Yemen: UN continues aiding recent flood victims

United Nations agencies are continuing to help victims of recent severe floods in Yemen, with the Arabian peninsula nation’s Government estimating that the number of people needing assistance now numbers up to 25,000.

Authorities have reported that at least 180 people lost their lives after the torrential rains last month in eastern Yemen, while over 3,000 houses have been destroyed or badly damaged.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), working closely with the Government, has airlifted and trucked supplies – including 700 tents, 3,500 mattresses and 1,500 mosquito nets – for some 500 families, or 3,500 people, from Dubai.

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has distributed relief items, including water tanks, blankets and hygiene kits, to 2,500 families. The agency is also working with the Ministry of Health to launch a measles and polio vaccination campaign in Hadramout governorate, the hardest-hit region.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will supply food for 20,000 people in Yemen’s south, while the UN World Health Organization (WHO) is helping the Government boost disease surveillance and control by releasing $100,000 in emergency funds and sending three medical kits, each enough to help 10,000 people for three months.

A joint assessment by the UN, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has found that Hadramout is particularly badly affected.

A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is in the country to help the UN Resident Coordinator coordinate response measures.