ASSESSMENT OF FLOODING IN CUNENE AND CUANDO,CUBANGO

UNCLAS LUANDA 000232


AIDAC

USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA HALE, POWER, ROGERS; USAID FOR DCHA/FFP
PETERSON; USAID FOR AFR/SA HARMON, MENDELSON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AO
SUBJECT: ASSESSMENT OF FLOODING IN CUNENE AND CUANDO,CUBANGO
PROVINCES, SOUTHERN ANGOLA

Ref: a)Luanda 154, b)Luanda 166, c)State 026112, d)Luanda 187


SUMMARY

From March 26 through March 31, a multi-agency team, including a
USAID Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Southern
Africa acting regional advisor and a USAID Food for Peace
(USAID/FFP) officer, visited Luanda and flood-affected provinces of
Cunene and Cuando Cubango in southern Angola. The team met with
UN, IO, NGO, USG Angola mission officers, flood-affected
populations, and local officials to assess the adequacy of current
relief efforts, identify critical gaps in the response effort, and
recommend additional assistance. Further efforts are needed to
prevent potentially large outbreaks of water-borne disease (e.g.,
cholera) and malaria as flood waters recede. In addition to the
floods, the heavy, untimely rains damaged crops throughout the
provinces, threatening food security. As of March 30, the Government
of Angola (GOA) had spent $8 million for emergency response, and
Exxon-Mobil pledged $75,000 to help the GOA response. The USG has
provided $65,000 for immediate relief and assessment. The UN
Central Emergency Response Fund (CEFF) has awarded $2.3 million for
emergency response to the UN Children?s Fund (UNICEF),World Health
Organization (WHO) and International Organization for Migration
(IOM),for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH),shelter, and
health. The National Commission for Civil Protection (CP) has
generally responded well. Their coordination of the response greatly
improved since the flood of 2008. However, there is concern about
the GOA?s technical capacity to assess, adequately resource and
maintain distribution of assistance post-emergency, beyond the
completion of the CP?s mandate of emergency response. The USG should
consider support for food assistance, WASH, shelter, and
livelihoods-recovery projects. Longer term, disaster risk reduction
(DRR) activities, including support for development of flood early
warning systems, should also be considered.

OBSERVATIONS


1. Response to date: At a meeting with donors and the humanitarian
community on March 30, the GOA CP reported it had spent $8 million
on emergency response to date. The head of CP stated that it
welcomes international support, but will not issue a formal
declaration of emergency, as the GOA is capable of handling the
response. As previously reported, the GOA delivered extensive
relief supplies to the affected areas using government air assets.
On March 30, Exxon-Mobil announced a $75,000 contribution to the GOA
response. UN agencies previously allocated $600,000, and now the UN
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has granted an additional
$2.3 million to provide access to safe water (UNICEF),increase
availability of health services (WHO) and provide shelter materials
and non-food items (IOM). The International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) informed the assessment team of an
appeal that will be released by mid-April to support the work of the
Angola Red Cross (ARC). The USG has provided $65,000 to date, which
funded air transport for this assessment and granted $48,000 to
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to support immediate relief in
Cunene. This assistance, to be provided through CRS partner,
Caritas, will distribute flood emergency kits to 3,000 households.
The European Commission is sending a technical assessment team to
Angola the first week of April, and the World Food Programme team
plans an assessment of food security.

THE ASSESSMENT VISIT:


2. USAID/Angola invited USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP to join the US
Embassy deputy chief of mission, USAID/Angola and representatives of
UNICEF, IFRC, CRS, and IOM on an assessment mission to hard-hit
municipalities of Ondjiva, Namacunde, Cuvelai and Xangongo in Cunene
province. Due to logistical and access difficulties, only the
provincial capital of Menongue was visited in Cuando Cubango
province. Representatives of CP accompanied the mission throughout.
The team flew over flood-affected areas of both provinces. Members
met key government and CP officials in both provinces. In Cunene,
they met officials from CP at the municipality and commune level and
members of the affected populations. OFDA briefly met with members
of a UN WHO team that was in Cunene to conduct a joint assessment of
public needs with the Ministry of Health. Team members also met
with Oxfam in the provincial capital of Ondjiva, where that
organization partners with UNICEF and ARC to assist in the camps,
the director of the Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration
(MINARS),and the Catholic Diocese of Ondjiva/Caritas.


