Marshall Islands - The response to a severe drought in the Marshall Islands is entering its second phase, as initial deliveries of emergency food supplies, principally funded by USAID, come to an end across the Pacific nation. 

The first rains have finally arrived but food is in short supply on the hardest-hit outer islands. IOM’s rapidly-established air and sea bridges have delivered an estimated 45 metric tons (100,000 pounds) of food to 677 households on islands over 400 miles (640 km) from Majuro, one of the farthest-flung capitals on the planet.

USAID has also paid for transport costs, alongside the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which financed water and sanitation assessments in the early stages of the operation.

The shipments consisted of rice, flour, oil, tinned tuna, milk powder, canned fruit and vegetables, sugar, baking powder and high-protein biscuits. In addition to US-funded food, donations have come from local benefactors, the Marshall Islands Government, and the Government of Japan.

All products were sourced locally, with care taken not to harm the local economy, and are intended to last for two weeks while more substantial supplies, designed to last for two months, arrive from the US Department of Agriculture.

The emergency phase of the operation also included provision of drinking water and reverse osmosis units, which convert seawater to potable water. Other water/sanitation support has included an assessment of the state of rainwater storage tanks in the affected areas.

Phase two of the sea bridge will run for at least another two months and will deliver a further 100 metric tons (220,000 pounds) of food to all the 13 affected atolls.

“This is a massively complex, yet essential relief operation,” said Ashley Carl, IOM’s Chief of Mission for the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. “Fortunately no one is starving, yet the level of nutrition – and water – dropped alarmingly during the drought, which is particularly dangerous for pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as children and the elderly. As food becomes scarcer and more expensive, costs associated with fishing and fruit gathering go up, which means even less to spend on feeding the family. The USAID food aid is intended to remove the worry about immediate food security and allow people to concentrate on longer-term recovery.”

The Marshall Islands, a Republic which has a Compact of Free Association with the USA, hosts some of the most remote inhabited communities in the world. The capital Majuro is 2,900 miles from Brisbane, and 2,270 miles from Honolulu.

While imported foodstuffs are generally available on the main island, the outer islands depend on tree-based food staples like coconuts, pandanus (similar to palm nuts), breadfruit and bananas. These have been severely depleted by the drought and it will take several years until damaged trees can be replaced and start bearing fruit.

For more information please contact

Ashley Carl
IOM Majuro
Email: acarl@iom.int