Palestine, floods and heavy rains/IFRC assistance – DREF final report /Non-UN document

Summary: CHF 86,975 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 7 January 2013 to support the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in delivering assistance to a total of 4,349 beneficiaries and to replenish the used contingency stocks.

For the second year in a row, exceptionally heavy rains hit Palestine (oPt), causing intensive damage to people and houses across the country. Thanks to support by DREF, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) was able to bring immediate relief to 4,349 persons, distributing non-food items to those in need from its emergency stock through some 280 National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) members. The efforts were coordinated with other actors like UNRWA and ACTED. The DREF allowed for replenishment of PRCS’ emergency stocks.

The heavy rains that hit Palestine again in 2013 suggest some sort of alteration from the normal pattern. The effects of these extreme events combined with the Civil Defence’s limited access to part of the territory (Area C, under control of Israel) emphasise the importance of PRCS’ immediate response to disasters.

The Federation, on behalf of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, wishes to thank the generous contributions done towards the replenishment of the DREF: the Netherlands Red Cross / Netherland’s Government has contributed 52,939 CHF, and the Belgian Red Cross / Belgian Government 20,000 CHF to the DREF in replenishment of the allocation made for this operation.

The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors. Details of all donors can be found at: http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/Active/MAA00010_2012.pdf.