Current relief and recovery efforts
Learn more about these disasters and others at www.reliefweb.org.
March 2008
Ecuador - Floods
Since January, continuous rain has caused massive flooding in 13 Ecuadorian provinces. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 13,871 people are in shelters and 22 people have been killed as a result of the flooding.
Emergency needs include shelter, medicine, food, potable water and sanitation. Long-term recovery efforts will need to address rebuilding homes, restoring critical infrastructure, and providing assistance to the agricultural sector.
The Rotary Club of La Puntilla, Ecuador, would like to raise funds to assist with relief efforts by providing water, food, medicine, clothing, tents and mattresses. They also hope to rebuild homes as part of the long-term recovery effort. The club will undertake relief activities in collaboration with District 4400, the Ecuadorian Red Cross, and Civil Defense.
To make a contributions to this relief and recovery effort, please make a credit card payment via the Rotary Club of La Puntilla Web site www.rotaryclublapuntilla.org. Checks can be made payable to, “Rotary Club La Puntilla (Proyectos)”.
Checks can be mailed to:
Rotary Club of La Puntilla,
Urbanización Entrerios junto a la Iglesia Santa Teresita,
km1 Via Samborondón,
Atn. Xavier Gómez, Samborondón, Guayas, Ecuador.
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer contact: Francis Dykmans de Coninck, director of projects, Rotary Club of La Puntilla
Tel: +539-9975618
Fax +593-4-2831927.
January 2008
Kenya – Humanitarian Aid
Humanitarian aid is desperately needed in Kenya following post-election violence. It's estimated that 300 people were killed and more than 250,000 are displaced across Kenya. Many are staying in camps within the Rift Valley and Western Kenya, and some people have also moved into neighboring Uganda and Tanzania.
Immediate needs include blankets, cooking fuel, food, health care, mosquito nets, plastic sheeting, shelter, and water and sanitation. Many people haven't been able to buy food or go to work because of the violence. It is anticipated that long term recovery efforts will involve reconstruction of houses and buildings, seeds and tools for those who return to their farms, and continued provision of food.
Kenyan Rotary clubs need financial contributions and local donations of basic necessities such as blankets, food, and water. Please note that international donated goods would currently be very difficult to route. Rotarians are partnering with the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) to volunteer their time and provide assistance to the displaced people. A committee of Rotarians in Nairobi has been established to oversee disaster relief activities.
To make a contribution to this relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to Rotary Disaster Relief Account – District 9200. Checks can be mailed to:
Bimal Kantaria
P.O. Box 46826 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya 00100
For more information on relief effort activities, to inquire about sending donated goods, or to arrange for an electronic transfer contact:
Varinder Singh Sur, District 9200 Rotary Foundation Committee Chairperson
Tel: +254 733 411334
Fax: +254 41 2315575
December 2007
Korea – Oil Spill
On 7 December, an 11,800 ton barge carrying a crane broke loose from its tugboat and collided with a super tanker five miles off the northwest coast of Mallipo, South Chungcheongnam Province. The crane punctured three holes in the ship’s cargo tanks and resulted in 2.8 million gallons of crude oil leaking into the sea. This is the largest oil spill in Korea’s history and the central government has declared a state of disaster.
The thick oil has washed up along 12 miles of shoreline in Taean County, destroying hundreds of fisheries and devastating the coastline. The tidal flats near Taean County, which are home to a national park and array of wildlife, have suffered extensive damage. The oil spill has driven away tourists. A long-term impact on the local tourism economy is expected.
More than 600 Rotarians from Rotary District 3620 have been working to clean-up the oil spill and have removed 500 tons of oil. The district plans to work in cooperation with 1,200 residents, and 100,000 volunteers from across the country to participate in further clean-up activities. The emergency clean-up operation is expected to continue for two months. However, it will take many years for the ecosystem to fully recover.
To make a contribution to this relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to RI District 3620 Disaster Relief Fund. Checks can be mailed to:
Kwang Won Seo
1868 Oncheon-dong,
Ahsan
Chungcheongnam
Korea
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer contact:
Kwang Won Seo, District 3620 Governor
Tel: +82 41 534 3620.
November 2007
Bangladesh - Cyclone
Rotarians in District 3280 are seeking aid for victims of the 15 November cyclone in Bangladesh.
Cyclone Sidr killed 3,347 people, left 880 missing, and injured more than 34,000. Currently, 35,000 residents are living in camps. In all, more than eight million people were affected and 365,000 homes destroyed.
To contribute to this relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to the District 3280 Disaster Relief Fund and mail them to:
Rafiq Ahmed Siddique
House 13, Road 7
Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212
Bangladesh
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer, contact:
Rafiq Ahmed Siddique, District 3280 Governor
Phone: 880-1711-650299
Mexico - Floods
On 28 October, heavy rains hit the Mexican state of Tabasco, flooding about 80 percent of the area.
Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, called it one of the worst disasters the country has ever seen. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs more than one million people have been affected. The rains have devastated crops and killed livestock. Educational authorities in Tabasco report that 1,200 schools have been affected. An estimated 100 medical centers have been damaged, and mudslides have impaired much of the state’s road network.
Emergency needs include shelter, clean water sources, food, clothing, and medicine.
District 4200 and the Rotary Club of Tabasco Villahermosa are working with Rotarians from neighboring states to provide flood victims with food, shelter, and donations of clothing and essential home items.
To help
To promote long-term recovery, District 4200 and the Tabasco Villahermosa club would like to assist victims further by rebuilding homes, constructing latrines, organizing sewing workshops, and establishing a water treatment plant. Both the district and club are collecting funds for these efforts.
District 4200
To contribute to the district relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to Rodolfo Humberto Burguete Martínez, and mail them to:
Calle María Adelina Flores Num. 9, Colonia Centro, C.P. 29200
San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer, contact:
District Governor Rodolfo Burguete Humberto Martínez
52-967-6781104 (phone), 52-967-6780559 (fax)
Rotary Club of Tabasco Villahermosa
To contribute to the Rotary Club of Tabasco Villahermosa relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to CRTV S.A., and mail them to:
Josefina Toledo Farrera
Uxmal #105 Fracc
Campestre Tabasco 2000
Villahermosa, Tabasco 86037 México
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer, contact:
District 4200 Assistant Governor Josefina Toledo Farrera
52-993-3167401 (phone), 52-993-3169843 (fax)
Kashmir - Fire
In October, a fire devastated the village of Margi, located in a remote region of Kashmir. The flames spread quickly and destroyed all 170 houses there.
Margi lies 15 miles beyond the main city of Kishtwar. Its isolation prevented emergency teams from reaching the village in time to extinguish the fire.
Rotarians from District 3070 (India) have distributed blankets and clothing, but adequate shelter is desperately needed. The district, in collaboration with local Rotary clubs, plans to rebuild the destroyed homes at an estimated cost of US$212,500. Any additional funds will be used to provide more blankets and warm clothing and replace other essential home items lost in the fire.
To help
To contribute to this relief and recovery effort, please make checks payable to the Rotary District 3070 Disaster Relief Fund, and mail them to:
Dr. Surinder P.S. Grover
27 Link Road Lajpat Nagar
Jalandhar, Punjab 144001 India
For more information or to arrange for an electronic transfer, contact:
District 3070 Governor Surinder P.S. Grover
Phone: 91-181-2221389 (residence), 91-987-2666177 (business)
Fax: 91-181-2221389