Yemen: Cyclone Luban Flash Update #2 (17 October 2018)
Situation Overview
Thousands of people have been displaced by Tropical Cyclone “Luban” that made landfall on the coast of Yemen on 14 October. Three people are confirmed dead, 14 missing and more than 100 injured according to the Al Maharah Emergency Operations Room.
The cyclone lost strength and has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression as of 15 October. In the last three days, several districts have been flooded following heavy rains, causing a significant number of houses to collapse.
Al Maharah is the most seriously affected governorate with heavy to medium rains still falling in northern areas of Man’ar, Sayhut,
Al Masilah and Qishn districts. Continuing rains might trigger further flooding towards coastal areas of Al Ghaydah, Hat, Shahn, and Hawf districts. In Al Masilah District, the main bridge that connects Al Maharah and Hadramaut governorates has been seriously damaged with humanitarian partners trying to find alternative access roads from Al Mukalla. The road that links Hawf District to Oman is also seriously damaged.
The flood damage is preventing access to affected populations in the coastal districts of Al Masilah, Sayhut, Qishn, Huswain, Al Ghaydah and Hawf. Access is partially possible to Sayhut and Al Masilah districts. The electricity supply in the provincial capital of Al Ghaydah and other coastal districts such as Qishn, has been disrupted. Telephone communication with some areas, particularly Hawf District, is cut off. Helicopters have been used to evacuate 350 people so far from areas surrounded by floods.
Urgent needs
Initial needs assessments by Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) teams indicate that more than 3,000 households have been displaced. This includes 650 households in Al Masilah district, 210 in Sayhut, 200 in Qishn, 250 in Huswain and 2,000 in Al Ghaydah. The number of displaced persons is expected to increase in the coming days when the situation allows more comprehensive and coordinated rapid needs assessments in various affected areas. Several humanitarian partners are on standby to conduct further assessments including deploying teams from Al Mukalla City.
Reports indicate that the rains have destroyed underground water wells. Local authorities and rescue teams report an urgent need for clean drinking water, shelter, food, medicines, and non-food items. Families trapped in Monag, Al Abri and Tenhalen villages in Al Ghaydah District, as well as Al Masilah and Qishn districts, have been rescued by military helicopters.
Humanitarian Preparedness and Response
Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM)
UNFPA has distributed 300 RRM kits with the help of the NGO Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS) in Sayhut District. The kits consist of food for a family for a week (provided by WFP), a basic hygiene kit (provided by UNICEF) and a transition kit (provided by UNFPA). Another 450 RRM kits are on the way from Mukalla and 3,000 are on the way to affected areas from Aden.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cyclone-luban-flash-update-2-17-october-2018-enar
