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
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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
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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
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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