Rapid Response Payment Request No. 31/2008

Funds Sent To: Christian Aid

Amount Sent: US$ 60,000

Date: 11 November 2008

Details of Response

Emergency: Floods caused by tropical depression

Date of Emergency: Ongoing since 16 October 2008

Implementing Members: ACT members Christian Aid, Comision Cristiana de Desarrollo (CCD), DanChurchAid, HEKS, and LWF

DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY: On 16 October, a tropical depression made landfall in Honduras and has been slowly crossing over Central America causing heavy rains from northern Costa Rica to south-eastern Mexico. The system affected severely northern, western and Southern regions of Honduras. These events caused rains of diverse intensity in the whole country but mainly in the southern and western area. The Government of Honduras declared a state of emergency on 20 October and formally requested humanitarian assistance. A great number of landslides were registered. A Red Alert remains in the Counties of Corquín and Cucuyagua in the Department of Copán, Belen Gualcho in Ocotepeque Department. A Yellow Alert remains in place in the Central District of Francisco Morazán and will be extended to the departments of Cortes.

The continuing rains are increasing the risk of floods and landslides in areas that were not previously affected. There are still communities only accessible by air. The COPECO is coordinating relief activities and continues its distribution of humanitarian aid to all those affected due to the heavy rains.

According to the final figures published by COPECO, the impact of the floods at the national level are as follows:

Deaths / 34 / Affected persons / 279,972

Missing persons / 16 / Inundated houses / 12,429

Evacuated persons / 42,304 / Affected houses / 1,362

Directly affected persons / 68,716 / Damaged houses / 425

Persons in shelters / 42,749 / Agriculture / 101,107 ha

ACTIONS TO DATE, AND EMERGENCY NEEDS: ACT members coordinated in the ACT forum Honduras (Christian Aid, Comision Cristiana de Desarrollo, Dan Church Aid, HEKS, and LWF) together with their implementing partners ADEPES, Vecinos Mundiales, CASM; OCDIH, ASONOG, CDH) have assessed the damage and the needs in the regions North, West and South of the countries.

The damage in the regions, departments and municipalities, in which the members of the ACT forum and their partners intervene:

Region & Type of impact

Western Region - Department: Copán

Municipalities: Belén Gualcho, Corquín y Cabañas

- ca. 50 km of access tracks to rural communities damaged

- 23 communities affected / houses affected by landslides

- about 70 landslides

- 65 houses, 2 school buildings, 1 community centre destroyed

- 413 families in shelters

- 300 persons evacuated

- 1 suspension bridge destroyed

Northern Region - Departments: Cortéz, Atlántida, Yoro y Colón

Municipalities: Potrerillos, Pimienta, San Manuel, Choloma, La Lima, San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortéz, Yorito, Sulaco, Victoria, Urraco Pueblo, Santa Rita, Ramal del Tigre, Tocoa, Iriona, Bonito Oriental

- ca 21 km of access tracks to rural communities inundated/damaged

- 12 bridges and ford s damages, 2 destroyed, 13 sewers damaged

- 22 school buildings damaged

- 1 health centre destroyed

- 22,550 families in shelters

- 18,186 families evacuated

- 1 suspension bridge destroyed

- 3,648 houses inundated

- 1,562 houses damaged

- 71 houses destroyed

Southern Region - Departments: Valle, El Paraíso y Choluteca

Municipalities: Choluteca, Marcovia, Apacilagua, El Triunfo, Alianza, Liure, Orocuina

- ca 35 km of access tracks to rural communities inundated/ damaged

- 35 houses destroyed

- 2,500 families in shelters

- 827 families evacuated

- 1,800 houses inundated

PROPOSED EMERGENCY RESPONSE:

OBJECTIVE OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE: Provide 1,944 families (about 10,000 persons) with food supply ) in the regions of North, West and South Honduras.

