SITUATION UPDATE 5: FLOODING IN SURINAME'S

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000290 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CAR LLUFTIG DEPT FOR OCS/ACS/WHA - RBRANSON DEPT FOR WHA/PD APRUITT, GADAMS, EDETTER DEPT FOR PA/PRS USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA SAN JOSE FOR USAID/OFDA TIM CALLAGHAN PLEASE PASS FOR PEACE CORPS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV PGOV PREL EAID ECON NS SUBJECT: SITUATION UPDATE 5: FLOODING IN SURINAME'S INTERIOR REFTELS: PARAMARIBO 280 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) Flooding in most affected areas of Suriname's interior has subsided and the disaster response in now focused on stabilization of the situation. Water levels are still rising, however, along the Marowijne and Tapahoni rivers in the east, although less rapidly. Overall, the number of severely affected people has diminished d significantly. A small number of diarrhea and respiratory disease cases have been reported in the affected area. Food, water, and relief supplies are now flowing to various staging areas through airplane landings and a Brazilian helicopter. Onward distribution is occurring, but remains challenging because of limited transportation resources. Four Dutch military helicopters are scheduled to arrive on May 18 to assist. Other Dutch assistance includes 30 tons of relief supplies, which arrived on May 16, and one million euros donated via the United Nations. ¶2. (U) USAID/OFDA's three-person disaster assessment team, which arrived in Suriname on May 15, continues to coordinate with UN and EU counterparts in exploring unfilled gaps in the disaster response. Malaria control, water/sanitation, and the rebuilding and resupplying of education facilities are areas identified to date. A final tally of total donated funds and materials from domestic and international sources has not yet been determined. In addition to a helicopter, Brazil has donated several tons of food and 1.5 tons of medical supplies. Venezuela's offer to provide helicopters and fuel has not yet materialized; Venezuelan assessors visited the National Coordinating Commission for Disaster Planning (NCCR) for a day, before heading back to Caracas. Their next steps are not known. ¶3. (U) Total cost estimates for the disaster relief/rebuilding efforts are scattered across the board. Parliamentarians yesterday repeated President Venetiaan's pre-assessment estimate of 25 million USD, while the NCCR estimates a 12-month timeline at under seven million USD. International experts find both these figures rather high. LEONARD