BOLIVIA ASKS FOR ASSISTANCE FOLLOWING FLOODING

BOLIVIA ASKS FOR ASSISTANCE FOLLOWING FLOODING

NEW YORK, 30 January (OCHA) -- On 27 January 2006, the Government of Bolivia issued Supreme Decree No. 28610 declaring a national emergency and authorizing the Bolivian authorities to appeal for international assistance.  The appeal is for aid following torrential rains in almost in all of the country, which has caused flooding.

Major rivers, such as the Rio Grande, Guanay, Tipuani, Mapiri and Challana among others, have flooded, affecting La Paz and Trinidad cities and several rural communities across the country.  The rains also triggered landslides and road blockages, causing the isolation of some rural communities, especially in the area of Los Yungas and San Borja in La Paz and Beni departments.  Almost 600 houses have been damaged and small bridges destroyed.  Tens of thousands of hectares of crops have been lost.

According to the National Service of Civil Defence and local newspapers, around 3,500 families have been affected (approximately 17,500 people).  Since this is the rainy season in Bolivia, the National Meteorological Service has predicted that rain will continue over the next weeks.

Bolivian civil defence, regional and municipal authorities have responded to the emergency, and the Prefecture of La Paz has allocated $625,000 for cleaning roads.  The United Nations Disaster Management Team has called non-governmental organizations, in order to coordinate and organize humanitarian assistance.  The World Food Programme (WFP), in coordination with Desarrollo Rural Integrado y Participativo en Áreas Deprimidas (DRIPAD) and civil defence, is conducting rapid evaluations in affected areas.  WFP is distributing food in Santa Cruz and La Paz.  World Vision is providing assistance in several communities of Cochabamba.  The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) is on standby and is monitoring the situation through the Bolivian Red Cross.  Preliminary indications of needed items include shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, food, medicines, water and disinfection supplies.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA)-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570.

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For information media • not an official record