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Belarus: Extreme winter conditions Emergency Plan of Action Operations Update n° 1 MDRBY007

Countries
Belarus
Sources
IFRC
Publication date
Origin
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Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:

A one-month timeframe extension is required due to challenges faced by the Belarus Red Cross with the registration of DREF funds with the Department of Humanitarian Aid and other Belarusian authorities. The one-month extension will allow the National Society to finalize the local public procurement of the emergency shelter, household, food security and livelihood items and replenish the stocks that were used for the relief operation.

A. Situation analysis Description of the disaster

A sharp cold snap (Cyclone Axel) hit Belarus on 5 January 2017, with heavy snowfalls accompanied by frost and strong winds. Temperatures dropped down to 25‐29 degrees Celsius below zero, and in some places even to minus 31‐34 Celsius degrees. The country's meteorological service issued an orange weather warning. Invasion of cold arctic air masses from the north of European Russia followed on 6 January. Extremely low temperatures also continued in the second part of January through the beginning of February 2017.

All six regions of Belarus, including Vitebsk, Minsk, Gomel, Grodno, Brest and Mogilev regions, and Minsk city were affected by the extreme winter conditions, with the northern regions registering the highest number of people affected. Many Belarusian people, especially children and the homeless, were unprepared for such severe frosts and snowfalls. An estimated 539 people (including 31 children) were traumatized while 43 people died of injuries and hypothermia as a result of the extreme cold weather.

Summary of current response

On 1 January 2017, the Belarus Red Cross received an emergency warning on Cyclone Axel approaching Belarus. In response, it launched an awareness-raising campaign and arranged a joint press-conference on 4 January together with the Ministry of Emergency Situation. It also made its interactive map of natural disasters available to the general population so that they could monitor weather conditions and the emergency situation affecting them.

Between 5-9 January 2017, the Belarus Red Cross launched its response to the cold wave, with a specific focus on homeless people. On 6 January, the National Society allocated an amount of BYN 10,000 (approx. CHF 5,000) from its emergency contingency fund for disposable tableware and meals. It also used the amount of BYN 14,000 (approx. CHF 7,000) donated by Cola-Cola to purchase winter tires and fuel for power generators, heavy duty vehicles and heating canons. The Belarus Red Cross also set up 397 warming stations/heating points to assist city dwellers in public places and 37 mobile units were established along the roads. One part of the stations was arranged within the offices of Belarus Red Cross regional and district branches while others were Red Cross tents with heating canons and power generators. The vehicle-based mobile units delivered assistance at places where most people gathered, including homeless people (who could best be reached near dump sites and glass bottle buy-back centres). Those most in need received hot meals, tea, warm clothes and blankets at the warming station. In addition, the Belarus Red Cross supplied meals, blankets and bedlinen to seven state-run temporary shelters for the homeless following the doubling of the amount of people seeking refuge in these facilities and request for assistance by the authorities. The Belarus Red Cross telephone helpline 201 provided psycho‐social support to the affected, as well as coordinated the work of the volunteers and staff.

As the extreme cold weather hit many Orthodox believers attending the Christmas Eve mass on 6-7 January and having to wait hours to enter the church, the Belarus Red Cross set up eight winterized tents in Minsk city and all the regional centres near all the cathedrals and provided hot drinks to an estimated 2,500 people and first aid to 13 people. The Belarus Red Cross also patrolled the city’s 160km-long ring road and the Belarusian-Polish border and have assisted 154 drivers stranded on the roads in harsh weather conditions.

A total of 121 Red Cross staff and 211 Red Cross volunteers were engaged in the response. The Belarus Red Cross trained new volunteers from its back-up list according to its rapid training plan for working in winter conditions.

The total of 332 Belarus Red Cross staff and volunteers distributed a total of 1,000 blankets, 1,000 pairs of warm socks, 1,000 pairs of gloves, 1,000 scarves and 100 warm boots from the emergency contingency stock. Furthermore, 1,500 hygiene kits and 1,500 food parcels were issued from the Belarus Red Cross warehouse, amounting to 70 per cent of its available stock. In addition, CHF 5,000 was spent to purchase hot meals to people most in need.

The total number of people reached in January and February 2017 by Belarus Red Cross assistance is estimated at 57,289. This includes 652 homeless people provided with full packages of warming and living assistance, warm clothes and place for temporary stay. It also includes 224 stranded drivers who were helped in evacuation and transportation to safe places.

The relief assistance to beneficiaries was designed based on a preliminary needs assessment conducted by the Belarus Red Cross in January 2017 in Minsk and its region. A follow-up evaluation and needs assessment was conducted on 20-22 February 2017 in Vitebsk, Mogilev, and Gomel regions and in March in Brest and Grodno regions. The follow-up assessment found that the Belarus Red Cross provided a higher volume of assistance than initially planned based on its preliminary assessment therefore additional resources were needed. Particularly, equipment for setting up warming stations was necessary as the Belarus Red Cross had to use that of the Ministry of Defense which however did not meet all requirements and was also very time-consuming to use. The National Society also had to rapidly purchase emergency food kits and new warming equipment and tents (as many of the tents purchased and used previously were significantly outworn). Also, several tents and all-terrain vehicles (of brand “Pinzgauer”) in Gomel, Minsk and Vitebsk regions required reparation.