UAE's RCA continues Sudan relief operation in flood-hit areas

The UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) yesterday distributed more amounts of blankets, mattresses and water storage units to people displaced by flash floods in the hardest-hit areas east of River Nile in the state of Khartoum. RCA will send a relief convoy to the state of Al Gazira, another state where floods uprooted thousands of people and forced displaced the families in some areas to camp along roads in the open. RCA's effort targeted the Umm Oushosh area where floods swept a houses forcing the evacuation of people to less-affected areas. The Ambassador of the UAE to Sudan, Hassan Ahmed Sulaiman Al Shehhi, took part in the effort along with the head of RCA's delegation to Sudan, Salim Sultan Al Suwaidi, the Secretary of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, Othman Ja'far, as well as a large number of volunteers. In statements to local and Arab media, Ambassador Al Shehhi said, "The leadership and people of the UAE stand by the people of Sudan in the current circumstances and are making all possible efforts to mitigate the suffering caused by the flash floods." "The UAE RCA-led relief operations convey the sincere feelings of Emiratis towards their Sudanese brothers, send a message of love and peace from the UAE people to the Sudanese people and reflect the increasingly strong ties between the two peoples," the UAE Ambassador added. RCA will send more aid to the affected areas and will launch rehabilitation and development programmes for people affected by the floods. For his part, Ja'far, said the ambitious joint relief effort by RCA and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society is based on a survey which determined the urgent needs in the states hit by the floods including the Khartoum, River Nile, Northern State, Al Gazira, Sennar, the Red Sea, Blue Nile and Southern Darfur states. Waterproof coats and blankets for more than 56,000 people, clean water storage units, mosquito nests, cooking utensils and tools and some 3000 first-aid kits are urgently needed in the flood-hit areas, according to Ja'far who cited recent estimates. "RCA has been at the forefront of relief operations during humanitarian assistance and disaster response," Ja'far said adding that the consequences of the floods are severe and require the mobilisation of more support, cooperation and coordination with the partners. The hardest hit areas include the states of Khartoum, Gazira, Northern and River Nile," the IFRC said in a statement. "Some displaced families, mostly women and children, are camping along the tarmac road, others have found shelter staying with relatives who have homes on higher ground." According to IFRC recent assessments, the flooding has affected some 125,000 people, destroyed almost 14,000 houses and damaged 6,850. More than 5,600 latrines were in a state of collapse. – Emirates News Agency, WAM