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On 10 November flash floods swept through the town of Belet Weyne in Somalia's Hiran Valley. Since then an estimated 330,000 people have been displaced.
There are serious concerns for displaced people who are now exposed to the elements and the high risk of water contamination as the flooding swamps latrines and shallow wells. The most urgent needs are for plastic sheeting, blankets, soap, mosquito nets, food, jerry cans and water treatment tablets for drinking water.
The flooding has also affected northern Kenya. Somali refugee camps in the area have been particularly badly hit; some 160,000 people have been directly affected in the camps situated in Dadaab, and an estimated 700,000 people have been affected across Kenya.
Shelters have been washed away and destroyed, and many people have fled to higher ground. Large areas of the country are still completely inaccessible; food supplies are starting to run low, along with basic medical supplies. Given poor health practices, including open defecation, and no boiling or sterilisation of water, there is the possibility of a major health crisis. Rains are expected to continue into next year, even as late as July 2007.
Our response
Save the Children has launched a rapid relief effort in response to the flooding. Our immediate priority is to provide shelter and access to clean water for vulnerable children. We have flown 42 metric tonnes of desperately needed relief items into the town of Belet Weyne, and are aiming to reach 6,000 families with blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheets and water containers.
Save the Children staff in Belet Weyne, one of the worst affected areas, have already started distributing relief items. Staff have also been working to repair the airstrip in the town after it was damaged by flood waters. Access to the town is very difficult as many of the main roads into the town were swept away.
In Kenya, Save the Children staff are currently assessing the impact of the floods in Dadaab refugee camp. Two of our child protection experts have been seconded to the UNHCR in Dadaab, where they will be involved in identifying vulnerable groups displaced since the flooding and ensuring that child protection issues are addressed.
Background - working in a fragile region
In the past year the Horn of Africa region has experienced conflict, drought and flooding. Somalia has been in a state of conflict and lawlessness for over 15 years.
The floods are exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation, where the political instability and possibilities of widespread conflict continue to threaten communities. Children are already in a very vulnerable position and levels of infant and maternal mortality are amongst the highest in the world. The volatile environment increases the difficulty in providing a timely and substantive response.
Save the Children is calling on the permanent members of the UN security council to put pressure on warring factions and neighbouring countries not to fuel a war that could affect up to one million children.
Venetia Bellers, Save the Children’s Emergency Programme Manager in Kenya, said: “The risk of full scale conflict inside Somalia is very real and the international community must be ready for a movement of refugees. Donors must act now and prepare for a full-scale response to a worst case scenario. If they fail to heed these loud alarm bells that have been ringing for months, it will spell disaster for thousands of children and their families.”
Many of the refugee camps in the region of Kenya are currently overcrowded, flooded and cut off from the rest of the country. Massive amounts of stagnant water are creating a public health hazard and food is scarce after flooding destroyed crops and livestock forcing market prices to increase threefold in some areas. Children are facing the risk of malnutrition and disease as well as the risk of being separated from their families.