GENERAL FLOOD SITUATION:


3. The National Institute of Meteorology of Angola predicted that
abnormally heavy rains will last into April. Local officials
predicted that the rains and flooding could continue into May in
some areas. On March 30, the UN estimated that floods affected
220,000 people in Cunene, Cuando Cubango, Moxico, Malange, Bie,
Huambo, and Lunda Sul provinces, with 22 deaths nationwide, mostly
due to drowning. Others were crushed by falling homes or killed by
displaced animals (crocodiles, hippos). While CP reports that the
focus is shifting to recovery in Cunene, the UN and IOM report that
the situation in Cuando Cubango is still ?worsening.? There is
growing concern for Moxico Province, where the Zambezi River
continues to rise.


4. The UN reports the displacement of 52,646 people and 13 deaths in
Cunene Province, with 25,000 in relocation camps in Ondjiva. Other
displaced people stay with family or neighbors. Ondjiva normally
receives 5-600 mm of water per year. In 2008, 800mm were recorded,
and in 2009, 922 mm have already fallen. The provincial ministry of
agriculture reported 225,000 hectares of agricultural land
destroyed, and 363,500 animals at risk of death. CP and other
government officials told the team that floods damaged primary and
secondary roads, bridges and water/sanitation infrastructure, but
several key access routes (e.g., Ondjiva-Cuvelai and
Ondjiva-Namibia) have recently reopened as waters receded and
necessary repairs were made. In Ondjiva, the provincial CP holds
daily briefings and coordination meetings with stakeholders.


5. In Cuando Cubango province, the UN reports 30,000 people directly
affected and 12,000 people displaced by flooding in the
municipalities of Menongue, Calai, Cuangar, Dirico, Rivungo, Kus and
Mavinga. Provincial CP reported no access to Cuangar, Dirico and
Calai, along the Cubango River (note: aka Okavango in Namibia),as
the road from Menongue has been impassable. The airstrip in Calai
has flooded and is reported to be unusable. Poor access has made
accurate assessment of damage and needs impossible as of the visit
on March 28. Even with helicopters, great distances and logistical
problems make thorough assessment and relief delivery difficult. The
GOA has reportedly asked the Government of Namibia for support in
accessing these areas. Further assessment of affected areas not yet
adequately reached will be needed to provide more accurate
information on numbers affected, damages and needs. It is possible
that numbers affected will change as access improves.


6. In Moxico province, the UN reported 44,000 people affected by
flooding, with 12,000 people displaced and 1,048 houses destroyed.
In the municipality of Luau, 986 families lost their houses; in the
capital of Luena, along the Cassai River, 121 families; and in
Lumbala municipality, on the Zambezi River, 62 families.

DISPLACEMENT AND CAMPS:


7. The assessment team visited three camps housing displaced persons
(IDPs) in Ondjiva. According to the CP and UN, approximately 25,000
people reside in the three camps; however, numbers provided during
visits suggested no more than 10,000. The reason for this
discrepancy is not clear. The vast majority of households in the
camps have been there since last year?s floods. Some went back to
their original, flooded homes after waters receded last year, but
returned to the camps with the new floods.


8. The camps are managed by CP, with support from elected camp
residents and Angolan Red Cross volunteers. UNICEF, in cooperation
with CP, Oxfam and the Angola Red Cross, provide water, sanitation
and hygiene promotion in the camps. Two camps were established in

2008. A third camp was established in 2009, but many of its
residents were also displaced in 2008. All camp residents are housed
in tents provided by CP. The camp management reported that most
camp residents are employed, some with the government. The team
noted the presence of generators, satellite television dishes, and
gardens. It?s generally believed that people remain in the camps
waiting for the construction of 2500 houses promised by the GOA last
year. At the time of the visit, only one prototype house had been
constructed, and it flooded this year. A recent GOA delegation to
Camp 2 renewed the promise of new home construction. Camp managers
felt that allocation of plots and provision of building materials
might be enough to motivate camp residents to relocate.


9. Water, sanitation and hygiene present significant problems in the
camps. In Camps 1 and 3, which are adjacent, there were four water
bladders with tap stands that were unfilled, pending transport by CP
of a UNICEF portable water-treatment system that would fill the
bladders from a nearby pond. In Camp 2, four boreholes were
drilled, but only one was usable. Due to damage done during
drilling, the other 3 are salty. To compensate, trucks bring water
to tanks. In Camps 1 and 3, latrines built by UNICEF and Oxfam last
year collapsed, and the zinc sheeting surrounding them was stolen.
Oxfam and CP are constructing new latrines. In Camp 2, the zinc
sheets are intact, but the water table has risen into the latrines,
making them unusable until the water subsides.


