07 Nov 2015, 05:17 am Print
“Strong winds, heavy rains and flooding destroyed house, boats and livestock, and disrupted services,” UNHCR spokesperson Andreas Needham told reporters at the regular bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
“Early reports indicate that around 1,600 families have been displaced in Hadramaut, some 150 in Shabwah, 25 in Al Maharah, and hundreds more on Socotra,” he added, noting that UNHCR is bringing in 5,000 emergency shelter kits to the city of Al Mukalla.
Throughout the preparations and response, UNHCR said it has been coordinating with authorities, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, and through the sub-national Protection and Shelter Clusters in Aden.
“The effects of Chapala have been most severe in Shabwah and Hadramaut, with a combined population of about 1.9 million people,” Needham continued.
Meanwhile, in advance of the cyclone, the Yemeni island of Socotra situated 350km from the mainland in the Arabian Sea, also experienced widespread destruction and displacement, with many taking shelter in caves, schools, or in the homes of relatives.
UNHCR in Yemen reported is has been in contact with colleagues in Somaliland and Puntland to dissuade refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants – primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia – from taking boats to Yemen due to the dangerous conditions at sea as a result of Chapala.
“There have been no reported new arrivals since 1 November,” the spokesperson noted.
UNHCR has also been informed that a new tropical storm is on its way and may develop in a second cyclone, to reach Socotraon Sunday. Along with other humanitarian agencies, it announced further scaling up of preparedness and response measures.
Over the last several months arrivals had shifted primarily to the Arabian Sea coast to avoid intense conflict areas centred in Taiz governorate situated on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.
Photo: UNICEF Yemen/Ahmed Tani
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