The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a preliminary emergency appeal to put in place preparedness measures to help 25,000 people in West and Central Africa.
This "early warning, early action" appeal seeks just over 900,000 Swiss francs (850,000 US dollars/600,000 euro) to support Red Cross Red Crescent operations in 16 countries (Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo).
Following seasonal meteorological forecasts provided by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), the IFRC will support National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in these countries to respond more effectively to small and medium scale emergencies linked to bad weather such as floods, landslides or drought. The money raised will serve to increase regional emergency stocks, set up community-based early warning systems, review contingency planning and train volunteers in assessment and relief coordination.
The "early warning, early action" operation builds on the 2008 experience, when the IFRC launched its first ever appeal for flood preparedness based on predictions that suggested severe rainfall in West and Central Africa. The funds were used to stock emergency relief items around the region, train volunteers to inform populations what to do in case of flooding, and place disaster response teams on stand-by for rapid deployment. Thanks to this approach, lives were saved and operational costs were reduced when the rains came.
"In 2008, only two people died because of floods as opposed to more than 30 the year before. The cost per beneficiary was 30 per cent lower than the previous year and the emergency teams responded within 48 hours," explains Jerry Niati, disaster preparedness manager at the IFRC zone office in Dakar, Senegal.
Since June, heavy rains have caused severe flooding especially in Benin, Central African Republic and Ghana, affecting around 150,000 people in West and Central Africa. The IFRC released 570,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support the Benin Red Cross operation to help more than 20,000 people. An appeal of 800,000 Swiss francs has also been launched to support the Red Cross of Central African Republic in its emergency response to help 6,000 vulnerable people.
"So far, floods and storms have happened as predicted in the seasonal forecast and in the weekly weather bulletins that the IFRC receives from ACMAD," says Daniel Sayi, deputy head of the IFRC zone office in Dakar.
Photos from Benin and CAR floods and the storm in Gambia can be downloaded here.
For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:
Noora Kero, Communication manager (West
and Central Africa, Dakar), tel: +221 77 637 66 96
Moustapha Diallo, Communication officer (Dakar), tel: +221 77 450 10 04
The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 186 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.