1.0 - SCOPE OF REPORT
The scope of this report is based on the findings of the UN initial assessment mission and incoming data from various sources regarding humanitarian needs from the date of the disaster till now. Based on current information including inputs from various line ministries, the target group is over 3000 families who lost their houses corresponding to 20,000 - 25,000 persons that have been displaced. It should be noted that there are people that have not yet been reached (such as the Bedouin and other pockets of the population living in the mountainous regions) where the numbers are still being ascertained and may also have been affected by the floods.
In the aftermath of the floods, various emergency needs were responded to, and the scale of damages can be identified at different levels, ranging from the individual and family to those of the community, city, district and governorate. The kinds of needs dictate the level of response which can be considered as emergency life saving humanitarian needs (such as food, tents, medicines and utensils, mattresses, mosquito nets etc.) to longer term recovery needs and rehabilitation including reconstruction of infrastructure, repairs to electrical grids, water and sanitation.
The World Bank conducted an infrastructure needs assessment. The following UN report is focused on humanitarian needs and assistance, which should be reviewed as complementary to the infrastructure assessment to provide a comprehensive picture.
2.0 - BACKGROUND
Widespread flooding swept over eastern Yemen after a Tropical Storm (Level Three) drenched the country with heavy rains on October 24-25, 2008. The desert areas of two easternmost provinces - Hadramout and Al-Mahra - have been most heavily affected and been declared disaster areas by the Yemeni government. As of 31 October 2008, the government estimated that some 20,000 - 25,000 people have lost their homes, while the overall number of persons whose livelihoods have been destroyed or badly affected by the floods and damage caused to infrastructure may reach up to 700,000.
The floods are the largest natural disaster to hit Yemen since 1996, when floods destroyed 1,820 homes and killed 338 persons. The recent disaster has been sudden and severe, and the affected areas make up 1/3 of the country. While the authorities have taken control of the situation and much of the immediate needs have been covered by the bilateral assistance received from neighboring countries, governorates, and/or private companies, due to extensive damage to housing and livelihoods, humanitarian assistance will be required for a period of 2-6 months in addition to a subsequent prolonged recovery and rehabilitation program.
Thus far, little information is known about the impact on Al-Mahra - though preliminary estimates suggest: 5 persons killed, 5 missing, and 5 injured; 708 houses have been destroyed, and 1,327 partially damaged; 619 farms and 2,359 hectares of agricultural land damaged; extensive losses in livestock, crops, and fishing equipment are reported.