Since the beginning of 2011 the situation of the refugee population at the Palma entry point and the Maratane refugee camp in Mozambique has changed drastically for two main reasons: 1) a steady increase in the number of new arrivals, with 3,579 Ethiopians and 2,900 Somalis registered in the centre since January until end of April 2011; 2) the number of departures from the centre has been very limited, due to strict measures put in place by the government.  This has resulted in extreme overcrowding, exceeding the capacities of the Government of Mozambique and UN Agencies. The current population in the Maratane centre stands at 10,525, including refugees from the Great Lakes Region who have been in the country for years. The new arrivals from Somalia and Ethiopia, who are in need of humanitarian assistance, have added 4,000 to the population at Maratane and 1,000 to the population in Palma. In light of this dire situation, and with the support of OCHA ROSEA, UNHCR, IOM and WFP have prepared a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) request to ensure that health risks are minimized and population health conditions are improved. (Photo credit UNHCR/E. Eissa)
 

With an estimated 60,000 people displaced by record flooding in the north of the country, the United Nations Country Team in Namibia has launched an appeal for US $2.3 million to support national response efforts. The appeal, assembled by OCHA, is founded upon the initial results of a joint rapid assessment led by the Government of Namibia and supported by over 50 staff from UN agencies, the Namibian Red Cross and other national and international agencies. An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people have had their livelihoods affected or destroyed, while 65 people have died in the affected regions. Many rural areas remain inaccessible as they are completely surrounded by water and can only be reached by helicopters or boats. Moreover, the sustained high water table resulting from repeated floods over the last three years mean that flood water levels are unlikely to recede for three to six months. On 29 March 2011, a state of national emergency was declared by the President to respond to large-scale flooding in the north and northeast regions of the country, and a simultaneous request for international assistance was issued.

For the latest reports and maps on the situation, click here.

In preparation for the coming rainfall season, OCHA supported the organizing of the annual Southern African Development Community (SADC) Pre-Season Preparedness Workshop. Held in Gaborone, Botswana, the workshop brought together national disaster managers from SADC Member States, as well as international partners, in order to consider possible scenarios, identify gaps, and strengthen regional coordination in disaster preparedness and response. As most of the region is expecting above average rainfall between October 2010 and March 2011, most of the planning centred on possible flood situations. The workshop also allowed participants to discuss ways of strengthening the recently established SADC Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, which has the overall responsibility of coordinating Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives in the region. The workshop produced an Outcomes and Recommendations report, which, together with all the presentations given at the workshop, can be found here.

OCHA and UNDP recently convened a workshop aimed at addressing some of the key challenges to humanitarian coordination for response and preparedness to sudden onset disasters. The workshop brought together Resident Coordinators and their coordination teams from five flood risk countries: Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and Malawi, and regional actors that support in-country coordination also participated. Preparedness priorities and response and recovery activities ahead of the flood season and into 2011 were defined, as well as the support needed to achieve it. Recommendations were also developed to ensure that gap areas in sector coordination are better addressed. More information on this workshop, including the final workshop report, is available here.