Baghdad, 7 February 2013 - Heavy rainfall throughout the country caused severe damage in Salaheddine province on 29 and 30 January. Local authorities in Tikrit issued a warning while an estimated 5,000 persons were evacuated in and around Beiji sub-district, located 50 km from Tikrit. The disaster response section of UNAMI, headed by the UN’s Resident Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Development and Humanitarian Affairs in Iraq, Dr. Jacqueline Badcock, received a request for assistance on 30 January from the Governorate Emergency Cell (GEC) in Tikrit, which prompted an immediate coordinated response from UNAMI and UNHCR.
Assessments were conducted in the area over the weekend and 600 Non Food Item kits were distributed to 600 families, while another 600 families will be assisted within the next days. These kits include mattresses, blankets, plastic sheeting, jerry cans and heaters. Emergency assistance was also distributed by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. All assistance has been coordinated with the Ministry of Displacement and Migration and the local authorities through an emergency cell based in Tikrit.
Damages in Salaheddine province are estimated at around 230 million USD by the local authorities, and during a special session held on 4 February, the Council of Ministers granted two million Dinars (1,600 USD) for each family affected by the flooding along the Tigris basin. During the coming days, UN agencies plan to conduct first assessments of the needs in the province, including issues related to water-borne and communicable diseases and damaged schools.
UNAMI, through its network of staff, continues to monitor the situation and has established contact with authorities all along the Tigris basin to express its readiness to provide assistance if needed.