Year 2012 Last update: 13/12/2012 Version 2 HUMANITARIAN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (HIP) CUBA

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1 HUMANITARIAN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (HIP) CUBA 0. MAJOR CHANGES SINCE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE HIP After hurricane Sandy hit Cuba, it was clear that it was a major natural disaster and that at least EUR 4 million was needed to enable DG ECHO to contribute to addressing the needs. However, at the end of the year, DG ECHO's Operational Reserve was almost exhausted and only EUR 2 million was immediately available. Therefore a further EUR 2 million was requested from the Emergency Aid Reserve, and this HIP has now been updated to include this additional amount. 1. CONTEXT Cuba, despite having one of the best disaster preparedness systems in the region (it scored 1 in the GNA(Global Humanitarian Needs Assessment) index) has suffered severe damages to infrastructure and livelihoods affecting a large portion of the Cuban population due to the passage of Hurricane Sandy. Sandy formed as the 10th tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea, South of Jamaica on October 22 nd 2012; on the 23rd it upgraded to tropical storm and on 24th it reached hurricane strength (Category 1 on the Samir-Simpson scale) hitting Jamaica, to be further upgraded to Category 2 when reaching Cuba with winds of 175 km/h and gusts up to 225 km/h. Sandy moved over Eastern Cuba at am on the 25 th. Hurricane Sandy caused significant damages in the eastern provinces, especially in Santiago de Cuba (second largest city in the country) and Holguin. The hurricane is considered to be the most devastating one to strike the eastern provinces in the last 50 years. 300,000 people were evacuated, of which only 10% are in official evacuation centres. Extensive damages to the agriculture sector that will have a lasting impact at national level have also been observed. Preliminary numbers continue to increase as assessments are on-going in the most affected provinces. Damage of at least 226,600 houses has been reported (approximately 10 % of these houses are totally destroyed). Considering that in Cuba extended families often live in the same house (consisting of 3-4 generations), up to 1.35 million people could have been affected. More than 1.5 million people still do not have access to safe water, which poses a significant sanitary risk. The challenges for the following months will be shelter rehabilitation, reparation of schools and hospitals, food distribution, food storage and reactivation of food production. 1

2 2. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS (1) Affected people / potential beneficiaries According to the latest figures, 3 million Cubans (27% of the Cuba s population) have been affected and 11 people have lost their lives. The provinces of Santiago, Holguin, Granma, Las Tunas, Camaguey and Guantanamo are most affected by the hurricane. Most of the Cuban population is vulnerable to natural hazards (tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and hydro-meteorological hazards) leaving the population further at risk. The hurricane season in Cuba is on-going and other cyclones or storms could happen in the next month. Excess of rainfalls in this context could have severe consequences and increase the number of affected population. In terms of potential beneficiaries, it is estimated that at least 50,000 persons will benefit from this HIP. (2) Description of the most acute humanitarian needs According to United Nations Development Program UNDP, the situation is worse than the one Cuba experienced in 2008 after the emergencies post Gustav, Ike and Paloma. Preliminary numbers continue to increase as assessments are on-going in the most affected provinces : Santiago de Cuba, Holguín and Guantánamo. After the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, floods impacted the central provinces of Cuba. To date information has been compiled from national authorities, United Nations Emergency Technical Team, European Union Delegation, DG ECHO staff deployed to the field and DG ECHO partners' reports. Housing, shelters, re-roofing, access to food, storage and production of food, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene promotion are the main needs identified. At family level the immediate humanitarian needs can be summarized as follows: distribution of family kits containing bedding materials, mosquito nets, items for water storage and personal hygiene, kitchen sets, tarpaulins and roofing materials. Housing: Over 226,600 houses have been reported to be damaged. Electricity supply is critically low in Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo (population without electricity service estimated at more than 1.2 million). Immediate roofing is a priority. However, the country will rapidly need to move from short-term shelter to rebuilding permanent housing in the affected area, particularly in the city of Santiago. Construction materials are urgently needed in the region for re-roofing houses, schools, warehouses, agricultural infrastructures etc. Water, sanitation and hygiene: Although access to water services is being restored and water is being distributed to affected areas, there are on-going concerns to ensure that the population has access to safe water within the precarious environment in which it is living. The effect could further complicate those areas previously affected by acute diarrheal diseases, other waterborne and vector diseases. About 75 per cent of the city of Santiago is being provided water from reservoirs but it is not safe. Hygiene promotion activities are a priority in order to reduce risks. 2

