Attachments
Glide number: FL-2021-000213-STP
The major donors and partners of the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) include the Red Cross Societies and governments of Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as DG ECHO and Blizzard Entertainment, Mondelez International Foundation, Fortive Corporation and other corporate and private donors. The Canadian Government contributed to replenishing the DREF for this operation. On behalf of the Cruz Vermelha de Sao Tome e Principe (CVSTP), the IFRC would like to extend gratitude to all for their generous contributions
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
The 2021 rainfall in Sao Tome and Principe peaked between 28 and 29 December 2021, causing the country's rivers to rise. In less than 24 hours, the rains that hit the archipelago caused chaos in the capital and several other parts of the country, especially in areas where streams flow and near rivers. The storm that hit the archipelago, including the island of Sao Tome, on 28 December 2021, killed two people and at least six went missing in the community of Ponte Samu. On 30 December 2021, the government of São Tome declared a state of disaster due to the damage caused and appealed for international assistance at a meeting attended by international actors present in the country and ambassadors.
While the NS was still responding to the December floods, heavy rains hit the whole country, causing another wave of flooding on 4 March 2022, resulting in floods of varying severity in the northern and north-western districts of Lemba,
Me-Zochi, and Agua Grande. Already exposed by the December 2021 floods, Lemba and Me-Zochi districts were heavily impacted. Lemba is more vulnerable due to its socio-economic situation compared to the other affected districts. The most important damage of this second wave of floods was recorded in the capital Neves. After a detailed assessment of the situation on 22 March 2022, the Sao Tome, and Principe Red Cross (CVSTP) recorded injured, and numerous damages and material losses and started assisting 150 more families through an additional fund granted by the DREF.
On 23 May 2022, the autonomous region of Principe experienced heavy rainfall that caused serious damage to the island. According to the situation assessment carried out by the NS together with the government, a significant number of houses were flooded, with furniture and appliances damaged.
Several plots of farmland collapsed, and the flow of water cratered several roads. Many communities were left with inaccessible roads due to rock erosion, such as Bela Vista,
Abade and Aeroporto in Picão via Telelé so far, totalling 10 landslides/rockslides and 2 residences partially destroyed.
Petrol stations were out of order and the floods affected the municipalities of Santo António, Lenta Pia, São Mateus, Porto Real and Santo António II with a total of 61 residences and 350 families affected by the floods. The government of Príncipe proposed to the central government to declare a state of calamity on the island, stating Principe as a humanitarian priority.
Summary of response
Overview of Host NS
As soon as the island was hit by the floods, the Red Cross of Sao Tome and Principe deployed its volunteers in the field to provide first aid to affected people and carried out a rapid assessment of the situation. Given the scope of the disaster, the NS requested a DREF to assist the affected families. The first activity carried out by the NS was a detailed assessment of the situation, from 31 January to 4 February 2022. The assessment was led with the technical support of the IFRC delegation in Yaoundé, which deployed the PMER officer to accompany the NS in this process and at the same time contribute to capacity building of the staff and volunteers involved. A team of ten volunteers and two supervisors visited the flood-affected communes and, based on a questionnaire previously prepared in collaboration with the Camerum team (Federation headquarters), surveyed potential beneficiaries. These questionnaires were analysed and revealed that the main needs of the beneficiaries were related to WASH, health, food, and non-food assistance.
Once the assessment was complete, the kind of assistance and target was precise and the technical staff of the NS was able to proceed with the purchase of food and non-food items with the support of the head of logistics from Yaoundé Delegation also deployed in the country. The NS made the purchases and assembled the food and non-food kits to be distributed to the 150 most vulnerable families to be identified.
In the meantime, beneficiaries were selected and registered. The families supported by this DREF were selected based on the following vulnerability criteria previously agreed upon between the NS and the communities: most affected and vulnerable households with elderly people, disabled people, women as head of families, and/or many children, as well as households whose houses had been completely or partially destroyed. As part of the selection process, the NS consulted the leaders of the above-mentioned beneficiary communities during one of the coordination meetings. They gave priority to the most vulnerable affected families who had not received assistance from the Santomean state or other partners.
The NS led the following activities in favour of 154 households in the localities of Lemba (104 HH in roça lemba, Brigoma, Ponte samu, and Diogo vaz) and Me-Zochi (50 HH in):
• Distribution of food kits (rice, beans, sugar, maize flour, cooking oil)
• Distribution of water storage material and basic household items in February materials for better protection and treatment of water and personal hygiene, namely bleach, soap, buckets with lids for water conservation, and blankets.
• Volunteers training on key thematic for sensitization. A total of 34 volunteers were trained on waterborne disease prevention, hygiene promotion, safety, COVID-19 and prevention, traditional water purification techniques:
Community engagement, protection, basics of protection, gender and inclusion and code of conduct, Safe shelters, and first aid.
• Awareness raising on safe construction, hygiene and sanitation promotion, water purification, prevention of waterborne diseases, and COVID-19 reaching approximately 1,000 Households in Lemba and Me-Zochi
With the second wave of floods that again affected the city of Neves, additional support was requested by the NS to assist another 300 most vulnerable affected families in the neighbourhoods of Benga, Rosema, Agua Tomé and Aribana,resulting in an updated DREF with an extended implementation period and an increase in the initial allocation. Before the implementation of this additional support, a new wave of floods hit the country again, this time with greater consequences for the autonomous region of Principe. This situation led the NS and the Federation to rethink how to extend this support to the population of this part of the national territory to assist 100 families in Principe. After all the adjustments and the release of the approved amount, the NS with the support of the Federation's technicians started the implementation. During this second phase, support was provided to:
• 106 affected families in the district of Me-Zochi, especially in the communities of Plateau, Java, São Janvier and Milagros.
• 204 families (100 of them with the savings from the purchases) in the city of Neves, in the areas of Agua Tomá, Bairro Benga, and Rosema.
• 104 families in the autonomous island of Principe, precisely in the communities of Rua dos Trabalhadores, Santo António praia, Lenta Pia, São Mateus, Porto Real, Santo António II, Bela Vista, Abade, Airport.
This support was the same as in the first phase of the operation. Meaning that apart from the distributions, NS equally led awareness-raising activities in the affected communities, with NS adopting the same strategy and assistance as in the beginning.
During this second phase, the NS also benefited from the support of the federation, which seconded a surge for two months, and also collaborated with the team of NS in the acquisition and preparation of the kites for distribution.
With the money that was saved after the above-mentioned activities had been carried out, NS requested permission from headquarters, which was granted, and provided support to 100 more families than planned. The activities were carried out in the best possible way, even exceeding the target set at the beginning of the proposal. For example, the support that was intended for 450 families finally reached 564 families, i.e., a total of 2478 people in three districts instead of the two initially planned. As for the information and awareness-raising activity in the flooded areas, it aimed to raise awareness of the correct use of spring water, the prevention of water-borne diseases and the choice of the best place to build houses to prevent possible natural disasters.