Date: Sun, 16 Apr 95 09:26:02 EDT From: incident@vita.org (Disaster Information Administrator) CAPE VERDE VOLCANIC ERUPTION - FOGO VOLCANO DHA-GENEVA SITUATION REPORT NO. 5 15 APRIL 1995 SITUATION --------- 1. DHA UNDAC TEAM REPORTS THAT THE VOLCANO IN FOGO ISLAND, CAPE VERDE, IS STILL ACTIVE AND STILL PRESENTS A THREAT. NO WAY OF PREDICTING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN VOLCANO ACTIVITY. IF ERUPTION CONTINUES THE MOST LIKELY WORST-CASE SCENARIO WILL BE LAVA FLOWING DOWN EAST SIDE, CUTTING OFF TWO THIRDS OF THE ISLAND FROM THE AIRPORT AND DESTROYING THREE TO SIX VILLAGES - DEPENDING ON THE FLOW OF THE LAVA - MAKING THUS 2500 TO 6000 (15 PER CENT OF FOGO POPULATION) PEOPLE HOMELESS. THE PRESENT LAVA FLOW HAS DESTROYED 10 PER CENT OF FOGO AGRICULTURAL LAND AND DISPLACED ABOUT 1300 PERSONS (CONTRARY TO 5000 MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE WEEK), OF WHICH 900 ARE IN 4 TENT CAMPS (500 IN THE CAMP NEAR SAO FILIPE), 120 IN SCHOOLS AND THE REST WITH FAMILIES. 2. THE OLD CRATER AREA (IN WHICH THIS NEW ERUPTION HAS OCCURRED AND WHERE THE LAVA IS STILL CONTAINED) HAS BEEN EVACUATED, BUT THERE ARE STILL VERY FEW PERSONS WHO REFUSE TO LEAVE BECAUSE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, OF THEIR CATTLE. MOST LIVESTOCK IN THE CRATER AREA IS STILL THERE. SOME OF THE VILLAGES IN THE THREATENED AREA HAVE BEEN LEFT BY THE POPULATION. 3. THE AUTHORITIES ARE MONITORING THE LAVA SITUATION SO AS TO GIVE EARLY WARNING TO THE REST OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN THE THREATENED AREA. 4. CONCERNING HEALTH, THERE ARE AT THE MOMENT NO SIGNS OF CHOLERA OR DIARRHOEA. NATIONAL RESPONSE -------- -------- 5. THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES' RESPONSE IS WELL COORDINATED AND COPES WELL WITH THE PRESENT SITUATION. 6. THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, THE MILITARY, THE TWO CIVILIAN MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES IN FOGO (HEADED BY THE TWO MAYORS) AND THE NATIONAL RED CROSS SOCIETY ARE COORDINATING BETWEEN THEM IN RESPONSE TO THE EMERGENCY AND FORM THE NATIONAL/LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. 7. ALL DISPLACED PERSONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BY THE AUTHORITIES OR THEIR OWN FAMILIES. PRESENT EMERGENCY NEEDS ARE NOT SEEN AS A PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE SHORT-TERM PREPAREDNESS IN CASE THE VOLCANO DISPLACES UP TO 6000 PEOPLE, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, AND LONG TIME PREPAREDNESS IN CASE ANOTHER ERUPTION OCCURS AFTER THE PRESENT EMERGENCY. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE ------------- -------- 8. THE ASSESSMENT MISSION HAS BEEN DONE JOINTLY BY THE DHA UNDAC TEAM WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE, COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, AND THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM MSF-BELGIUM. THE MISSION VISITED THE DISPLACED PERSONS AND THE THREATENED AREA ON THE EAST-SIDE OF THE ISLAND. THE TEAM HAS HAD PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS WITH BOTH MAYORS IN FOGO, THE MILITARY, THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND NATIONAL RED CROSS. 9. CONTRIBUTIONS REPORTED TO DHA GENEVA ------------- -------- -- --- ------ UN USD -- --- DHA CASH GRANT 30,000 COUNTRIES --------- BELGIUM TWO RELIEF FLIGHTS FROM THE DHA-PISA WAREHOUSE, ITALY TO CAPE VERDE ++ ITALY RELIEF GOODS FROM THE DHA-PISA WAREHOUSE (24, 500 KGS) 184,000 FUEL COST FOR RELIEF FLIGHTS ++ LUXEMBOURG CASH GRANT OF LUF 6,000,000 THROUGH DHA-GENEVA 200,000 PORTUGAL DISASTER RELIEF ITEMS 15,OOO KGS ++ TEAM OF VOLCANOLOGISTS (LEAVES ON 21 APRIL) ++ USA CASH GRANT (THROUGH THE LOCAL RED CROSS) 25,000 HUMANITARIAN/VOLCANOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT TEAM ++ (LEAVES ON 19 APRIL) ++ NO SPECIFIED VALUE IS REPORTED 10. UNDP INTENDS TO FUND A NATIONAL TEAM OF GEOLOGISTS AND ONE VOLCANOLOGIST TO OVERSEE THE VOLCANIC SITUATION UNTIL THE END OF THE ACTIVITY. THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES WILL SEND CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH THE NATIONAL RED CROSS SOCIETY. NEED IN INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE ---- -- ------------- ---------- 11. THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MET. THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR CASH CONTRIBUTIONS, AND THE NORTHERN MUNICIPALITY WILL NEED 5000M OF ELECTRICAL CABLE (220V) IF LARGER EVACUATION IS NECESSARY. 12. THE SHORT-TERM NEEDS CONCERN HELPING THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO COPE IN CASE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED WORST CASE SCENARIO IN THIS EMERGENCY. THE LONG-TERM NEEDS CONCERN HELPING THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO BUILD UP A CIVIL PROTECTION PREPAREDNESS AGAINST FUTURE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. 13. DHA IS PREPARED TO SERVE AS CHANNEL FOR CASH CONTRIBUTIONS TO BE USED DURING IMMEDIATE RELIEF PHASE. FUNDS ARE SPENT IN COORDINATION WITH RELEVANT ORGANIZATIONS OF U.N. SYSTEM, AND DHA PROVIDES DONOR GOVERNMENTS WITH WRITTEN CONFIRMATION ON UTILIZATION OF FUNDS CONTRIBUTED. 14. FUNDS SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO DHA ACCOUNT NO. C0-590.160.1 AT SWISS BANK CORPORATION, CASE POSTALE 2770, CH-1211 GENEVA 2, WITH REFERENCE: CAPE VERDE - VOLCANIC ERUPTION, DHA-GENEVA 15. FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES, DONORS ARE REQUESTED TO INFORM DHA-GENEVA, AS INDICATED BELOW, OF BILATERAL RELIEF MISSIONS/PLEDGES/CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING VALUE BY ITEM. + DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - GENEVA + TELEPHONE NO: +41-22-917-1234 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY: TELEPHONE +41-22-9172010 DESK OFFICER: DMITRI BALABANOV, DIRECT TEL: +41-22-9172827 PRESS TO CONTACT -DHA GENEVA SPOKESPERSON: MS MOULIN-ACEVEDO, DIRECT TEL: +41-22-9172856 TELEX: 414242 DHA CH FAX: +41-22-917-0023 INTERNET EMAIL: DHAGVA AT UN.ORG distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance gopher: gopher.vita.org Disaster Information Center web: www.vita.org request sitreps: incident@vita.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -