FIRE-EARTH Alert: ETHIOPIA

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• Details of the Alert are available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

300,000 Children in Somalia Suffering from Malnutrition

Ongoing drought causing acute food insecurity in Somalia

Four successive seasons of below-average rains in parts of Somaliland and a below-average Deyr rainy season in Puntland have lead to severe drought.

The drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, has spread through Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, and compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in the region. An estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity in Somaliland and Puntland, with an additional 1.3 million people threatened by acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. (OCHA)

About 300,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition, with 60,000 under the age of five being in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding, said reports.

Conflict and drought: Major drivers of acute food insecurity in East Africa

South Sudan

Conflict areas in Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity through the spring and summer.

“Some smaller populations in central Unity State are expected to be facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Areas in Greater Bahr El Ghazal and Greater Equatoria that were less directly impacted by the Government and Opposition conflict are seeing their food security threatened by very high staple food prices, brought on by restricted trade and the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound, in addition to sporadic violence/clashes.

Ethiopia

“In Ethiopia, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes continue in agricultural and agropastoral eastern areas of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR Regions, as well as in pastoral areas of Afar Region and Sitti Zone in the Somali Region. Following the 2015 El Niño-related drought, there has been a slow start to 2016 rains across much of central and eastern Ethiopia. More than 10 million people in central and eastern Ethiopia will be in need of emergency food assistance this year.”

Darfur – Sudan

“Conflict in has displaced approximately 130,000 people since January.Restricted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, and labor opportunities in Central and South Darfur and SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan is contributing to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for many where availability of and access to food is extremely limited.

Yemen

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity outcomes are expected to continue in most areas through September 2016 and beyond.

“Protracted conflict since early 2015 has contributed to eroding livelihoods and restricting market access for many. Household purchasing power will remain weak due to atypically high food prices and livelihood disruptions. While many households will attempt to cope by selling assets and reducing the quantity and diversity of meals, these efforts are not expected to enable households to meet basic food needs.” [http://www.fews.net/]

 

 

Deadly Floods Plague Ethiopia, Fiji, Pakistan

Death toll from Pakistan floods climbs to 71

Flooding in Pakistan’s northwest and in Kashmir has claimed more lives raising the death toll to at least 71 Tuesday, officials said.

“The number known to have died in rains so far in the northwest has now risen to 61 with over 350 houses damaged all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the local officials said.

Severe flooding kills 28 in Ethiopia: Official media

At least 28 people have been killed in severe flooding in two remote regions of Ethiopia, reported the official news agency.

At least 23 people were killed and 84 others injured after a river that crosses Jigjiga, the regional capital of the Somali region, burst its banks on Sunday.

Extreme rain events flooded the drought-stricken region of Afar, causing severe flooding, and killing five people, AP reported.

Two tropical depressions continue to impact Fiji

The town of Nadi has been submerged under meters of floodwater since Sunday after heavy rain, and people throughout Fiji brace for even more flooding.

More than 3,500 people have fled their homes seeking shelter in about 80 evacuation centers in the north and west of the main island Viti Levu, as a double whammy of tropical depressions continue to impact the country, said a report.

At least one person was killed and another missing in weather related incidents.

Residents of Korociri cross the flooded Nadi Back Road. Photo: Fiji Government

Category 5, Severe Tropical Cyclone WINSTON struck the island nation on 20 and 21 February cutting a path of destruction across the country, wiping out entire communities/villages, and prompting the government to declare a state of disaster.

Drought-stricken Palau could dry up completely this month

Drought-stricken Palau could dry up completely this month, officials warned Monday as the Pacific island appealed for urgent international aid, including shipments of drinking water.

The tiny nation of 18,000 people declared a state of emergency in march, “the latest Pacific island nation to do so as one of the worst ever El Nino-induced droughts in the region worsens.”

“We’re still in the state of emergency, there’s a sense of urgency to address the crisis,” a government spokesman told AFP as the National Emergency Committee (NEC) met to discuss strategy.

‘State of Disaster’ Declared in Zimbabwe over Drought

If humans had more time left, they would probably wipe out the population of Africa in 10 – 20 years

Southern Africa: 14 Million people face hunger due to the prolonged drought

A “state of disaster” has been declared in much of Zimbabwe’s rural areas plagued by a severe drought, with more than a quarter of the population facing food shortages, AFP reported.

A regional drought has affected South Africa, Malawi and Zambia and Zimbabwe, killing tens of thousands of cattle, drying up dams and destroying crops.

“Initial indications were that 1.5 million people were food insecure with all the 60 rural districts being affected,” said the Public Works Minister.

“Overall, the food insecure population has since risen to 2.44 million [or 26 percent of the population.]

