ReliefWeb

GLIDE n=B0 FL-2009-000120-BWA

The International Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross and Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation's disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters.

Period covered by this update: 01 July to 30 August, 2009.

Summary: CHF 153,978 (USD 143,061 or EUR 101,837) has been allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) in delivering immediate assistance to 620 families affected by floods and to replenish pre-positioned stock used by the National Society in assisting another 200 families. Unearmarked funds to repay DREF are encouraged.

The Netherlands Red Cross contributed CHF 53,386 to the DREF in replenishment of the allocation made for this operation.The major donors to the DREF are the Irish, Italian, Netherlands and Norwegian governments, and ECHO. Details of all donors can be found on http://www.ifrc.org/what/disasters/responding/drs/tools/dref/donors.asp

The occurrence of heavy rains in the central provinces of Botswana in June 2009 caused flooding in seven districts affecting an estimated 620 families or 3,100 individuals. Rapid assessments undertaken by BRCS and social welfare officers to determine the extent of the damage and vulnerability of those affected, however, reduced the number of people who needed relief intervention to 604 families, or 2,820 individuals.

The unseasonal June rains were compounded by the unavailability of relief stock which was exhausted in response to the flash floods experienced in the north-west provinces of Botswana in March 2009. Approximately 3,789 persons were affected in the flood-ravaged Ngamiland district. BRCS responded by distributing emergency relief items from its pre-positioned stock to approximately 200 families affected by the March floods, thereby depleting its stock of readily available relief items. Hence, DREF funding was used to procure and distribute relief items in the form of jerry cans, soap, cooking sets, blankets and foods items (5kg flour, maize meal, sorghum meal and 750ml cooking oil), to 604 households affected by the June flooding.

Although the operation was to have been completed by 30 September 2009, a no-cost timeframe extension of one month has been requested due to the shelter needs of flood victims. Support will be provided to beneficiaries affected by the June floods in the Letlhakeng sub-district and the March floods in Ngamiland district, who are in need of shelter due to the impending recall of government-supplied tents. The operation will now be completed by 30 October 2009, with the final report available three months after the end of the operation (31 January 2010).

The situation

Between 7 and 10 June 2009, heavy rains flooded the seven districts of Serowe/Palapye, Kweneng, Tutume, Boteti, North West, Mahalapye and Bobirwa in central Botswana. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Remote Sensing Unit confirms that the Department of Meteorology registered rainfall figures of more than 100mm in 24 hours in this area. The average annual rainfall for most of Botswana is less than 50mm.

It is common practice for farmers to sun-dry their harvests during the usually dry winter season. The rains, however, surprised the farmers and affected the crop yield, especially sorghum, which is the staple food of Botswana. Moreover, the mud dwellings (commonly used in rural areas) were destroyed by the floods, necessitating the immediate provision of emergency relief in the form of shelter, blankets and food.

The flash floods experienced in the North West provinces of Botswana in March 2009 affected 3,789 people in Ngamiland, located at the beginning of the Okavango Delta close to Namibia and Angola. BRCS assisted ten villages, with a total population of 698 individuals (200 families), in carrying out damage assessments and distributing emergency relief items from its pre-positioned stock. The regional disaster response team (RDRT) demonstrated the building of shelters using the tarpaulins and wooden poles distributed by the government.

According to the BRCS programme manager, the National Society depleted its pre-positioned stock in response to the victims of the flash floods in March. Relief supplies were therefore required for distribution to the 604 families assessed by BRCS and social welfare officers to be currently affected. A portion of the families that had made up the initial estimation of 620 families are remote area dwellers (RADs) who benefit directly from the RAD programme financed by the government and are mostly found in the Serowe/Palapye sub-district.