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In Brief
Operations Update no. 04; Period covered: 30 April to 14th of June 2007; Appeal target: CHF 1,691,977 (USD 1,405,645 or EUR 1,035,011); Appeal coverage: 58 %; Outstanding needs: CHF 709,890
Appeal history:
- Preliminary Emergency Appeal launched on 3 April 2007 for CHF 1,118,250 (USD 819,673 or EUR 615,385) for four months to assist 5,000 people.
- Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 65,000.
- Revised Emergency Appeal launched on 18 April 2007 for CHF 1,691,977 (USD 1,405,645 or EUR 1,035,011) for nine months to assist 9,000 people.
- Operations Update 3 further revises the plan of action in light of high logistics/distribution costs as well as developments in health and water sanitation.
Operational Summary: Humanitarian aid arrived in sufficient quantities in the Solomon Islands to alleviate immediate needs. For the Red Cross response relief items arrived in three defined phases, with the last two being the most significant, with items from Kuala Lumpur stocks and from Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society. The challenge has been to move these supplies out to the communities from the two main supply centres of Honiara and Gizo. This has been the priority task for the logistics team in the field and was only overcome with the decision to hire larger vessels to maximize load and shorten timeframes. However this was at considerable cost to the response.
After the successful relief distribution activities undertaken by Red Cross partners led by the Solomon Islands Red Cross (SIRC), in which over 37,000 items were distributed to more than 1,800families, the focus has now changed to support recovery initiatives led by government plans for permanent shelter. The Red Cross plan of action has been further revised to meet the changing needs and in line with the government's stated preference for permanent housing. The Red Cross is supporting the interim period by providing affected families with the capacity to build by providing technical knowledge in disaster resistant building techniques, the provision of essential building tools, and support to identify local building materials.
Background
On 2 April at about 07:40 hours local time, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale struck Western and Choiseul provinces of the Solomon Islands, just off the coast of Gizo, 350 km northwest of the capital Honiara, causing a localized tsunami. The combined effect of the earthquake and tsunami resulted in significant damage and loss of life. According to the National Disaster Council (NDC), affected areas include Shortlands, Munda, Noro, Vella la Vella and Kolombangarra, with the worst hit being Gizo, Simbo, the western coast of Ranogga and the central southern coast of Choiseul. The unconfirmed death toll remains at 52 with the number of displaced people remaining at 9,000.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
Solomon Islands Red Cross: Charles Kelly (secretary general), satellite phone: 8816 3185 0301, email: ckelly_sirc@solomon.com.sb
Pacific regional delegation in Fiji: Frank Kennedy (head of delegation), Martin Blackgrove (disaster management coordinator), phone: +679 3311855; fax: +679 3311406; email: Frank.Kennedy@ifrc.org or Martin.Blackgrove@ifrc.org
Federation secretariat in Geneva (Asia Pacific department): Jae Ryul Kim (Pacific regional officer), phone: +4122 730 4260; email: JR.Kim@ifrc.org