Summary
On 10 July 2014, an emergency appeal was launched with a budget of CHF 1,815,467. On 11 July 2014, CHF 519,935 were allocated from the DREF. On 13 November the emergency appeal was revised to a budget of CHF 1,087,723 to support the Paraguayan Red Cross (PRC) to deliver assistance and support to some 15,000 people (3,000 families), with a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, psychosocial support, shelter and livelihoods.
The flooding in Paraguay this past year was the result of prolonged and heavy rainfall during the months of March and April, which increased the levels of two of the most important rivers in the country (Parana and Paraguay). The Paraguay River reached a maximum height of 7.19 meters in July, which led to the evacuation and displacement of 17,789 families to 126 collective centres in Asunción, as registered by the municipality of Asunción. The municipality of Asunción declared a state of emergency and requested support from Paraguayan Red Cross with a focus on water, sanitation and shelter. Six of the country’s 17 departments were affected by the flood, affecting a total of 45,347 families in Asunción and in southern Paraguay.
This ten-month emergency operation led by the Paraguayan Red Cross enabled the National Society to provide 2,765 people with psychosocial support; 7,030 people with basic hygiene promotion activities and information; 2,685 families who were located in collective centres were provided with hygiene kits, kitchen kits, tarpaulins and toolkits to cover and protect the roofs and walls of their shelters. The PRC also provided 386 families with buckets, water dispensing bags and jerry cans from the standard Federation Kit 2 for water and sanitation disaster response.
Additionally, another 1,998 families received supplies for the transport and storage of safe water consumption (buckets and water filters). A total of 345 families received supplies for water treatment (water purification supplies and tablets for water treatment). The Paraguayan Red Cross also distributed food kits to 1,370 families.