This report was issued by OCHA Iraq country office and UNAMI. It covers the period from1 to 8 Nov 2009. The next report will be issued on or around Sunday, 15 Nov 2009.
I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
- In the Erbil and Dahuk Governorates over 3,000 persons (500 families) across ten locations in the mountainous districts of Mergasur, Rawanduz, Choman, Zhakho, Sumel, Aqra were affected by flash flooding following heavy rains and winds on 1 Nov 2009. Two persons died in the incident and several others were injured.
- Immediate basic essential needs were NFIs, food, shelter materials, and potable water. In response to an official request from the Dahuk and Erbil authorities UN agencies and NGOs responded promptly to assess and provide the required urgent support to the worst affected areas.
- There still remain significant outstanding needs including NFIs, winter clothing and heaters, shelter materials, paraffin, and renovation of schools and clearing of roads to allow for children to resume classes. There is also the need for major repairs to water networks and infrastructure. Other needs include monitoring of specific protection concerns, food security assessment to establish potential gaps between the PDS food distribution schedule and monitoring of the water and sanitation situation.
II. Situation Overview
As a result of heavy rains and winds that started at 22:00 hours on 30 Oct through to 06:00 hours on the 1 Nov 09, and on 2 Nov 09 in the northern parts of Iraq, flash flooding and landslides have resulted in two deaths, several persons injured and affected over 3,000 persons (500 families) across several locations in the mountainous districts of Mergasur, Choman, Sumeil, Rawandus, in Erbil and Dahuk governorate in the KRG. In Dahuk, approximately 336 families were affected and 160 families in Erbil governorate. Some remote locations are likely to have been missed in these estimates.
Houses were destroyed or suffered extensive damaged from mud; families lost their household assets including water storage facilities, food, education materials, farms, land and livestock. Some schools, electricity infrastructure, water networks were damaged; and roads and bridges blocked/washed away impacting on access to some remote locations affected by the floods. Authorities have cleared some roads to allow for access and are working to re-establish some of the water networks and electricity infrastructure. Dahuk Governor has promised some financial support to affected families in his governorate.
Following the floods, the Governor of Erbil Governorate visited the affected areas in Merganser. The Governor of Dahuk Governorate has also closely followed up on the floods emergency and undertaken to provide some US$ 1,000 to each of the families affected by the floods. District Mayors, Directorate of displacement and Migration (DDM) in Dahuk; the Floods Committee and the Governorate Emergency Cell (GEC) in Erbil have all conducted assessments in the affected areas and supported the coordination process.
