Rapid Response Payment No. 05/2007

Funds Sent To: The World Council of Churches Office in the Pacific

Amount Sent: US$49,892

Date: 14 March 2007

Details of Payment

Emergency: Fiji flash floods

Date of Emergency: from mid-February (alert sent out on February 22nd)

Implementing partners: Overall co-ordination of the relief programme will be carried out by the World Council of Churches Office in the Pacific in co-operation with the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Fiji Council of Churches. The WCC OP will also be responsible of reporting the whole relief programme. The Fiji Council of Churches and the Methodist Church in Fiji are assisting in the implementation and distribution of relief supplies.

Details of the emergency: Continuous heavy rain has been lashing the Pacific Islands of Fiji for the past three weeks causing wide spread flooding. The cyclone season in the Pacific is between November and April. A trough of low pressure to the north of the islands is the cause of this heavy downpour.

On the main islands of Viti Levu, the country's tourist destination of Nadi, a town of approximately 30,000 people, was completely under 2m of water forcing the army and the police to declare a state of emergency. Thousands of families lost their belongings as the floodwaters swept through their homes destroying food, clothes and household items. A major concern is the outbreak of diarrhoea, typhoid and dengue fever, which the health authorities are trying hard to contain.

The Western part of the main island is the hub of the tourism industry that was severely affected by the military coup in December 2006. Thousands of workers were made redundant prior to the beginning of the school year and families were finding it difficult to put food on the table let alone sending children to school. The flash floods exceeding two meters in height only added to this nightmare. Household items, clothes and food crops are completely destroyed with a possible outbreak of diseases. More than 3 000 families are affected.

The Northern Islands were the worst affected by the flash floods, including the second largest island to the north of the main island which was severely hit. More than 10,000 people are affected. Two villages in this Northern district have been completely washed away by floodwaters and hundreds of 500kg timber logs that tore down houses and swept away everything in its path. A total of 86 families are without homes having lost everything and are staying with friends and relatives in nearby villages.

The driving force in the Northern economy was the sugar industry that is on the verge of collapsing due to instability both politically and with insecure land tenure. The farmers have diversified into cash cropping as an alternative. The majority of their crops have been devastated and completely ruined by the floods drowning their hopes of subsistence food source and cash for their family's financial needs.

Fiji is under Military rule after a military coup in December 2006. The international community has placed bans, sanctions and withdrawn aid and diplomatic ties. With foreign aid withdrawn due to the political crisis and diplomatic ties severed, government assistance is not forthcoming and the majority of the families are left to fend for themselves. The international communities have not responded to the plea for assistance by the Government. Some international NGOs are carrying out their assessments and are also planning to provide some relief assistance by themselves.

Purpose of response:

To provide food relief and assistance to the worst affected areas ensuring the provision of basic needs (Food, shelter, sanitation health, water and temporary housing).

This response is based on an assessment conducted by the government Commissioner Northern and Western.

Beneficiary information and location of response: Out of a total number of 2487 families affected by the flash floods, a total of 286 families are expected to benefit from this relief assistance. The beneficiaries are the Fijian and Indo-Fijian people selected according to need criteria without discrimination in terms of gender or religious denomination. The target villages/settlements are:

 Labasa settlement - approximately 10, 000 people have been affected. The flash floods paused for more than a day destroying homes schools and most of the largely subsistence rural communities.

 The District of Vaturova, Cakaudrove Province- 8 villages from this district were devastated from the recent flooding. Two villages of Vunamoli and Vaturekuka were completely destroyed. A total of 86 houses will be assisted in these two villages.

 Nakoromakawa Village- 5 homes were lost in the flood.

Proposed assistance:

Western Division: Many of the families affected have exhausted their food supplies and are in desperate need of food assistance to sustain them until their crops recover. A total of 100 families are expected to be assisted with food parcels that should last them for 1 month. The food parcels would be according to the WHO minimum requirement and includes 2 liters cooking oil, 1 carton tinned fish, Ix25kg bag rice, Ix25kg bag floor, 1x10kg bag of split peas and 1x10kg bag of sugar.

The office of the Commissioner Western will provide the needs assessment report and assist in the identification of the affected families. The food parcels will be bought by the WCC OP and packed before being transported to the Western Division for distribution. The Western Division of the Methodist Church will assist in the distribution of relief assistance.

Northern Division (Vunamoli and Vaturekuka Villages): These are the two villages that were completely destroyed by the floodwater rushing in with huge logs. A total of 86 houses were destroyed and 46 households lost everything except the clothes they were wearing. The relief assistance will include 86 food parcels, 46 temporary shelters of tarpaulins, 46 packages of home utensils and 46 packages of sleeping materials.

The Commissioner Northern will provide the needs assessment report and assist in the identification of the affected households. All the 86 families will be provided with the food parcels. Only the 46 families who lost everything will be provided with the temporary shelters, home utensils and sleeping materials.

Labasa Town: The Commissioner Northern will identify the families who were severely affected and distribution of 100 food parcels will be closely in collaboration with their needs assessment report. The Northern Circuit of the Methodist Church will assist the WCC OP in the distribution of the relief items. In the affected villages, the village headman will be involved in the gathering of the recipients and the distribution will follow according to Fijian traditional customs of giving and receiving.

Included in the relief packages are the following:

1. One Food Unit (25kg bag of Rice, 25kg bag of Flour, 10kg bag of sugar, 10kg bag of dhal, 1 carton tinned fish, 2 liters cooking oil)

2. One Household Utensil Unit (2 Cooking Pots, 6 mugs, 6 eating plates, 6 spoons and 6 knives, 1 bush knife, 2 basins, 1 digging fork)

3. Temporary Shelter (Tarpaulin)

4. One Sleeping Material Unit (2 mattresses, 2 pillows, 2 mosquito nets, 2 blankets, 2 bed sheets) - in kind-donation

Implementation period

The Western Division distribution should be completed 3 days after the funds are received or the confirmation from Geneva. In the Northern Division Relief Distribution will be completed in two weeks. A situation report will be issued 1 week from the commencement of the relief work and the final report issued 1 month after completion.

During the implementation of this two-week crisis phase response, a thorough needs assessment will be conducted by WCC OP to determine the needs for a follow up appeal, including the issue of relocating flood-affected people. WCCOP will send WCC enabler to assist and make assessments of the damages and need through visiting the most severely damaged villages of Vunamoli and Vaturekuka. The WCC enabler is also a member of the National Disaster Committee, thus coordination will also utilize the National information & network.

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE: US$ 49,892

(FOR THE FULL BUDGET, KINDLY VISIT THE ACT SITE. THANK YOU.)

ACTION

The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$49,892 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment.

(ends)

ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.

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