Appeal for Bangladesh flood victims
18 August 2000

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies today launched a preliminary appeal for 3,200,000 Swiss francs to assist 200,000 persons affected by the recent severe flooding in Bangladesh. The funds will be used to provide 3,800 tonnes of food to people in the most affected districts in the Brahmaputra/Jumuna, the Ganges (Padma) and the Meghna river basins and to support 20 medical teams for the next two months.

The floods, that started six weeks ago, have left more than one million people homeless. Local torrential rains and floodwaters from neighbouring India have caused a number of rivers including the Brahmaputra and Padma to burst their banks in places. As people have lost their crops and were unable to save their food reserves, there is now an urgent need for emergency food distributions to the worst affected communities.

Having lost their homes people have either resettled in heavily populated villages, migrated to the overcrowded cities or have become embankment dwellers - setting up shelters on the sides of the embankment roads. "We expect at least 600,000 homeless people to be added to the millions from previous years," says Robert McKerrow, head of the Federation's delegation in Bangladesh. "The embankment dwellers are especially vulnerable to the effects of the floods. As it is, their daily existence is precarious with little or no access to clean water, sanitation or employment opportunities," he adds.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the Federation are continuously carrying out flood monitoring surveys. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society began flood relief operations at the beginning of July with volunteers distributing food aid to people in the most affected areas. The Federation today released 200,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Funds for the immediate procurement of food items.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Patrick Fuller, Information Delegate, New Delhi, Tel +91 11 685 86 71, Mobile +91 981 0099 794

Robert McKerrow, Federation head of Delegation, Dhaka, Tel +880 2 831 5401 / 02

Alan Biggs, Federation relief delegate, Dhaka, Tel + 880 2 831 5401 / 02

Media Service, Geneva, Tel +41 22 730 4570, Mobile +41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 176 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering.
The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.