TARGET POPULATIONS:

- Región of West Honduras: El Suptal, Belén, Ocotepeque, Suptal Corquin, Pacayas, Higueral, El Coyol e Hichozal. 389 persons

- Región of North Honduras: Potrerillos, Pimienta, San Manuel, La Lima, Puerto Cortéz, Choloma, Los Bordos de San pedro Sula, Yorito, Sulaco, Victoria, Urraco, Santa Rica, Ramal del Tigre,Tocoa, Iriona, Bonito Oriental. 5,126 persons

- Region of South Honduras: Liure, Apacilagua, Marcovia, Alianza, Choluteca of the departments of Choluteca and Valle y El Paraiso. 4,205 persons

Break down of gender and age:

Sex / > 5 yrs / 6-14 yrs / 15-49 yrs / > 50 yrs / TOTAL

Women / 1,200 / 1,300 / 2,160 / 400 / 5,060

Men / 1,100 / 1,200 / 1,960 / 400 / 4,660

TOTAL: 2,300 / 2,500 / 4,120 / 800 / 9,720

The following criteria will be applied in selecting the beneficiaries: they must live in the assessed areas; they have received little or no help, and their necessities have not all been covered. Among all these, the following beneficiaries will be prioritized: families which have totally loss their crop, families with damaged houses, single mothers, widows and elderly, as well as families with an important number of children. In preparing the assistance, specific gender needs as well as needs related to particular groups have been taken into account. The assistance will be implemented in close cooperation with the Municipal Emergency Committees and affected families as well as in coordination with other networks involved in emergency aid.

PROPOSED ASSISTANCE: The specific objectives are

- to provide 1,944 families with food items: each family will receive a food kit consisting of 4 pounds of fat, 5 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of flour, 10 pounds of beans, 4 pounds of pasta, 4 can of tomato pasta, 4 cans of sardines, 1 pound of salt, 6 pounds of rice.

- to provide 1,944 families with cleaning kit, consisting of 3 packs of soap, 1 package of detergents and 1 bottle of chlorine. The kits are to cover the needs of 5 persons during 30 days-

IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS: The implementation will be carried out jointly by the ACT members, under the coordination and responsibility of Christian Aid as the coordinating member of the ACT forum. All the ACT Honduras members staff involved in the distribution of the humanitarian assistance will promote the compliance with the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief, the ACT Code of Conduct against Sexual Exploitation, as well as the Sphere minimum standards.

COORDINATION: The proposal has been jointly prepared by all members of the ACT Forum Honduras. The members and partners involved and activities of coordination include the following:

MEMBERS AND PARTNERS:

Members of ACT: participate in meetings with COPECO, UN, ECHO, Group of Humanitarian Response in Honduras. Members of the partner network: Asociación de Organismos no Gubernamentales (ASONOG), Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM), Organismo Cristiano de Desarrollo Integral de Honduras (OCDIH), Centro de Desarrollo Humano (CDH), Asociación de Desarrollo Pespirense (ADEPES), Vecinos Mundiales Honduras (VMH), Comisión Cristiana de Desarrollo (CCD).

ACTIVITIES:

• Collect preliminary data and information

• Local management of financial and in in-kind contributions (WPF, OCHA (flash appeal), Christian Aid, Diakonia)

• Distribute food rations

• assist in community organization and accompaniment of local emergency committees (CODEL)

• Advocate on Municipal Emergency committees.

• Gather information of CODES

• Form part of the centres of emergency operations.

• Coordinate with COPECO, Red Cross, WFP, government agencies for health, education, public works

COMMUNICATIONS: The ACT forum and network of partners in Honduras, as member of the national system for disaster risk management system has access to various information media: web site of copeco, humanitarian Network. During the crisis, the different member partner organisations communicated at local, national and international levels with the assistance of media networks (radio, tv, COPECO and REDHUM web sites, BBC world).

PLANNED IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: the entire implementation will be carried out within 30 days after reception of funds. An appeal is being prepared and is expected to be sent to ACT CO in the next few days.

The ACT members plan the preparation of an Appeal proposal within the next two weeks. Note that ACT CO already launched a RRF on 5 November to mitigate the impact of the emergency in Guatemala.

BUDGET: US$ 60,000

(For the detailed budget, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)

ACTION

The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$ 60,000 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish the fund. Should there be an appeal for this emergency, the RRF payment will be considered as an advance.

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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.