Summary
Content
In this update:
- Information on response preparation for Hurricane Felix
- Update on Peru earthquake
- Pakistan
- Launch of Logistics Cluster Website
- Action Contre La Faim position paper of the Cluster Approach
- Meetings and events
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Information on Hurricane Felix
Nicaragua
The affected areas are the Departments of Puerto Cabezas, Waspan, and part of Jinotega
Estimated affected population is 100,000
The Nicaraguan Government has advised that the initial priorities are food, shelter, medical attention and water.
WFP has distributed food in the affected area within hours of hurricane Felix passing Puerto Cabezas (7 Mt in Waspan for 2000 people in shelters, and 70 Mt in Puerto Cabezas for around 11,000 people).
Puerto Cabezas and Waspan are not accessible by road as the barge on the Rio Wawa and the Sisin bridge have been washed away.
At the moment the Rio Coco communities are only accessible by air, while Puerto Cabezas could be reached by sea from El Rama port, weather permitting. Three coastal vessels have been identified by WFP and offers were received. The first delivery of 151.075 Mt of food by sea is scheduled for this Friday morning. Trucks are being loaded in our warehouse in Corinto, leaving tomorrow morning for El Rama port.
An inter-agency logistics coordination meeting was held this morning under the leadership of WFP. Participants were; UNICEF, OPS, UNDSS, CARE, ACF, ADRA, ACTED, Grupo Voluntraiado Civil (GVC), ASB Alemania, Plan International, Fundacion Alistar and OIKOS.
WFP is the inter-agency focal point for SINAPRED, Defensa Civil and AirForce for Felix emergency, and will lead an inter-agency assessment mission.
Please contact our staff on the ground for possible sharing of logistics assets. While the Cluster Approach has yet to activated, WFP is ready to assist with logistics services.
Email = mirjana.Kavelj@wfp.org
Phone = +507-6675-1602
Our Focal point in our Regional Bureau in Panama is Riaz Lodhi and can be reached on the following email/phone.
Email = riaz.lodhi@wfp.org
Phone = +507-6677-0610
Please find attached a map of the affected region.
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Update on Peru earthquakes
Lucien Jaggi from the WFP Regional Bureau in Panama has been in Pisco, Peru for a week now contributing to coordination activities. Upon arrival Lucien conducted basic assessment and found a few gaps in logistics coordination, and a general lack of adequate transport and stevedoring. In order to address these gaps the following has been undertaking;
1. Regular meeting with the Peruvian Government's coordination body who are responsible for emergency response. It was agreed to work together to develop joint dispatch plans.
2. The UN Resident Coordinator agreed to avail trucks, forklifts, and pallets. A total of 26 UN trucks were made available and WFP has been managing these trucks. As of the 4th, 520mts of different commodities have been moved by this fleet; Including cargo for other sector working groups and NGOs. At the same time, and at the request of partners, WFP has prepared a short-list of local transport companies.
3. 200 volunteers were organized by the government to act as temporary stevedores. WFP also hired stevedores and placed them at Pisco air base and Pejerrey port.
4. WFP undertook inventories of warehouses holding relief goods and then developed a dispatch plan.
At the same time the UN RC asked WFP to take the lead in logistics coordination and develop an operational plan. Lucien has also offered his support to assist the government with their tracking system.
As a whole the response within Pisco has been improving steadily since the beginning of the operation. The operation has begun to change from an emergence response into reconstruction/early recovery. The logistics operation has started to evolve as well, as cargo has been moved from the centralized ports/warehouse to the manciple level. Now smaller sized trucks are needed to send items to their final distribution points.
Lucien can be contacted on the following email and mobile number:
Email = Lucien.Jaggi@wfp.org
Phone = +511-9846-3250
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Pakistan
We would like to make a correction from last weeks update on Pakistan. Please see the paragraph in question below. In place of WFP or Cluster, it should have read UNJLC.
On the information management side, UNJLC staff seconded to the Logistics Cluster is working closely with OCHA on improving the quality of information provided to NDMA and UN/NGO community. UNJLC information management unit in support to the Logistics Cluster will work with OCHA/NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) in the coming weeks on full transition of the related tasks beyond 15 September. All information presented to NDMA and the humanitarian community as well as further records of the Pakistan cluster approach implementation can be found at http://pfic.webexone.com.
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Launch of Logistics Cluster Website
The Logistics Cluster website, developed by UNJLC, is online. Please check a preview at
The site is home to information on the global logistics cluster, UNJLC country operations, country logistics cluster operations and in the future more and more general logistics information with the aim to become relevant to all logisticians in humanitarian operations.
UNJLC will present and officially launch the website during the Global Logistics Cluster/ UNJLC/UNHAS meeting in Copenhagen on 17/18 September 2007.
This site is work in progress and we appreciate your feedback, ideas and input to the website to make this a useful, common and living product.
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Action Contre La Faim position paper of the Cluster Approach
Please find attached a position paper of ACF's desire to participate in the Cluster Approach.
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Meetings and Events
- Global Logistics Cluster/UNJLC/UNHAS meeting, 17-18 September 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Second Logistics Response Team training planned 4-11 November 2007 in Brindisi, Italy. Planning underway.