GLIDE no. FL-2007-000200-MEX
Period covered by this Operations Update: 20 November to 14 February 2008.
Initial appeal budget: CHF 1,208,000 (USD 1,042,278 or EUR 722,056).
Revised appeal budget: CHF 1,540,000 (USD 1,328,732 or EUR 920,502).
Appeal coverage: 116%
Appeal history:
- This Emergency Appeal was initially launched on a preliminary basis on 6 November 2007 for CHF 1,208,000 (USD 1,042,278 or EUR 722,056) for four months to assist 40,000 beneficiaries.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 200,000 (USD 173,563 or EUR 119,546) was initially allocated from the Federation's DREF to support the National Society's response.
- The appeal budget was revised on 20 November to include additional income and allowing for an objective to be included in early recovery.
- As the operation finished at the end of January, the Mexican Red Cross (MRC) with support from the Federation is reviewing the budget and will be preparing a new plan of action to include activities to support recovery in the affected areas.
Summary:
Significant progress has been made during the reporting period in the recovery of the areas affected by the severe floods that hit the departments of Tabasco and Chiapas at the end of October and beginning of November 2007. Flood waters eventually receded and the Mexican government has begun its work in the rehabilitation of basic infrastructure, and most schools and health centres are operating to near pre-flood levels. Most families from Tabasco have returned home from temporary shelters to recover what they can from the flood damage, at the same time as families evacuated from high-risk zones in Chiapas remain in governmentrun shelters whilst longer-term solutions are being found.
Operations activities came to a close at the end of January after an intense three-month humanitarian relief effort to assist families. The Mexican Red Cross, with substantial support from the Federation, other Partner National Societies, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and the private sector and the general public, has conducted a highly successful operation delivering approximately 16,000 tonnes of humanitarian relief items benefiting an estimated 1.5 million inhabitants. This has not only surpassed earlier relief efforts, in particular Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but has proved fundamental in the region's recovery from this emergency, with initial government estimates indicating that relief provided by the MRC accounts for approximately onethird of the entire relief effort.
Contact information
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Mexico: Isaac Oxenhaut Gruuzco, Relief Director, Mexican Red Cross, phone (52) 55 36 27 08 94; e-mail desastres@cruzrojamexicana.org.mx.
In Panama: Dario Alvarez, Acting Head of PADRU, e-mail dario.alvarez@ifrc.org; phone (507) 316 1001; fax (507) 316 1082.
In Panama: Fabricio Lopez, Acting Head of Central America and Mexico Regional Representation, Americas, Panama, phone (507) 317 1300; fax (507)317 1304; email: fabricio.lopez@ifrc.org.
In Panama: Maria Alcazar, Zone Relationship Management Coordinator, phone (507) 317 1300; fax (507)317 1304; e-mail: maria.alcazar@ifrc.org.
In Geneva: Pablo Medina, Operations Coordinator, e-mail pablo.medina@ifrc.org; phone (41) 22 730 4300.