CHINA/INNER MONGOLIA: BLIZZARDS

27 February 2001

appeal no. 03/2001 situation report no. 1 period covered: 25 January - 21 February

Since the launch of the Federation appeal which seeks to provide emergency assistance to 60,000 of the most vulnerable over a four month period, there have been further snowfalls in many of the affected areas. Up to 2,194,000 people have now been affected by this disaster, adding to fears concerning short term food security in the worst affected prefectures. Funding generated by the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) from within the country has helped the National Society to provide the most urgently needed assistance during the first phase of the operation covering the period from January 2001 until mid February. However, further support for the appeal is urgently needed to bring prompt relief to the most vulnerable herders, whose livelihoods have been threatened by the loss of many of their animals.

The context On 31 December 2000, a freak blizzard hit a number of rural prefectures in the Chinese Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia causing the death of 39 people and of over 220,000 head of livestock - the mainstay of the rural economy and the principal source of food for herders and their families. According to government reports, the number of dead animals may have risen to 300,000 over the past few weeks. The blizzard, which is thought to be the worst in 50 years, combined snow and sand from the Gobi Desert and engulfed large parts of the Autonomous Region. It lasted up to 75 hours in some areas, and covered six of the twelve Leagues (prefectures) with snow of up to 50 cm in depth. As much as 23.2 million hectares of grassland have been affected by the snowfall. The blizzard is the second disaster to hit this region in the past six months. A drought in much of northern China during the

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summer of 2000 seriously affected the growth of grass, thereby preventing the herds of cattle in Inner Mongolia from building up reserves for the winter. The current disaster is very similar in nature to that which hit Mongolia in 2000 and 2001, where an extensive and prolonged drought during the summer was followed by early, heavy snowfalls. A joint assessment mission carried out by the RCSC and the Federation found that the nomadic herders in the region were struggling to preserve their depleted herds of cattle as a result of the combination of freezing conditions and lack of access to the main towns caused by the heavy snowfalls. The number of people affected as a direct result of the snowstorm is estimated at 2.194 million. Food and fuel reserves for the nomadic people who rely heavily on bartering their animals to provide supplementary food and fodder are rapidly running out. It is reported that as many as 400,000 of those affected are suffering from food shortages in the immediate term. In order to respond to the growing needs, the Federation is seeking CHF 3,056,180 to provide food, quilts and fuel supplies to help 60,000 of the most vulnerable herders survive the harshest winter for 50 years. The Red Cross Society of China has launched a national appeal to raise funds to assist the stricken population. The Chinese government, through the Chinese Charity Federation, has also launched a national appeal to gather additional support from within China to which there has been a positive response.

Latest events In addition to the severe blizzard around the New Year, this area suffered from a further 15 severe snowstorms which have further added to the problems facing the nomadic herders. Long range weather forecasts predict still more snowfalls over the next few weeks. The severe winter with freezing temperatures (as low as - 35 C in some areas) is likely to last for another two and a half months before the thick layer of snow and ice starts melting. Animals will therefore not have access to grazing until April, which will inevitably cause further deaths, especially during the lambing season. The scale of the disaster is not yet fully revealed as many roads are still impassable, hampering both the gathering of information regarding the affected population and causing difficulties in the distribution of immediate relief assistance. The government has mobilised resources to clear roads into the affected areas, but heavy winds and repeated snowfall continue to cause snow drifts across the roads, preventing the clearance of main and secondary routes. Cattle continue to die of exposure to the extreme cold and from lack of fodder and grass. After a summer drought which seriously weakened their resistance, the herds are now unable to graze because of the sand/snow cover. The storm has not only killed people and animals, but also destroyed houses and shelters for animals thereby making them more vulnerable to the harsh weather conditions. In a second Federation mission to Inner Mongolia between 6 and 9 February, the regional delegation gathered further information on the disaster. Six prefectures of Inner Mongolia are suffering from the grave effects of the disaster, but most affected are the areas of Xilingol, Tongliao and Chifeng. It is in these three prefectures which the RCSC/Federation plans to focus assistance. A visit by the field delegate was made to the regional headquarters in order to assist in the planning of future distributions, as well as gather up to date statistical information on the affected population. The delegate was able to travel to areas outside the regional capital (Hoh Hot) have been affected by the consequence of severe droughts. Information gathered during the mission provided further insight into the accumulated effects of drought, locust plagues and the hardest winter in 50 years.

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The following chart shows statistics relating to the situation in the three target prefectures which the RCSC/Federation plan to assist through this appeal.

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Period Prefecture Geographic area affected

Prefectures

Information updated Feb 11 Feb 2001 Xilingol Tongliao Chifeng 1 1 1

Banners Sumo/townships

11 148

7 82

6 83

24

920,370

3,070,000

4,480,000

8,470,370

812,742

1,459,842

2,128,565

4,401,149

507,008 2,630 39 17,337,576 8,004

518,043 3,936 0 2,461,692 12,790

681,800 4,475 4 5,705,331 NA

1,706,851 11,041 43 25,504,599 20,794

2,569 3,449

2,991 2,401

NA NA

5,560 5,850

298 701,000

114 103,340

NA 195,000

412 999,340

Total population of the three prefectures Total population of affected banners Affected Population Injured, frostbite Deaths Affected grassland ha Damaged Animal shelters houses homes Collapsed Animal shelters houses homes Economic loss 1000 RMB

Total

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Red Cross/Red Crescent action Local (Regional) Response l Following the disaster, the Township (Banner) level branches sent in disaster reports to the regional headquarters. Based on these reports, the regional Red Cross developed a broad disaster relief plan of action for the use of both national and international funds received This plan has been sent to the Red Cross Society of China’s national headquarters in Beijing. The Inner Mongolia Red Cross has launched an appeal at various branch levels to raise funds using the guidelines laid down by the headquarters. National Level Response l The headquarters of the RCSC launched a national appeal for assistance through its network of branches. Funds raised from this appeal will be used to target specific areas and to purchase relief items which are not covered by the RCSC/Federation appeal Nationally generated funds CHF RMB 150,000 30,400 2,300,000 304,000 200,000 2,000,000 130,000

40,500 400,500 26,350

l

Donor RCSC HQ (2,100 quilts and 2,000 cotton padded shoes) Hong Kong Branch of the RCSC - Food and support to 3 medical teams Hong Kong branch of the RCSC (received as goods in kind) Beijing RC Branch Other Chinese RC branches (cash donations)

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2,300,000 7,080,000 2,650,000 413,000 7,493,000

situation report no. 1

466,150 1,272,800 537,000 83,700 1,434,900

Other Chinese RC branches (received in goods in kind) Total donations received in RMB Total donations received as goods in kind American Red Cross (50,000 USD, rate 8.26) Total donations

Following the RCSC/Federation joint assessment in January, in which the Hong Kong Red Cross senior relief delegate took part, the Hong Kong Red Cross branch (HKRC) committed a total of RMB 2.3 million to the national headquarters to provide immediate food assistance to specific counties in the affected Prefectures. Food distributions are now ongoing and are expected to be completed by the end of February. In addition the HKRC is supporting three Red Cross medical teams with assistance in the form of medical equipment and drugs. Further assistance from the HKRC is under discussion with the headquarters of the RCSC. The Federation’s regional office in Beijing will receive details of distribution areas for these and other contributions from the RCSC branches. Purchases for Federation funded supplies will be made directly by the RCSC regional headquarters in Hoh Hot following tendering procedures. The funds from the Federation will be used to purchase food and fuel for the most vulnerable victims of the snow disaster in the Inner Mongolian provinces of Xilingol, Tongliao and Chifeng. A distribution plan is being prepared in cooperation with the RCSC headquarters and the Inner Mongolia branch. Funding generated within the country has helped the national society to provide the most urgently needed assistance during Phase 1, covering the period from January 2001 until mid February. Phase 2 will cover the period from mid February 2001 until June 2001. Immediate assistance under Phase 1 is being provided and phase 2, distribution of flour and coal, will begin as soon as possible. A plan of action will be finalised shortly. Food assistance will comprise wheat flour which can be purchased locally within the affected prefectures. The Inner Mongolian Red Cross branch has secured transportation through trucks from the local government. Recent information regarding the purchase of coal indicates that transport costs will be prohibitively expensive. Whilst the coal is available within the Prefectures, it seems probable that the cost for transportation to the villages is far higher than envisaged. It may therefore be necessary to adapt the planned distribution to allow for additional food to be purchased rather than coal. It is understood that the local government is willing to take on the provision of fuel to disaster victims if the RCSC/ Federation decides to take this course of action. The remaining phases of the operation are expected to cover the period from March 2001 until June 2001 during which Federation assistance will be distributed. Many of the prefecture level Red Cross branches have little transport capacity and the Federation plans to support them with the vehicles necessary for assessment and other tasks. The prefectures are, however, well resourced in terms of both professional staff and volunteers. An assessment mission was sent to the Red Cross branch headquarters in Inner Mongolia in order to gather more detailed information on the situation. This mission was combined with a field trip to drought affected areas which have not been affected by the snow disaster, providing a clearer understanding of the connection between the drought and the snow disaster currently threatening the lives of Inner Mongolian herders. The field delegate is currently visiting Chifeng, one of the three target provinces to be covered in this joint RCSC/Federation operation.

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The relief department of the RCSC and the Federation’s regional relief delegate based in Beijing will work together to co-ordinate national and international relief efforts. The close links between the RCSC and the Federation which have been built up over the past years will ensure that assistance received through this appeal will be carefully co-ordinated with government and NGO efforts. The Federation Secretariat has sent a field delegate to the RCSC in order to support monitoring and reporting functions related to the operation. At local level, the RCSC regional branch will coordinate with the local, regional, prefectural and county Red Cross staff to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts with other relief initiatives.

Outstanding needs Whilst the RCSC has received significant contributions from within the country, further international assistance is imperative, if the National Society is to be in a position to assist the most vulnerable herders affected by this disaster.

External relations - Government/UN/NGOs/Media The Chinese army and the prefectural government of Inner Mongolia have been active in rescue operations in the area. The Chinese government provided RMB 39 million to the area in addition to relief goods such as quilts, food and animal feed. There is close co-operation between the RCSC and the Chinese government. Further assistance from the government has been offered to the local Red Cross in the form of local transport of materials to the isolated areas affected. During this reporting period, the regional office has circulated the appeal to several Embassies and UN agencies in Beijing to provide an update on the current situation. Following the launch of the appeal, several Embassies have shown an interest in supporting the relief operation. The regional Office continues to respond to enquiries from interested media and press agencies regarding the situation in Inner Mongolia. Following the broadcast of video footage taken during the assessment team’s visit to the region, Federation delegates were interviewed by several Beijing based media organisations. As a result of these interviews, footage was shown on a number of key international news channels, including CNN, BBC and Sky News. Further video footage is expected to be released following the return of the field delegate from his latest field trip. A story and photographs from this recent field visit will be posted on ‘Direct from the Field’ which is accessible via the Federation’s web site: www.ifrc.org

Contributions See Annex 1 for details. The appeal coverage currently stands at 13.4 per cent.

Peter Rees-Gildea Head a.i. Relationship Management Department

Hiroshi Higashiura Head Asia & Pacific Department

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This and other reports on Federation operations are available on the Federation's website: http://www.ifrc.org

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China - Inner Mongolia PLEDGES RECEIVED

APPEAL No. 03/2001 DONOR

ANNEX 1

CATEGORY

QUANTITY

UNIT

02/26/01

VALUE CHF

DATE

COMMENT

PLEDGE

CASH TOTAL COVERAGE

REQUESTED IN APPEAL CHF ---------------------------------------->

13.4%

3,056,180

CASH CARRIED FORWARD

AMERICAN - GOVT

100,000

USD

162,800

02.02.01

CANADIAN - RC

50,000

CAD

54,125

05.02.01

DANISH - RC

95,000

DKK

19,570

07.02.01

1,000,000

SEK

173,700

30.01.01

410,195

CHF

SWEDISH - GOVT

SUB/TOTAL RECEIVED IN CASH

EARMRK. 516 MT WHEAT FLOUR 0102066 0102065 RELIEF AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS

13.4%

KIND AND SERVICES (INCLUDING PERSONNEL) DONOR

CATEGORY

QUANTITY

UNIT

SUB/TOTAL RECEIVED IN KIND/SERVICES

VALUE CHF

0

DATE

COMMENT

CHF

0.0%

ADDITIONAL TO APPEAL BUDGET DONOR

CATEGORY

QUANTITY

SUB/TOTAL RECEIVED

UNIT

VALUE CHF

0

DATE

COMMENT

CHF

THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS ARE LINKED TO THIS APPEAL:

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