October 5, 2008 -- This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. Based on the initial assessment, the Algerian Red Crescent (Algerian RC) is currently developing a plan of action which will be detailed in the next report.
Summary:
Floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 33 people and injured 50 in and around the Algerian oasis town of Ghardaia on 2 October 2008. Eight of the 13 districts of the surrounding Ghardaia province have been affected by the floods; and 600 homes have been inundated in the town.
The Algerian RC, through its regional committee in Ghardaia, has been immediately present on the site, deploying its regional intervention teams. The National Society has initiated a relief operation and is conducting additional assessments. The Algerian RC has been using its central and regional stocks of relief items to cover the immediate needs; and local and public appeals were launched, which made the National Society very successful in mobilizing and managing local donations.
However, considering the scale of the disaster – eight willayas being affected in a diameter of 30 kms along the Oued M'Zab and approximately 2,000 families in need – the Algerian RC is planning to request for a disaster relief emergency fund (DREF) allocation to continue its emergency operation.
The situation
Torrential rains in the Algerian Sahara caused flash floods, killing 33 people and leaving 50 injured in the region of Ghardaia. The floods also left about a 1,000 of people homeless and many other people are missing. Hundreds of people had to be rescued by helicopters and up to 600 houses are estimated to be destroyed in the rains of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rains stopped on Friday and water appeared to be subsiding but some streets were still submerged. The water level was eight meters (26 feet) high in some parts of the town, and residents feared at the possibility of more flash floods in the town of 100,000 on the northern edge of the Sahara.
Phone lines in the area were disrupted on Thursday which complicated the communication and collection of information from remote villages. Eight Wilayas have been affected by the floods but the most severe situation is in the Wilaya of Ghardaia. Following the heavy rains, mudslides overrun the riverbanks of Oued M'Zab and invaded the villages. According to local witnesses, in some places the amount of mud reached 8 meters and some houses were buried up to the second floor. The authorities have confirmed the severity of the emergency situation, and the search and rescue operations are still going on.
Algerian RC, civilian protection, local non-governmental organisations and volunteers are organizing their intervention on the site in favour of thousands of affected people. As cited by the APS agency based on the brief of the Minister of National Solidarity, Djamel Ould Abbas, the Algerian government unblocked aid for the affected population on Friday. The Minister added that the Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia gave strict orders for the population affected by the natural catastrophe to be taken care of by releasing unrestricted credit.
In and around Ghardaia, those who had escaped the worst of the flooding helped their less fortunate neighbours, offering shelter and hot meals to those left homeless by the flash floods. The Ministry of Interior sent tents, generators, and 400 tonnes of food aid to the region. The authorities also requisitioned two sports halls, where they installed 890 tents and 1,500 camp beds for those left homeless by the rains.
Around 5,000 people demonstrated in the town of Ghardaia on Friday to demand urgent aid after flash floods killed 33 residents. The protesters demanded basic food supplies and equipment to help search for survivors or bodies.
The Minister of Interior, Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni, said the floods are the worst for a century, while locals reported sweeping damage. Several parts of Algeria were lashed by heavy rains including Djelfa - midway between Ghardaia and Algiers - where two people lost their lives.