ReliefWeb

Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:

Through this Operations Update 1, Red Crescent Society of Djibouti (DRCS) seeks a timeframe extension for two months with a new operation end date of 6 May 2020. With support from the surge WASH delegate in-country, DRCS conducted an assessment for 84 latrines identified for rehabilitation as per the initial plan of action. From the assessment, the initial amount budgeted is only sufficient to rehabilitate 32 latrines. Through this Operations update, DRCS seeks a second allocation of CHF 33,969 to cover funds needed for rehabilitation of additional 50 latrines (the remaining 2 will be covered by a UNICEF contribution). In addition, the Surge WASH delegate will be extended for one additional month to support implementation and monitoring of pending activities which include rehabilitation works on the latrines, completion of NFI procurement process and distributions.

During implementation, DRCS faced challenges in procurement of some of the non-food items (NFIs) as market prices of items such as the jerry cans, blankets and mats was higher than initially budgeted. This is due to the scale of the disaster, which drove up demand and price of the items. DRCS did not procure aqua tabs as initially planned as they received a contribution for the aqua tabs from UNICEF, which allowed for them to cover for the cost of the NFIs.

Procurement is still ongoing for some of the other items, including hand washing kits. The two months extension will allow for sourcing and distribution of these items.

A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

Djibouti experienced heavy rains between 21 and 28 November 2019, triggering flash floods and destruction of property, homes and livelihoods across the country. According to the Meteorological Institute of Djibouti, peak rainfall was experienced for three days between 21 to 23 November 2019, with over 295mm of rainfall recorded. This was more than Djibouti’s yearly average rainfall of 127mm and was equivalent to two years of rainfall. Eleven (11) people (including seven (7) children) lost their lives due to flooding and a landslide. A Government-led Interagency Rapid Assessment conducted on 27 and 28 November revealed that over 250,000 people had been affected across the country. The most severe impact of the rains occurred in Djibouti city, where an estimated 200,000 people (21 per cent of the total population of the country) were affected. Other areas affected included the localities of Arta, Damerjog, Goubeto and Tadjourah. New rains experienced between 7 and 10 December 2020 also made access to the affected areas more difficult.