10. Generally, since camp residents have resumed or continued their
livelihood pursuits, managers readily admitted it is questionable
that this whole population needs food assistance at this time. They
have income and ready access to markets. Exceptions may be the newly
displaced and small business operators who remain at a disadvantage
because the camps are located far from the market, and transport
costs cut into their profits.


11. With conservative reports estimating 52,000 people displaced in
Cunene, more than half have sought shelter with other families. The
situation of those living with hosts has not been assessed. Many of
the displaced have lost or experienced heavy damage to their houses
and may require support to rebuild or repair existing structures.
IOM received support, through the CERF, to provide shelter
assistance to 300 vulnerable families in Cunene and only 150
families each in Cuando Cubango and Moxico. There is likely a need
for additional assistance with shelter materials.

GENERALLY POOR/NO HARVEST AFFECTING GENERAL POPULATION


12. The agricultural ministry, municipal administrators, and farmers
reported that there would be little to nothing harvested this year
in the provinces visited. The excessive rains affected all farmers
and all crops. Sorghum was stunted and showed signs of nitrogen
deprivation. Observation from the air showed that the damage went
far beyond the flooded area. The long, heavy rains came when plants
were in a young fragile state. Some were washed away, but all
suffered from the deprivation of sun and warmth during the critical
growth period. Heavy rains leached nutrients from the soil,
especially in areas where the soil is sandy. There is a single
cropping season when farmers cultivate cereal, peanuts, and
pumpkins. Another chance to harvest will not come until May 2010.
For many of the affected provinces, this is the second to fourth
consecutive year of poor production -- due to drought in 2006 and
2007, followed by floods in 2008 and 2009.

COPING IN RURAL AREAS WITHOUT CEREAL HARVEST


13. Without a cereal harvest, households with livestock were
identified as those best able to sustain themselves. Dairy products
provide good nutrition; animals may be traded for flour or cash;
they provide transportation to and from markets; and in the next
cropping season, they will provide draught power. However,
livestock numbers were severely depleted during Angola?s 32-year
civil war (1975-2002),and drought, flood, disease and sales
necessitated by poor harvest have hampered recovery of the numbers.
Few households (mostly returned refugees and decommissioned
soldiers) have benefited from restocking support.


14. Wild foods and household gardens provide nutrition currently and
will remain important until conditions become too dry. The floods
brought fish that people were catching and drying for later
consumption.


15. Other livelihood pursuits that bolster household food security
are casual labor and remittances from relatives in Namibia or urban
centers.

REPORTS OF STARVATION


16. Caritas has received reports of starvation from communicants who
come to their churches from remote areas. In February, a Caritas
team followed a report to one site of these reports and found
severely wasted adults. Based on the nature of the other reports,
they believe that there are likely to be similar cases scattered
throughout Cunene province. It may be that these households are
particularly disadvantaged by the remoteness of their homesteads,
which limits their access to markets and health and veterinary care,
as well as inhibiting access by others who would distribute food or
provide services. It is also possible these cases are HIV/AIDS
related. Caritas shared the reports with MINARS, and the provincial
director reported plans to investigate further, plans that were
delayed by the floods.

GOVERNMENT FOOD ASSISTANCE


17. MINARS has three food distribution programs: An emergency
response for short-term assistance to those displaced; a program for
long-term assistance for chronic welfare cases (elderly,
HIV-affected, unemployed); and extended relief for the 2008 flood
victims, which is expected to continue for the 2009 victims.
Planned rations for all programs are robust, but reports indicate
that the quantities provided by the central government have been
insufficient. Different means adopted at the local level to
"stretch" the commodities included: reducing rations or stretching
the period between distributions; eliminating households from the
chronic-welfare caseload; and serving only flood victims that
resembled chronic-welfare cases.


18. The central government allocates food to provinces, which, in
turn, allocate to municipalities on unclear bases, with little or no
monitoring of the needs or of the food distribution. The team found
no evidence that quantities supplied by the central government are
based on local assessments.

