UNHCR sends 250 tents for quake-displaced in Kyrgyzstan
News Stories, 29 July 2011
© UNHCR/H.Tursunov
UNHCR staff prepare to distribute aid to those displaced by the earthquake.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, July 29 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has provided 250 family tents to house an estimated 2,000 people left homeless in Kyrgyzstan by last week's earthquake on the border with Uzbekistan.
The lightweight tents were distributed last Friday to people living in Batken and Osh provinces.
News reports have said some 200 houses were destroyed in these provinces by the quake, which measured eight on the open ended Richter scale. It left at least 13 people dead in Uzbekistan and 15 seriously injured in Kyrgyzstan.
Mahir Safarli, UNHCR's acting representative in Kyrgyzstan, said the tents would help some 300 families "to overcome the consequences of the earthquake." He added that the refugee agency would continue working with the Kyrgyz government on an emergency preparedness programme.
UNHCR donated the tents as part of an inter-agency response closely coordinated with the government, which is providing assistance and relief on the ground.
Some of the areas affected by the earthquake had been ravaged by violence last year that left tens of thousands of people displaced. UNHCR is involved in confidence building measures aimed at keeping the peace there.
UNHCR is committed to increasing its ability to respond to complex emergency situations.
Information brochure about UNHCR's Global Emergency Stockpile located in Dubai.
Findings of surveys commissioned by UNHCR, Bishkek 2009.
Emergency in Timor-Leste pt.3: UNHCR's Air and Sea Relief Delivery Operation
Rushing emergency relief supplies to tens of thousands of displaced people in the strife-hit Timor-Leste has been a top priority for the UN refugee agency.
On Monday, the first phase of the air and sea operation ferrying in 200 metric tonnes of tents, blankets, plastic sheeting and kitchen sets, was completed.
Last week four Antonov-12 flights flew in 56 tonnes of supplies, and on Monday 12 June, a freighter crossed the Timor Sea from Darwin, loaded with 150 tonnes of supplies, flown in earlier from UNHCR's regional Middle East stockpiles in Jordan to the northern Australian city. There are now shelter supplies on the ground for some 17,000 people.
Working closely with partners on the ground, UNHCR's emergency team is already improving living conditions at the crowded, unsanitary makeshift camps around the capital Dili, and starting to establish planned camps.
Security is still a major concern for the displaced, traumatised by the house burning, looting and violence. UNHCR urgently needs US$4.8 million for its Timor-Leste emergency operation.
Emergency in Timor-Leste pt.3: UNHCR's Air and Sea Relief Delivery Operation
Emergency in Timor-Leste pt.5: The Emergency Operation Reaches Out
In mid-June UNHCR extended its emergency relief operation in Timor-Leste to include tens of thousands of people who fled violence in the capital Dili for districts in the countryside. An estimated 79,000 displaced people are in outlying districts with some 72,000 displaced in Dili.
The UN refugee agency has delivered shelter materials and emergency supplies to easterners and westerners in Hera village, 25 kilometres to the east of Dili. Most of the inhabitants of Hera are westerners and have fled their homes and taken to the hills. A smaller group of easterners have moved to the safety of a fenced naval compound, where they have been joined by easterners who fled Dili. UNHCR has also delivered shelter materials to Metinaro, 40 minutes outside of Dili, as well as to Auturo Island.
Despite sporadic violence, UNHCR continues to help the displaced who say they are still too scared to return to their homes and will wait in temporary shelters until the crisis ends.
Emergency in Timor-Leste pt.5: The Emergency Operation Reaches Out
Emergency food distribution in South Sudan's Jonglei state
Humanitarian organizations in South Sudan are working to deliver emergency assistance to some of the tens of thousands of people displaced by armed conflict in Jonglei state. Most of those uprooted have fled into the bush or have walked for days to reach villages away from the fighting. Others have journeyed even greater distances to find sanctuary in the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Gaining access to those affected in an insecure and isolated area has been a significant challenge for aid workers. Since mid-July, an airlift has been providing food supplies to families living in two previously inaccessible villages and where humanitarian agencies have established temporary bases. As part of the "cluster approach" to humanitarian emergencies, which brings together partners working in the same response sector, UNHCR is leading the protection cluster to ensure the needs of vulnerable individuals among the displaced are addressed.
Emergency food distribution in South Sudan's Jonglei state
Greece: Ramping up refugee reception
UNHCR staff are working with Government authorities, NGOs and volunteers on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesvos to receive cold, wet and fearful asylum seekers making landfall around the clock. They wrap them in thermal blankets and take them to warm, safe emergency accommodation at transit sites, with power and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Lebanon: Fishing provides a lifeline for Syrian refugees
Samir and Mohammed fled the war in Syria and are seeking safety in Lebanon, where refugees are not allowed to work. They found a lifeline and a hobby in fishing, a skill they learned from local fishermen in the coastal town of Tripoli.
EMERGENCYSyriaSyriawatch video
Greece: Refugee Crisis in Europe
Over 100,000 refugees have arrived to Greece by sea this year. UNHCR is mobilizing emergency teams, resources and delivering basic humanitarian assistance in order to address the most urgent gaps and support government efforts. Volunteers, local communities and NGOs are providing invaluable assistance but they need support.
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