3 In the province of Santiago de Cuba, 50% of hydro-electric and mini hydro-electric generators were partially affected. As repairs to water systems and hydro-electric generators are on-going there is a need for chlorine tablets and water tanks. Health: All hospitals and 74% of policlinics in Santiago de Cuba are affected although operating at various levels. 615 health facilities of different levels have been affected in six provinces: Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Granma, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, including several hospitals, two severely damaged in Holguin province. However they are still functioning and providing services. While specific needs are still being determined, there may be a need for vaccines, antibiotics, water treatment and safe transport of drinking water, hygiene kits, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, supplies to measure chlorine levels, water storage tanks, thermos flasks for water and food. Surveillance and prevention means as well as the treatment of diarrheal-related diseases have also been identified as needs. Food security and agriculture: more than 12,700 metric tonnes of stored food products have been lost including rice, coffee, sugar, eggs, and staples. The impact on the agricultural sector both from Sandy and the rains in central Cuba will have severe implications in the rest of the country. The impacts on the agricultural sector will have implications in food security throughout the country, given the importance of the affected areas in the production of staple crops for the entire island. Approximately 100,000 hectares of diverse crops have been affected. Sugar cane is the most affected crop, followed by plantain and banana, staple crops and vegetables. Animal facilities have been quite affected, especially chicken raising facilities. Damages are also reported in food production industries. The provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos have also seen their agriculture land affected due to the heavy rains. Seeds, tools, storage facilities, animal feed and other inputs will need to be provided to producers to recover from their losses. To recover from losses in crops, farmers consider the planting of short cycle crops a priority. Livelihoods: The economic infrastructure in the whole region will need to be restored, particularly in the agriculture sector. The tourism infrastructure in Santiago de Cuba and Holguin provinces has been affected, with dozens of hotels having suffered damages. Stores, warehouses and food services are affected in all of the eastern provinces. Logistics: Guantanamo province suffered major road damage; up to 1,024 km of roads have been affected. Also 11 bridges were damaged. The rail line to the province remains blocked. As a result, several communities remain isolated especially in the mountain regions. Santiago's port and airport are closed for commercial purposes but functional for emergency aid. Most roads in the province have been cleared. Cubans are still experiencing massive power outages, and phone lines are down due to the fact that high winds knocked down many trees. However, cell phone lines are still working well, allowing families to reconnect after the storm. Numbers and needs are expected to increase in the following days when assessments will conclude and accesses to all communities are clear. 3

4 3. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (1) National / local response and involvement The authorities continue to evaluate the damage caused by the hurricane, and take action to restore vital services. Supplies sent by the Government arrived in the affected provinces. The shipments include construction materials, roofs, doors, blankets, staple crops, meat, fish and powder milk, along with sanitary products and fuel. Provincial authorities have made available to the population a first stock of products for purifying water, oil, alcohol, basic food products, etc. Hospitals are currently operating. Hygiene-sanitary measures have also been established to minimize the risks of epidemiological outbreaks. Authorities continue to work hard to re-establish electricity and running water and mobilize relief items to affected areas from central and western provinces. They are also working to save what is left of affected crops sending items to processing plants in other parts of the country. Provincial authorities in Santiago de Cuba indicate that the production and distribution of food to the province is a priority. Cooking capacity has been mobilized and is working intensively; more than 1 million daily rations are cooked over fire stoves to feed affected populations. Apart from the government, Cuban Red Cross (CRC) with the support of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the Norwegian Red Cross is one of the main actors in the response. They already distributed from pre-positioned stocks 1,503 bedding sets, 3,800 jerry cans, 100 thermoses, 200 portable beds (catres). Part of the Red Cross response is being possible through the distribution of pre-positioned stock as part of the activities undertaken in the IFRC regional DIPECHO project. The very impressive contribution of the local population in the clean-up and debris management has to be mentioned. (2) International Humanitarian Response United Nations: The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provided USD 100,000 to facilitate the activation of the United Nations Coordination System. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has been approved for USD 5 million, mainly for Food aid (USD 1.76 million), Shelters & Non-Food Items (USD 1.76 million), WASH (USD 0.68 million) and Food security (USD 0.4 million). An action plan of approximately USD 28.5 million is under preparation in order to complement the response and facilitate the early recovery. The first flight carrying 40 tonnes of United Nations humanitarian aid for Hurricane Sandy affected Cubans arrived today in the hardest-hit city of Santiago de Cuba in the eastern part of the country. The shipment includes essential items for hygiene and cooking, as well as school kits, waterproof canvas for temporary shelter, water tanks and water purification tablets. 4

