MANAGUA SITREP 8 (FINAL): SUMMARY OF RELIEF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAGUA 002148 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN FEELEY AND LERSTEN DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/FO AND CA/OCS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID/W, USAID/DCHA AND USAID/OFDA USAID/W FOR A/AID HFORE USAID/OFDA FOR KLUU, AFERRERA, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, AND SBISWAS USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS AND GGOTTLIEB SOUTHCOM PLEASE PASS TO JTF-BRAVO SOUTHCOM FOR SCJ3--LTC ALEXANDER SOUTHCOM FOR W. LEWIS AMSELEM NSC FOR ALVARADO AND TSHORTLEY SAN JOSE FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR GENEVA FOR NKYLOH USUN ROME FOR RNEWBERG USUN FOR TMALY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER ROME PLEASE PASS TO USUN ROME E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV MOPS AEMR KPAO CASC NU SUBJECT: MANAGUA SITREP 8 (FINAL): SUMMARY OF RELIEF ACTIVITIES REF: A. MANAGUA 2117 ¶B. MANAGUA 2102 ¶C. MANAGUA 2070 ¶D. MANAGUA 2059 ¶E. MANAGUA 2044 ¶F. MANAGUA 2032 ¶G. MANAGUA 2026 (NOTAL) ¶H. MANAGUA 2025 (NOTAL) ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: U.S. military assets concluded emergency relief operations on September 17. Assets flew a total of 136 sorties and transported some 595,000 lbs of relief supplies and materials over a 10-day period. On September 17 the Government of Nicaragua (GON) disaster team (SINAPRED) closed operations and turned control over to the regional government for the "rehabilitation" phase. The OFDA team returned to Managua on September 17 and ceased emergency control room operation at COB on September 18. OFDA will keep one person each in Puerto Cabezas and Managua through the weekend. USAID will continue to monitor the relief delivery and initial reconstruction efforts of its partners and undertake an assessment about additional OFDA funding requirements. END SUMMARY. CURRENT SITUATION - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (U) AFFECTED PERSONS: As of September 15, the latest date for which information is available, the GON reported the following data regarding the human impact of Hurricane Felix. Affected persons: 185,203 in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and 3,523 in the neighboring departments of Nueva Segovia and Jinotega. CASUALTIES: 102 confirmed dead of which 94 were registered in the communities of Puerto Cabezas and 8 in Waspam; 48 deaths remain unconfirmed; and 86 persons are missing. PROPERTY DAMAGE: 19,202 houses in the RAAN, Nueva Segovia, and Jinotega were affected by the hurricane (10,145 destroyed, 9,057 lost roofs); 179 public buildings (the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and Nicaraguan Red Cross (NRC) reported that 46 health centers and 60 schools sustained "significant" roof damage) and 69 private businesses were damaged; 13,438 latrines were damaged, contaminating 11,519 wells. AGRICULTURE: According to the National Civil Defense, hurricane Felix damaged or destroyed 36,845 hectares of corn, rice, and other crops and 5,951 fruit trees. 5,063 domestic livestock were lost. ¶3. (U) US MILITARY OPERATIONS END: U.S. military assets - consisting of two UH-60 helicopters and one C-130 from JTF-B concluded hurricane relief operations in the late afternoon of September 17. On this final day of operations, the UH-60s flew a record 17 sorties, delivering some 20 metric tons of relief supplies. ¶4. (U) OFDA TEAM WINDS DOWN: On September 17, most of the OFDA team departed Puerto Cabezas and emergency control room operations at USAID ceased at COB on September 18. OFDA will maintain one person in Puerto Cabezas and one person in Managua through the weekend of September 23-24. ¶5. (U) RELIEF GOES FROM AIR TO GROUND: The World Food Program (WFP),Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA),Catholic Relief Service (CRS),and the NRC have fully transitioned to ground and water-based transportation to deliver relief supplies to RAAN communities. With 330 tons of relief supplies on the ground in Puerto Cabezas on September 16 (of which 50 tons were delivered by U.S. military assets on September 16 and 17),these agencies are providing communities with 30-day supplies of food, water, and other supplies. ¶6. (U) SINAPRED HANDS OVER OPERATIONS: On September 17, SINAPRED declared that post-hurricane relief efforts were shifting to a "rehabilitation" phase and handed over responsibility to the regional government. On September 18, the SINAPRED emergency task force returned to Managua. SUMMARY OF U.S. MILITARY HURRICANE RELIEF ACTIVITIES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (U) Hurricane relief airlift operations conducted by U.S. military assets September 6-17 were divided into two components - transporting supplies from Managua to Puerto Cabezas air bridge and the distribution of supplies from Puerto Cabezas to affected communities. A summary of each component follows: MANAGUA - PUERTO CABEZAS AIR-BRIDGE: - Two Ch-47 Chinooks - 18 sorties over three days; 180,000 lbs of relief supplies - One C-130 - 3 sorties over 2 days; 91,000 lbs of relief supplies PUERTO CABEZAS TO RAAN COMMUNITIES - A total of eight helicopters carried out 115 sorties over 10 days - 37 hurricane-affected communities reached - 324,000 lbs of total relief supplies delivered - 940 rolls of plastic sheeting - 3,875 blankets - 3,552 hygiene kits - 13,000 ten-liter water containers - 20 Nicaraguan doctors - 74 sick / injured persons transported to Puerto Cabezas LOOK AHEAD - USAID TO STAY ENGAGED - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (U) From September 19-23, a USAID official will visit the RAAN to observe partner distribution operations and assess the need for additional OFDA funding as relief efforts continue on the ground. TRIVELLI