DISASTER DECLARATION FOR FLOODS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000565

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL PGOV SENV DJ
SUBJECT: DISASTER DECLARATION FOR FLOODS

REF: (A) DJIBOUTI 551; (B) DJIBOUTI 540


1. (U) SUMMARY: In light of unusually heavy rains
and resulting flooding early this week and the
inability of the host government to respond
adequately to the needs of the population,
Ambassador declares the situation in Djibouti
City a disaster. Ambassador requests that
immediate disaster relief funding be made
available to assist in flood relief efforts.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On April 13, torrential rains, heavy winds
and high tides in Djibouti caused flash flooding
and the River Ambouli to burst its banks in the
capital. Fifty-one people are officially
reported dead, 37 missing, and over 9,000
displaced. Although flood waters are slowly
beginning to recede in some areas of the city,
weather forecasts predict additional rains may
arrive in the next few days, causing
international aid agencies to worry that
additional people will be displaced.


3. (U) The Government of Djibouti (GODJ) has
expressed willingness to accept any assistance
available from the USG and other international
donors. GODJ does not have the technical,
material or financial capabilities to fully
respond to the damage caused by the flooding.
The government reports 51 bodies recovered,
however, the total estimated by sources on the
ground and French military is between 200-300
dead. GODJ reports that 90 percent of the city
of Djibouti's population has been affected.


4. (U) Immediate humanitarian assistance is
needed in the form of medicines, mosquito nets,
foodstuff for the displaced, clothing, roofing
materials, pots and pans, sanitation, localized
cisterns of potable water and the draining of
standing flood waters. Damage to infrastructure
includes breaks in the municipal water system,
breaks in the railroad into the city and
portions of roads and bridges leading to the
city washed out. GODJ will carry out a more
detailed needs assessment for rehabilitation
efforts in the coming days.


5. (U) Imminent health threats possible are
outbreaks of Cholera, Malaria, Typhoid and other
communicable diseases. It is in the USG's
interest to assure that outbreaks and
contamination of the city water are prevented
as this could severely affect the well-being
of the civilian American community, as well
as the American military base at Camp
Lemonier.


6. (U) Most of the city's population lives in
densely populated shantytowns. The Ambouli
section of the city was the hardest hit by flash
flooding, as it is in the flood plain of the Wadi
and neighbors the levys/dikes that broke in the
floods. Those in Ambouli that did not lose homes
lost their livelihood since many Ambouli
residents produce what little agriculture
Djibouti does have. Another concentration of
the city's population lives in Balbala, one of
the areas of higher ground in Djibouti City.
The main route to Balbala is to cross the Wadi
at Ambouli. This route was completely washed
out. Balbala has not had municipal water
service since the flooding began. The higher
income portions of the city were also severely
affected. Gabode, a middle class neighborhood,
still has two feet of standing water.


7. (U) Current efforts by the international
community are being led by the French military.
The American military medical units are testing
the water in several areas of the city and the
mosquito larva to try to determine what potential
diseases are most imminent. UN organizations
present are planning on collaborating funds and
other resources to focus on emergency needs and
has appealed to donors to provide emergency
assistance. ECHO and USAID/OFDA are currently
in the country conducting a humanitarian
assessment and more detailed reporting will
follow septel.


8. (U) As Chief of Mission, I hereby declare
that a flooding disaster exists in the country
and request international disaster assistance
funding be made available immediately. The GODJ
is not able to adequately respond to emergency
needs, is willing to accept international
assistance, and it is in the best interests of
the USG to help. Based on emerging needs and on
organization capabilities, Embassy requests USD
100,000 in international disaster assistance to
provide to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Funding would go towards the purchase of
emergency medical kits for cholera and malaria,
and mosquito nets in response to the recent
flooding, as well as assist in mitigating
impact of additional flooding.

RAGSDALE