Summary: In September 2012 heavy rains and storms affected the refugee camp Konik I in Montenegro, near the city of Podgorica. Five tents collapsed completely and all the others were flooded, thereby damaging the personal belongings of the residents. As a result of the flooding, the living conditions in the camp worsened as the previously distributed blankets, mattresses, kitchen utensils, clothes etc. were destroyed by water or were washed away, leaving the population of the camp even worse off than after the fire that happened in July 2012. Then the whole settlement of Camp Konik One was destroyed, with prefabricated houses – 38 of them – burning down. The fire destroyed the Red Cross office and the warehouse that were within the camp, the youth club, the community centre with two premises for kindergarten, the field office of Legal Advisory Centre as well as the Roma NGO office.
The Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro established an Operational Team whose main task it was to deal with the current situation. With 800 people rendered homeless by the fires, the Operational Team decided that a tent settlement should be erected as a temporary shelter solution. It also decided to establish regular provision of hot meals to the population in need.
From the outset of disaster, the Red Cross of Montenegro was working with the national and local authorities and the international community to alleviate suffering and to meet the basic needs of the affected population. The Red Cross erected a tent settlement for the affected camp inhabitants, using 155 tents. Using its emergency stock, the Red Cross of Montenegro also distributed 800 mattresses, 800 blankets, 250 jerry cans, 250 kitchen sets. The National Society provided daily hot meals, with the support of the Municipality of Podgorica and UNHCR for the first ten days after the fire. After that, food was provided by the German NGO HELP who distributed it from 1st August 2012. Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare provided the food for some 10 days, after which Red Cross again provided the food for 20 days. The food distribution was done in cooperation with HELP, as they assigned some of their staff for this activity.
Red Cross representatives regularly updated the list of camp inhabitants in the tents. Red Cross teams also provided psychosocial support to the affected population.
This operation was implemented for two months, and was therefore completed by 24th November 2012.
The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian Governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and the Canadian Government, the Danish Red Cross and the Danish 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 the Monaco Government, the Netherlands Red Cross and the Netherlands Government, the Norwegian Red Cross and the Norwegian Government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and the Swedish Government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.
The IFRC, on behalf of the Montenegro Red Cross, would like to extend their thanks to all donors and partners for their generous contributions. Details of all donors can be found at http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/Active/MAA00010_2012.pdf