most affected districts included Veliko Turnovo, Kyustendil, Montana, Sodia, Smolyan, and Stara Zagora in the southern and western regions of the country.
Croatia
Unusually hot and dry weather and strong winds exacerbated the 2007 wildfire season in Croatia, according to the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb. More than 800 separate blazes in July in southern, northeastern, and northwestern districts burned 170,000 hectares of woodlands, natural park land, and farms, and caused a large number of civilians to suffer from smoke inhalation. Twelve Croatian firefighters were also killed while combating the blazes. The worst affected area was in the southern province of Dalmatia, where the fires destroyed houses in the hills surrounding the town of Dubrovnik. Unexploded landmines from the regional war in the early 1990s, together with mountainous and inaccessible terrain, hampered efforts to combat the blazes.
Greece
According to Greek firefighting authorities, the 2007 wildfire season in Greece was the worst on record, killing 76 people, injuring numerous others, and burning 270,000 hectares of land. A lengthy heat wave in June and unusually strong, dry winds in August exacerbated the country's risk for wildfire. During August, Greek authorities faced an average of up to 85 fire starts and 200 active blazes per day across the country. From August 23 to August 31, more than 130 fires broke out in the Peloponnese alone, including 82 blazes between August 23 and 25.
In June and July, wildfires ravaged more than 30,000 hectares of wild land in the north of Greece, on the Island of Crete, and around Athens, including on Mount Parnitha and Mount Pendeli. These blazes reportedly killed ten people, including two Greek firefighters and two Hellenic Air Force pilots flying firefighting aircraft, three parttime firefighters in Crete, and three civilians in Egio Prefecture.
In late August, fires in the Peloponnese and Evia regions killed an additional 66 people and burned across more than 240,000 hectares of land. The fires spread rapidly across the dry terrain, overwhelming the response capacity of Hellenic Fire Brigade. Estimates of the number of homes and buildings destroyed by the fires range from 1,700 to approximately 4,000. Thousands of livestock also perished in the flames.
Macedonia
In July, heat wave-related wildfires throughout Macedonia consumed more than 3,000 hectares of forests in 32 municipalities. According to the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, the fires caused one death due to smoke inhalation and directly impacted approximately half of Macedonia's population of 2 million people. On July 18, the Government of Macedonia declared a state of emergency due to the high temperatures and 28 different wildfires across the country. However, rain and cooler temperatures in early August brought an end to the wildfire crisis in Macedonia.
Moldova
Extremely high temperatures and minimal rainfall during the 2007 summer led to widespread drought conditions in 28 of Moldova's 32 regions. According to a joint assessment by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and U.N. World Food Program (WFP), the drought impacted 84 percent of Moldova's arable land, leading to national economic losses of approximately $406.7 million in failed crops and livestock deaths. The FAO/WFP assessment further indicated that farmers lacked the financial means to purchase seeds for the fall 2007 planting season. On July 26, President Vladimir Voronin declared the drought in Moldova to be a disaster. The Government of Moldova indicated that farmers needed approximately 4,000 metric tons of seeds for fall planting.
Map: USG Humanitarian Assistance to Southeast Europe for Wildfires & Drought