Kassala, SUDAN - 29 Aug 2007 -
The International Rescue Committee has to date assisted some 17,500 people affected by devastating seasonal rains in North and East Sudan. Since the response began in early July, the IRC has distributed over 1,100 sacks used in the first line of flood defense, 120 pieces of digging tools, 10 tents and 550 kits with plastic sheets, blankets and other essential items. The IRC has also donated large quantities of insecticide and medical equipment to the Sudanese Ministry of Health in its effort to fight any outbreaks of disease.
The floods, which have affected the states of Kassala, Red Sea, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan, have left thousands of people homeless, have submerged villages and caused immense damage to infrastructure, including roads and bridges.
“We have distributed essential items such as plastic sheets, blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans and cooking sets to people who have completely lost their houses in the two Kassala neighbourhoods of Garb El Gash and Shaheed,” says ElBagir Nasr, the IRC’s field coordinator in Kassala.
The IRC has received funds from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for specific disaster response interventions targeting over 30,000 families in the four states. The effort is expected to continue until the beginning of next year.
“We are training community committees on flood disaster preparedness, as well as providing tools and medical equipment,” says Shaun O’Donnell, IRC director for North and East Sudan.
“To prevent the spreading of disease, we are also helping local water authorities test and treat the drinking water. In addition, we are constructing 450 latrines and launching health education programs,” O’Donnell adds.
An IRC health coordinator has also been sent to Kassala, where he is working closely with a health ministry team on providing vital health services. Kassala was particularly badly hit after the Gash River, considered a lifeline for the people of Kassala, burst its banks on July 6.
