DUSHANBE, August 13, 2009, Asia-Plus — On Tuesday August 11, representatives of a number of donor organizations visited Khatlon’s Khuroson district that was affected by floods and mudflows triggered by heavy rains in April and May this year.
Representatives of local offices of the Department for International Development (DFID), European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) visited the disaster-hit district.
Donor organizations have been invited to visit the Khuroson district by the Rapid Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team (REACT) to monitor the process of providing humanitarian aid to the disaster-hit population and defining their needs.
During their stay in the district, representatives of donor organizations held meetings with people that are still living in tents and families that had already moved to new houses, the source at REACT said. They also visited the hospital in the settlement of Uyali, which is still covered by slurry.
The visit took place on occasion of completion of work on preparing the appeal to help people recover from floods and mudflows and to rebuild disaster-resilient communities, the source said.
The appeal that was presented on August 12 aims to create access to social service and rehabilitation of houses and social infrastructure that will reduce vulnerability of communities to threats in the future, the source noted.
The Disaster Management Partnership in Tajikistan – Rapid Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team (REACT) was established in 2001 to promote the sharing of information, logistics and other resources between partners active in the disaster management sector, including the Committee of Emergency Situations and the Government of Tajikistan. The group that involves over 50 state, local and international organizations and entities meets regularly to coordinate and share experiences on issues related to various areas of disaster management, including preparedness, response, mitigation and capacity building activities with national bodies. During emergency situations the partnership works closely together, coordinating response and assistance.
