September 5, 2005
Hail storms and floods
Just in case anyone needs one after New Orleans, here is another reminder that nature can be a very scary thing. This is a paragraph I just wrote for the weekly relief bulletin put out by OCHA.
Hail storm and flood leave 13 dead in Alaba, SNNPR
At least thirteen people were killed after being hit by hail stones and washed away by floods in Alaba Special Woreda in SNNPR on Saturday, August 27. The deaths occurred during a fierce two-hour storm which hit nine kebeles in the region as people returned from market in the late afternoon. Ten of the victims died after being hit by hail as they were walking back to their homes. One man was hit by hail while working on his farm and then washed away by floods. Another two people were washed away as they tried to cross a stream in Elo Loka kebele. A team from DPPB and UNICEF, which visited the area on August 30, reported seeing "big cakes of ice" still lying in shaded areas three days after the disaster. They found the downpour had damaged up to 2,555 hectares of crops, destroyed roofs on houses, and killed livestock. The UNICEF and DPPB team recommended immediate food assistance for 30 people from five households, urgent re-planting of chick peas (it is too late in the season for other crops), food aid for another 13,620 people from September to November and a fuller report by the multi-agency pre harvest Crop Performance Assessment Team.
Posted by aheavens at September 5, 2005 8:54 PM