IOM, as the lead agency for the Natural Disaster IDP Task Force in
Afghanistan, is working closely with the Afghan National Disaster
Management Authority (ANDMA) as well as other partner agencies to
coordinate and implement country-wide flood response activities
following flash floods that hit the country in late July.

The flooding and heavy rains have affected a large number of
provinces in the country's Central, South-eastern, Southern and
Northern regions, according to the latest reports from the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In
response, ANDMA has convened Provincial Disaster Management
Committees responding to flood damaged communities, and assessments
and assistance are underway. In addition to a number of flood
related deaths, damages reported so far include those to shelter,
infrastructure, agricultural land, harvests, livestock and
trees.

IOM launched its emergency response in late July through a
humanitarian assistance project funded by the US Agency for
International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
(USAID/OFDA). In the period between end July and 22 August, IOM
provided some 5,000 Non-Food Item (NFI) kits and nearly 10,000
tarpaulins to flood affected populations in the provinces of
Daykundi, Bamyan, Kabul, Kapisa, Logar and Nangarhar. The NFI kits
containing blankets, kitchenware, jerry cans, a bucket, and soap,
were mostly distributed by local ANDMA staff with monitoring
provided by IOM.

IOM plans to provide a further 4,000 NFI kits to flood-affected
families over the next four weeks.

According to the UN, every year some 400,000 Afghans are
affected by floods, droughts, earthquakes, avalanches and other
natural disasters.

For more information, please contact:

Kristiina Lilleorg

IOM Afghanistan

Tel: + 93 796 856 150

E-mail: "mailto:klilleorg@iom.int">klilleorg@iom.int