|
19
January 2005
Getting
aid from the warehouse to the homeless in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO,
Sri Lanka, Jan 19 (UNHCR) – When UNHCR Coordinator Neill Wright
arrived in tsunami-stricken Sri Lanka on January 1, he told his
staff, "Distribute everything we have in our warehouses. I
don't even want to see dust on the shelves."
By
then, the refugee agency's warehouse in Colombo was already half
empty, having opened its doors three hours after the December 26
tsunami to deliver emergency supplies to the survivors. This central
warehouse, along with four others in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Jaffna
and Batticaloa, has since been restocked through a series of airlifts
that brought in much-needed non-food relief items and emergency
shelter materials.
"This
is not a resource crisis at present, it's a logistical challenge,"
said Wright. "We have to translate the pledged funds into accelerated
action to provide immediate relief on the ground."
So
far, UNHCR has distributed plastic sheeting, mats, kitchen sets,
clothing and hygiene items to some 130,000 people displaced by the
tsunami in Sri Lanka. The refugee agency is using its established
distribution network – built up over 18 years to assist people
displaced by the conflict – to ensure that the relief aid
is dispatched widely and effectively.
In
the wake of the tsunami, UNHCR has ordered additional trucks to
deliver emergency supplies among its warehouses around the country.
"Trucks are hard to hire now because everyone is sending out
aid," noted Vladimir Smoljan, who runs the UNHCR field office
in Colombo.
The
trucks are loaded with relief items and travel by night to avoid
traffic. Driving at no more than 30 km/hour on roads that have been
ravaged by the conflict and the tsunami, they often take major detours
because a bridge is broken or some areas are flooded over. Navigating
access to the needy can also mean zigzagging through checkpoints
along the way. A typical convoy could easily take 10 hours one way.
Local
knowledge helps. While it's tempting to think big when responding
to a massive catastrophe like this, sometimes it pays to think small.
"On the road from Colombo to Ampara, there is a narrow bridge
with a height limit," said UNHCR logistician Roshan Silva.
"We had to change our trucks from high tops to low tops just
for this route. Otherwise, we would have had to turn back after
hours of driving."
Occasionally,
airlifts are used in areas that are still inaccessible by road.
UNHCR is working with the British Navy Airforce to fly in non-food
relief items for 1,500 displaced people in Kallar, which became
an island when the tsunami destroyed bridges linking it to Batticaloa
and Ampara districts in eastern Sri Lanka.
When
the relief items actually arrive on the ground, it is not a free-for-all.
The UN refugee agency works closely with other agencies in the area
to coordinate aid distribution. In Batticaloa, for example, UNHCR
staff distribute shelter and non-food relief items south of the
town, while aid workers from UNICEF, Oxfam and the International
Committee of the Red Cross distribute in the district's northern
and central areas.
"To
make sure there are no gaps or overlaps, we meet every morning to
exchange information on the previous day's distribution and to plan
what's coming up for the day," said Sari Galapo, a UNHCR field
officer in Batticaloa.
All
the agencies alert each other if they stumble upon previously-undiscovered
groups of displaced people, like 600 families found camping near
the beach in the Vaharai area last week. UNHCR quickly distributed
plastic sheeting and ropes so that the families could set up temporary
shelter by tying the tarpaulin to trees.
As
another example, the inter-agency team in Batticaloa relays requests
from local authorities for specific aid, like mosquito nets or kitchen
utensils. A request for plastic mats brought UNHCR to Kaluwanchikuddy,
where 340 displaced families were living in Paddiruppu school. Each
family representative presented his or her registration slip and
received a mat in return. Several people turned up without their
slips but received the mats anyway.
"This
is not the time to discriminate," said Sunil Thapa, who had
been rapidly redeployed to Batticaloa from UNHCR's Mannar office
on the west coast, which was not badly affected. "We give to
anyone who needs it."
And
it was obvious they needed it. The mats were immediately put to
use, cushioning napping children from the cold, hard floor of the
classrooms, each of which hosted five to six families.
"As
long as they sleep better at night, we consider our job done for
the day. Tomorrow we start again," said Thapa.
By
Vivian Tan
in Sri Lanka
|
