SOMALIA: Thousands of tsunami-survivors were displaced people, says government report

GARACAD, 20 Jan 2005 (IRIN) - Thousands of people affected by the tsunami in Somalia had already been displaced by years of successive drought from their areas of origin and had moved to the coastal areas in search of opportunities, a report released by the Somali government and various agencies said.

"They [had] lost their livestock in the drought and the rest of the animals were decimated by torrential rains," said the report, compiled by a government assessment team that recently visited the affected areas in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. "Thereafter, they moved to the coastal areas in view to get job opportunities and sustain their daily livelihood."

According to the report, about 3,344 families living in areas recently assessed for damage by the December tsunami in Puntland had suffered a "triple disaster".

First, they had been affected by four years of successive drought, which displaced them from their areas of origin. Then their livestock perished in considerable numbers and finally came the tsunami.

About 20,000 people from these families, it added, were now "idly" living "in caves and under trees" near the coastline. Around 298 citizens died or are missing and as many as 283 have been injured as a result of the tsunami in Puntland, the report said.

According to various relief agencies working in the region, however, about 150 people are estimated to have died throughout Somalia, while 54,000 were in need of emergency assistance. Northeastern Somalia was the worst affected, particularly a stretch of around 650 km between Hafun [Bari region] and Garacad [Mudug region].

According to relief agencies, the damage extended to other parts of the Somali coast, including the Lower Juba area, south of Mogadishu. The livelihoods of many people residing in small villages along the Somali coastline, particularly in the northeastern regions, were devastated.

The report appealed for international assistance, warning that if swift humanitarian measures were not implemented soon, certain segments "of the population may resort to inappropriate coping strategies, such as charcoal production and could relocate to urban areas", thus exacerbating the poverty rate already present in the towns and cities.

It estimated the value of damaged and destroyed materials and buildings at more than US $23.5 million for Puntland alone.

Referring to the estimated damage to fisherman along the Puntland coastline, the report said: "The mission observed that these categories are equally affected and lost all their fishing equipment. Knowing [that] the livelihood of the affected communities is totally [dependent] on the sea - the fishing materials are extremely important for their daily survival."

The report recommended three areas of action. First, it said, there was a pressing need for six months' worth of provisions, sheltering materials, medical supplies, clothing, utensils to be delivered to the affected areas, and for the rehabilitation of water systems and latrines.

Secondly, community-based organisations and committees should be established to aid the coastal communities in restocking and finding fishing equipment as soon as possible in order to maintain the economic production of the affected areas.

Lastly, the report suggested that the government of Somalia "should play an active role in the humanitarian interventions through facilitating tax exemptions for emergency supplies and through effective coordination of relief activities in the region".

[ENDS]