5 IFRC: The IFRC has issued an emergency appeal of 12,223,402 Swiss francs to support the CRC in assisting 35,000 families (175,000 beneficiaries) for twelve months. So far this appeal has received 7% of these funds. Apart from IFRC and Norwegian Red Cross already supporting the global response, the German Red Cross will also provide some support with their own funds. While many countries expressed their interest in supporting Cuba, some of them such as Venezuela, Russia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Japan and Norway, Chile and Colombia have, so far, confirmed bilateral assistance. A number of NGOs have allocated funding, others are exploring ways to assist. (3) Constraints and DG ECHO response capacity Most roads have been cleared, however access to affected areas might be challenging in some cases due to debris, flooding, road damages. It will be important to prioritise the most marginalised and cut-off communities, unlikely to receive timely adequate assistance through relief efforts undertaken by the Government. The Cuban Civil Defense, in coordination with government officials, continues to assess damages and provide assistance to the territories. Along with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (MINCEX), they will be coordinating and leading the emergency response in Cuba. In Cuba the risk of constraints with customs and mobility of personnel and items exists. However, strong coordination with Cuban authorities in terms of identification of relief items needed and population will smooth procedures. Therefore, DG ECHO partners are strongly encouraged to liaise with Cuban authorities to coordinate their action and to speed up the process in order reach the most affected communities in due time. (4) Envisaged DG ECHO response and expected results of humanitarian aid interventions DG ECHO will support the provision of integrated life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people in the communities affected by hurricane Sandy in Cuba. Priority will be given to those who have lost all or most of their house, assets and livelihood opportunities, and are, therefore, most exposed to immediate life-threatening risks. Particular attention will be paid to highly vulnerable groups such as female headed households, people living with disabilities, children, elderly and sick people without caregivers. This HIP will support assistance for shelter, distribution of relief 1 items, water, sanitation and hygiene as well as health and early recovery initiatives, including the restoration of production capacity. Replenishment of stocks will also be considered. 1 Non Food Items and possibly Food Items if considered appropriate 5

6 Attention will also be given to the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction measures, as the population targeted by this HIP lives in areas that remain prone to natural disasters. Expected results of humanitarian aid interventions: a) The humanitarian situation of vulnerable people affected by hurricane Sandy has been improved through the provision of emergency relief, including Housing, shelters, reroofing and WASH assistance. b) Most affected households recover their production capacity and livelihoods through early recovery activities. 4. LRRD, COORDINATION AND TRANSITION (1) Other DG ECHO interventions Complementarities with the Caribbean DIPECHO Action Plan to be launched in 2013 will be sought, taking into account that the DIPECHO Caribbean HIP will focus on increasing the capacities of local authorities and communities to prepare and respond to future emergencies in a more autonomous way. This HIP will also focus on mainstreaming DRR into humanitarian response and promote increased resilience. (2) Other services / donors availability (such as for LRRD and transition) Humanitarian actions are being closely coordinated with the EU Delegation in Cuba with a view to integrating the LRRD perspective into the emergency response, particularly in aspects related to food production restoration and livelihoods recuperation. The EU is already funding some food security projects under both Geographical and thematic instruments (NIP and FSTP) in Cuba for a total of EUR 26.5 million, with some interventions on the areas affected (eastern and central provinces). These actions are implemented by UNDP and some NGOs, including a new project to be implemented by UNDP and The Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) starting mid All those projects will contribute to the post-hurricane rehabilitation efforts.several donors are engaged in providing relief assistance to Cuba, including AECID, France, Japan and other humanitarian actors such as IFRC, UN agencies and NGOs are already delivering relief items to the affected population. Communication between DG ECHO and the main actors is underway and will continue throughout the response phase integrating consideration for an effective transition to mid-term and long term perspective. In that sense DG ECHO will promote and facilitate coordination mechanisms. (3) Other concomitant EU interventions Spain: AECID will finance EUR 765,000: EUR 300,000 to WFP World Food Programme (on the USD 8,000,000 appeal in favour of 650,000 beneficiaries), EUR 300,000 to IFRC and EUR 165,000 to Spanish Red Cross. 6