FOOD SECURITY AND FOOD ASSISTANCE: CONCLUSIONS


19. Given the general failure of the crops, it appears that rural
households without sufficient livestock will almost certainly face
significant food insecurity during the coming year. Also vulnerable
are those who live in the most remote areas, far from markets,
veterinary services, and centers of food-distribution operations.
Consequently, it is likely that a considerable portion of the rural
population in the provinces visited, not just those affected
directly by the floods, will need food assistance until the next
harvest. Households in camps of urban IDPs are less likely to need
food support. Further assessment is needed to accurately quantify
the proportion of households that will be food insecure, as well as
the degree and period of food insecurity. And, given the wealth and
apparent commitment of GoA officials to solve their own problem, it
seems preferable that WFP work with MINARS to build capacity at the
municipality and provincial levels to assess and report food needs
to the central government and to effectively target and efficiently
distribute food. Angola may have sufficient resources to acquire
food, but apparently lacks capacity to accurately define needs and
distribute the food. Given the difficult access to many of the most
vulnerable households, this is a daunting undertaking.

WASH AND HEALTH:


20. At the March 30 meeting with the UN country team, donors and
other humanitarian actors, the head of the CP said that the CP?s
main concern now is the prevention of a new ?disease disaster? that
could arise post-flooding. WASH is a major concern in all
flood-affected areas. Officials at the provincial and municipal
levels reported significant damage to water-treatment facilities,
water points, sanitation systems, and other WASH infrastructure.
Floods raised water tables and contaminated water points. As flood
waters recede in Cunene now, and later in Cuando Cubango, concern
continues regarding possible outbreaks of water-borne disease due to
poor access to safe water in both rural and urban areas. There is
also the likelihood of a higher incidence of malaria, due to the
amount of stagnant water. UNICEF is working closely with the GOA and
partners to address WASH issues. WHO has fielded an emergency team
to the affected areas to work with the Ministry of Health on disease
surveillance and mosquito-net sensitization campaigns for malaria
prevention.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION:


21. USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP reps consulted with USAID/Angola, UN
agencies, CP and other humanitarian actors regarding the status of
early warning systems and risk-reduction activities and found that
there was a clear need for early warning systems in flood-affected
areas, as well as risk-mapping of flood-prone areas. The CP noted
that it has engaged technical consultants to examine risks and
possible mitigation projects. With the absence of a Vulnerability
Assessment Committee (VAC) and the closure of the Angola FEWSNET
office over a year ago, there is an apparent gap in technical
expertise at the national level.


22. Oxfam, IFRC and CRS, among others, expressed intent in
developing DRR programs. CP?s mandate is only emergency response;
therefore, DRR activities must links up with ministries concerned
with longer-term recovery and disaster preparedness. At present,
capacity seems weak in this arena.

RECOMMENDATIONS

23. Based on the assessment team?s discussions and observations, the
following areas/sectors present gaps and should be considered for
additional support (in order of immediate relief to intermediate
recovery):


24. Support provision of shelter materials and other non-food items
to ensure wider coverage of needs, and to support the return of
displaced in camps, as well as rebuilding in affected rural areas.


25. Support to the WASH sector if UNICEF and its partners are unable
to meet demands with their current level of funding. Such
interventions as hygiene promotion, distribution of hygiene kits,
water treatment, and rehabilitation of sanitation facilities should
be considered.


26. Support for livelihoods recovery for rural households that have
suffered catastrophic loss of assets. Support might take the form
of targeted Cash-for- Work projects to add income to households.
Examples are road rehabilitation, water and sanitation
rehabilitation and school rehabilitation.


27. Because of the apparent advantage and significance of livestock
rearing to food security in these provinces, the assessment team
recommends considering support for programs to increase livestock
numbers in the area, being careful not to exceed the numbers that
the land can support in normal years. This could include
interventions to restock, improve coverage of vaccination/veterinary
services, and develop low-tech early warning to alert owners of
when/where to move animals as flood waters rise.


28. Support continued work with USAID/Angola and relevant UN
agencies to explore appropriate avenues to support Disaster Risk
Reduction during the post-flood recovery period and beyond.
Consideration should be given to providing support to partners to
assist the GOA in building flood and famine early warning systems,
flood risk-mapping, and community preparedness planning.


29. USAID/Angola and the regional office of USAID/FFP should
encourage the World Food Programme and the GOA to work together to
assess the needs and provide food assistance to food-insecure rural
households in the southern provinces. The assessment and
distribution should be conducted in ways that build capacities at
the central, provincial and municipality levels of the GOA,
including strengthening the capacity of the national early warning
unit.

CONCLUSION


30. USAID/Angola will continue to coordinate with USAID/OFDA and
USAID/FFP to monitor the situation and urges OFDA and FFP to give
every consideration to specific requests for additional assistance
against the identified gaps and recommendations detailed above.

HAWKINS