ReliefWeb

Period covered by this Final Report: 28 February to 31 August, 2013.

Summary: CHF 298,747 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 28 February 2013 to support the National Society in delivering assistance to some 10,000 beneficiaries (2,000 vulnerable households) affected by the Tropical cyclone Haruna.

This DREF was initially allocated on 28 February 2013 for CHF 326,090 for three months to assist 10,000 beneficiaries. An operations update n°1 was issued on 7 May, 2013 to revise the planned activities after in-depth assessments as well as extend the operation time frame by a month. Operations update n°2 was issued 1 October, 2013 further extending the operation timeframe to the end of August 2013.

The DREF operation has enabled the Malagasy RC (MRCS) to respond to the emergency needs of 2,000 families affected by the disaster through the distribution of shelter and non-food items, potable water and health and hygiene promotion activities.

The MRCS staff and volunteers provided key services in the displaced camps during the operation including temporary shelter, water and sanitation facilities, medical consultation and psychosocial support, and support for waste management at the homes once the flood waters receded.

Trained volunteers distributed shelter and non-food items to 2,000 families in Sakaraha, Toliary 1, Toliary 2 and Morombe. MRCS also assisted families to return to their homes when water had receded.

Mobile health clinics enabled access to health services, and psychosocial support was made available to the displaced population. MRCS volunteers sensitized the population on how to reduce risks for diseases, especially on diarrhoea and respiratory infections. In order to provide safe water to the affected population, 14 wells were rehabilitated, and 52 wells were cleaned for the benefit of over 10,000 persons. Volunteers sensitized the population in the affected areas on hygiene and sanitation.

The capacity of the MRCS staff and volunteers was enhanced, through training opportunities and their experience gained during the emergency operation.

Close cooperation with the French Red Cross through its Platform for Disaster Response in the Indian Ocean (PIROI) enabled the quick deployment of relief items and water kits, with logistics for these items supported by the French government. In addition, IFRC also coordinated with the Norwegian Red Cross in the deployment of a full kit 5 which includes a sanitation component in the kit, accompanied by a Norwegian Red Cross water and sanitation delegate in the first month of the operation.

Lessons learned and recommendations:

The following recommendations were made by the NS based on the experience of this emergency operation and in discussion with volunteers and partners:

· Strengthen the capacity of RDRT and NDRT and integrate the emergency training for RDRTs and NDRTs, including developing leadership and team leader skills.

· Monitoring and data collection to be systematically done in a timely manner, and coordinated by the headquarters.

· There is need for Finance, Communication and Programme teams to work closely together during the emergency operation promoting the principles of humanitarian values and volunteering for volunteers, clarifying roles and responsibilities of local governance structures (regional and district) for volunteer management.

· Revitalize some of the branch structures, through mobilizing new volunteers and develop relevant activities for the communities.

· Focus on building the capacities of staff and volunteers in undertaking needs assessments and update and disseminate the in-depths assessments from the districts.

· Ensure that the hardware capacity of the NS IS Strengthened (purchasing of trucks, soldering stations, high speed pumps etc.)

· Prepare and produce IEC materials prior to the cyclone season.

· There is need to increase awareness of GBV and consider increasing the number of volunteers trained in psycho-social support and cross cutting issues in emergency programming and contingency planning.

· Strengthen coordination among all involved actors in the emergency response.

· Increase the involvement of local authorities in education and awareness of upcoming disasters as well as risk reduction in the communities.

The Canadian Red Cross and Government, Netherlands Red Cross and Government, European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) as well as Italian and Korean Governments contributed to the replenishment of the DREF allocation made for this operation.

The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, DG ECHO, the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.

The IFRC, on behalf of MRCS, would like to extend thanks to all for their generous contributions.