7 France: Has pledged EUR 70,000 to Cuba and is considering to scale up its contribution. Sweden: Will support IFRC and the Sweden Red Cross for a total amount of EUR 470,000. (4) Exit scenarios a) The capacity to provide an efficient response clearly relies on the capacity to link the current humanitarian, project-based assistance with the recovery response. Overall, DG ECHO will explore the possibilities to link as much as possible its humanitarian operations with development actors such as the projects supported by EU Delegation as for example the Food Security programme in favour of Cuba. b) The capacities of state actors in Cuba are sound and strong, especially in the field of DRR and emergency response. Coordination between DG ECHO partners and state authorities, in particular with MINCEX 2 and Civil Defence, will be necessary as well as the support of national and local institutions in order to guarantee effectiveness and efficiency of the response phase, and, consequently, the required sustainability of the operations. 5. OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL DETAILS The provisions of the financing decision ECHO/WWD/BUD/2012/01000 and the general conditions of the Framework Partnership Agreement with the European Commission shall take precedence over the provisions in this document Contacts 3 Operational Unit in charge: ECHO B5 Contact at HQ level Bernard Boigelot bernard.boigelot@ec.europa.eu Contact in ECHO Caribbean Office Jocelyn Lance jocelyn.lance@echofield.eu 2 Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y inversiones : Ministry for External Trade and Investments 3 Single Forms will be submitted to DG ECHO using APPEL (e-singleform) 7

8 5.2. Financial info Natural disasters: Humanitarian Aid: EUR 4,000, Proposal assessment Assessment round 1 a) Description of the humanitarian aid interventions relating to this assessment round: all interventions as described under section 3.4. of this HIP b) Indicative amount to be allocated in this round of proposals: up to EUR 2,000,000 c) Costs will be eligible from 26/10/ d) The expected duration of the action is of 12 months minimum e) Potential partners: all DG ECHO partners f) Information to be provided: Single Form g) Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 01/12/ h) Commonly used principles will be applied for the assessment of proposals, such as quality of needs assessment, relevance of intervention sectors, and knowledge of the country / region. When relevant from an operational point of view, the submission of project proposals by consortia is encouraged. Assessment round 2 a) Description of the humanitarian aid interventions relating to this assessment round: all interventions as described under section 3.4. of this HIP b) Indicative amount to be allocated in this round of proposals: up to EUR 2,000,000 c) Costs will be eligible from 15/01/ d) Start date 01/02/2013 e) The expected duration of the action is of 12 months minimum f) Potential partners: all DG ECHO partners 4 The eligibility date of the Action is not linked to the date of receipt of the Single Form. It is either the eligibility date set in the Single form or the eligibility date of the HIP, whatever occurs latest. 5 The Commission reserves the right to consider intention letters/ Single Forms transmitted after this date, especially in case certain needs/ priorities are not covered by the received intention letters / Single Forms. 6 The eligibility date of the Action is not linked to the date of receipt of the Single Form. It is either the eligibility date set in the Single form or the eligibility date of the HIP, whatever occurs latest. 8

9 g) Information to be provided: Single Form h) Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 15/01/ i) Commonly used principles will be applied for the assessment of proposals, such as quality of needs assessment, relevance of intervention sectors, and knowledge of the country / region. When relevant from an operational point of view, the submission of project proposals by consortia is encouraged. 7 The Commission reserves the right to consider intention letters/ Single Forms transmitted after this date, especially in case certain needs/ priorities are not covered by the received intention letters / Single Forms. 9

Cuba: Hurricane Season 2008

Cuba: Hurricane Season 2008 Emergency appeal n MDRCU0001 GLIDE No. TC-2008-000143 Operations update n 1 12 September, 2008 Period covered by this Ops Update: 8 September to 11 September, 2008. Appeal target: