US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI540

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000540 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID; STATE ALSO FOR AF AND AF/E 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SOCI, EAID, DJ 
SUBJECT: UNUSUALLY HEAVY RAINS CAUSE SEVERE FLOODING IN 
DJIBOUTI 
 
 
1. (U)  Summary:  Heavy rains and flooding earlier 
this week have resulted in loss of life and severe 
damage to Djibouti's infrastructure. This damage 
will present longer term dangers to the economic 
and social health of the country, including 
possible outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and malaria. 
Djiboutian officials have confirmed 46 dead and 
believe thousands to be homeless.  There are no 
reports of U.S. citizen casualties.  Minister of 
Interior Abdoulkader Wais has requested assistance 
from the U.S.  Post is working with the Government 
of Djibouti, other major donors (particularly the 
French), the U.S. military, International 
Organizations and NGOs to coordinate our response. 
An official request for disaster assistance will 
follow septel.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) Heavy rains on April 13 caused severe flooding 
in Djibouti City. Flash floods, caused by dikes 
breaking in the Ambouli Wadi (river bed that is dry 
most of the year), have caused extensive damage in 
several neighborhoods of the city, destroying many 
structures and damaging the contents of homes and 
businesses.  The main route through Djibouti to the 
outer sections of Djibouti City was cut off by 
flooding rapids at 5:00 PM, April 13.  As of 11:00 am, 
April 14, 46 bodies had been recovered, only half of 
which have been identified. The death toll will 
continue to rise as more bodies are found. Estimates 
on the street are in the range of 150 people dead. 
The Government of Djibouti has made general and 
specific requests for assistance to the U.S. 
government and the French military, as it lacks 
adequate technical, material and financial resources 
to fully recover from the floods. 
 
3. (U) The highest priority for the government is to 
evacuate the floodwaters from homes and streets as 
quickly as possible.  This is in effort to prevent 
epidemics of Cholera and Typhoid similar to the 
aftermath of the 1994 and 1999 floods.  Since the 
ground has been saturated by watershed from heavy 
rains in Ethiopia and Somalia, the evaporation of 
the waters could take weeks.  The stagnating water 
will also expand the potential for Cholera, Typhoid 
and Malaria outbreaks.  Priority needs for the 
government are provisions and immediate shelter, 
medicine and vaccinations, water pumps, tents, and 
blankets.  Relief efforts are being coordinated by 
the Office of Civil Protection. 
 
4. (U) Roads into Djibouti from Ethiopia have several 
points where nothing larger than an SUV can pass, 
making transportation of commodities by truck virtually 
impossible.  The Djibouti-Ethiopian Railroad also has 
three major washout points that will take several weeks 
to repair.  This will affect both the commerce in 
Djibouti and Ethiopia, as a large portion of the 
imported goods come from Ethiopia and almost all food 
aid to Ethiopia goes through Djibouti. 
 
5. (U) The government estimates that 90 percent of the 
city's population has been affected and at least 
100,000 persons have been displaced.  Already there 
are 600 displaced persons housed in a school in the 
Balbala section, one of the higher points of the city. 
There are three schools that are severely flooded 
within the city and the Ministry of Education has 
suspended classes until Saturday. 
 
6. (U) U.S. Embassy local employees have also been 
affected severely, as most live in the two 
neighborhoods hit hardest by the flooding.  The extent 
of the local employee needs is not yet known, however, 
no loss of life among the Embassy community has been 
reported. 
RAGSDALE