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Drought emergency in northern Marshall Islands

Countries
Marshall Islands
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Highlights

  • Following persistently low rainfall during the dry season, the Republic of the Marshall Islands declared a state of emergency for the northern Marshall Islands on 19 April 2013.

  • Severe drought conditions are being experienced in Wotje and the atolls of the Marshall Islands north of Majuro.

  • An initial assessment of the impact of the drought is underway through the mobilization of three multi-disciplinary teams, led by the National Disaster Management Office and supported by experts from OFDA/USAID and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

  • The severe drought conditions may have affected drinking water supplies, rainwater catchment storage, salinity of groundwater and agriculture / food production on the atoll islands requiring immediate as well as long-term response measures.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.