The International Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation's disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters.
Summary: CHF 100,000 (USD 83,126 or EUR 60,827) was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 12 September, 2007 to support the national society in delivering assistance to some 30,000 beneficiaries.
This DREF Operation was focused on providing emergency relief assistance to the affected people in the states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas in Mexico due to the severe floods that were caused by heavy rains in the month of September, 2007. The DREF funds allowed more than 6,000 families to benefit from nonfood relief items.
The situation
The northern part of Mexico was severely affected by constant rain, during three weeks in the month of September 2007. These rains caused the overflow of the rivers in the States of Veracruz and Tamaulipas and the floods were considered to be the second most serious floods in 20 years.
Many communities were affected; among the most damaged areas were: the cities of Tampico and Altamira in the State of Tamaulipas, and Panuco, el Higo, Tempoal, Tampico Alto, Pueblo Viejo and Platón Sánchez in the State of Veracruz. In addition, the state of Veracruz hosts the second largest municipality (Panuco) with approximately 650 dispersed communities, which slowed down the evaluation activities considerably. Due to the distance between these communities and the lack of roads, assistance and communication activities were hampered, and only 40 percent of the people were evacuated.
A disaster emergency plan was implemented by the Mexican army and 56 shelters were opened in coordination with the Mexican government. The National Civil Protection system solicited funds from the federal disaster fund (Fondo Federal para Desastres - FONDEN) and the government of the states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas provided helicopters to evacuate the people. At the time of this emergency, the Mexican Red Cross (MRC) was managing two other disasters: hurricane Dean in the Yucatan Peninsula and hurricane Henriette, in Baja California. Therefore, the relief activities for this emergency in Veracruz and Tamaulipas placed an additional burden on the human and financial resources of the national society.
Some 39 communities were affected in the southern region of Veracruz (2,000 families) and 30 communities in the northern region of Veracruz (9,000 families); in addition, the floods caused four deaths.
The states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas subsist mostly on agriculture (corn and sugar cane), fishery and livestock. The damages caused on the population's livelihoods were so severe that the population had difficulty to resume their daily activities. Therefore, humanitarian support was required, consisting of items such as hygiene and children kits.
How we work
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
The International Federation's activities are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Mexico, Isaac Oxenhaut Guzco, Relief Director, Mexican Red Cross; e-mail: desastres@cruzrojamexicana.org.mx; phone (52) 55 36 27 08 94
In Panama, Dario Alvarez, Acting Head of the Pan American Disaster Response Unit; email: Dario.Alvarez@ifrc.org; phone(507) 316 1001; Fax (507) 316 1082
In Panama: Maria Alcazar, Zone Relationship Management Coordinator, Americas, Panama; email: maria.alcazar@ifrc.org; phone (507) 317 1300; fax (507)317 1304
In Panama: Fabricio Lopez, Acting Representative of the Regional Representation for Central America and Mexico, Americas; email: fabricio.lopez@ifrc.org; phone (507) 317 1300; fax (507) 317 1304
In Geneva: Pablo Medina, Operations Coordinator for the Americas; e-mail: Pablo.Medina@ifrc.org; phone (41) 22 730 42 74; Fax (41) 22 733 03 95