More than 16,500 cattle have died in Zimbabwe, and 75 percent of crops have been abandoned in the worst-hit areas, said the report.

At least 14 million people across southern Africa face hunger due to the prolonged drought, WFP said.

Horn of Africa – Somali

An estimated 4.7 million people — nearly 40 per cent of the Somali population — are in need of humanitarian assistance. About 950,000 of them are acutely food insecure and struggle every day to meet their food needs, with internally displaced people accounting for 68 per cent of those who are are in dire need of assistance.

“The level of malnutrition, especially among children, is of serious concern, with nearly 305,000 children under the age of five years acutely malnourished. We estimate that 58,300 children face death if they are not treated. The drought could push these numbers higher in the months to come. We must act now. Partners are ready to scale up response, but funding is urgently needed to ensure this is done in a timely manner,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. [What happens to the vast sums of money given to the UN?]

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in decades, leaving 10.2 million people in need of emergency food aid.

Northeast Africa – South Sudan

South Sudan is facing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, as 2.8 million people — nearly 25 percent of the country’s population — remain in urgent need of food assistance, and at least 40,000 people are on the brink of catastrophe, three UN agencies warned today.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – March 7, 2015

Death toll from severe weather in Afghanistan rises to at least 308

Some 182 districts in 20 provinces have been affected by heavy snow, avalanches and flooding, which have killed at least 308 people, injured 187 others and completely destroyed 4,776 houses, government sources said.

The number of casualties is expected to  rise, with more severe weather forecast for northern and central Afghanistan.

Worsening Food Insecurity and Water Shortages in Ethiopia

Pocket areas that received inadequate seasonal rainfall in 2014 and/or had a poor harvest due to flooding or crop disease will remain vulnerable in early 2015.

Food insecurity is worsening in belg/gu/ganna/sugum rain-receiving areas, as the dry season reaches its peak. Delayed rains and the expected below-average seasonal rainfall will impact belg planting, as well as water and pasture availability in pastoralist areas, said UN OCHA.

Refugee Crisis

Ethiopia hosts the largest refugee population in Africa with 656,199 registered refugees including 251,545 South Sudanese refugees, 196,000 new arrivals in Gambella since mid-December 2013, and 125,000 Eritreans.

33,000 new Eritrean arrivals registered in 2014 (including unaccompanied minors).

Many Dead or Displaced after Clashes on Kenya-Ethiopia Border

Clan violence leaves dozens dead, tens of thousands displaced on Kenya-Ethiopia border

Up to 40,000 people from about 6,500 households have been forced to abandon their homes, according to aid agencies.

Two days of inter-clan fighting among the Gabra, Burji and Borana communities has left dozens of people killed, houses torched, gunfire exchanged, business come to a standstill and up to 40,000 people flee their homes, in the areas of Somare and Teti.

Most of the displaced have crossed into Ethiopia, and are in urgent need of food assistance, shelter, drugs, water, cooking utensils, clothing and mosquito nets, among other things, said IRIN.

Scores of children, as well as adults, were still separated from their families, while others were missing, said aid agencies.

All primary and secondary schools in the region remained closed since September 2 because both the teachers and students remained displaced, too afraid of renewed violence to return home, the report said.

Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,327 Days Left

[July 28, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,327 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011...

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Ethiopia.  Renewed ethnic clashes in Moyale area, Ethiopia have left at least 2 dozen people dead and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. At least 20,000 people have crossed into Kenya to escape the slaughter, the Kenyan Red Cross said.

• N. Korea. Rainstorms and flooding in North Korea has left more than 200 people dead or injured, and more than 60,000 people homeless according to reports quoting state-run KCNA news agency.

• Uganda. Ebola virus has killed more than a dozen people and infected about a dozen others in Uganda, reports said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

The Boy Who Had Nothing!

Not Even Drinking Water

Image of the Day: If it Looks Like Raw Sewage …

Each year up to  4 million people die  from water related diseases, the leading cause of disease and death around the world.

A boy drinks water from a pond in Bule Duba village in the outskirts of Moyale, near the edge of Oroma and Somali regions of Ethiopia, June 12, 2009. Prolonged drought, lack of water and limited pasture have led to conflict between the Somali and Borena ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia which left hundreds of people dead in February this year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says it needs some 100 million Swiss francs to prevent conflict, famine and epidemics as well as restore the livelihoods of 2.5 million people in the Horn of Africa. Image may be subject to copyright. REUTERS/Irada Humbatova

In Ethiopia, one in five children die before they reach the age of five from water-borne diseases. According to a report published in UK medical journa The Lancet, poor water sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water cause more deaths than war and war related action.