US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO106

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 COLOMBO 000106 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1 
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
TSUNAMI RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM 
 
SIPDIS 
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS 
DCHA BUREAU FOR ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ROGER WINTER 
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER 
GENEVA FOR USAID KYLOH 
ROME PASS FODAG 
NSC FOR MELINE 
CDR USPACOM FOR J3/J4/POLAD 
USEU PASS USEC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, AEMR, PREL, PGOV, CE, MV, Maldives, Tsunami 
SUBJECT: MALDIVES - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS:  USAID/DART 
SITREP #1 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  According to the Maldives National Disaster Management 
Center (NDMC), as of January 12, the earthquake and tsunamis 
killed 82 people and 26 residents are missing in Maldives. 
On January 10, four USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team 
(DART) members conducted an assessment trip to Maldives.  A 
USAID/DART Field Officer (FO) is posted to Maldives to 
assist with the coordination of relief supplies.  The top 
needs of the Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM) 
include water, cleanup of debris, and assistance with 
logistics/transportation.  The U.S. Military will provide 
potable water and logistical assistance to two atolls in the 
southern Maldives.  End summary. 
 
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Death Tolls 
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2. According to the NDMC, as of January 12, the earthquake 
and tsunamis killed 82 people and 26 residents are missing. 
The earthquake and tsunamis also damaged an estimated 3,997 
buildings. 
 
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Current Situation and Needs 
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3.  On January 10, two USAID/DART FOs, a Water and 
Sanitation Officer (WSO), and a Military Liaison Officer 
(MLO) traveled to Male' in Maldives.  One of the USAID/DART 
FOs is posted to Male' to coordinate activities with the 
U.S. Military, the U.N., and the GORM, as well as monitor 
USAID grants in Maldives.  The USAID/DART is coordinating 
closely with the U.S. Military to ensure the rapid transport 
of emergency relief supplies. 
 
4.  During this trip, the USAID/DART met with 
representatives of the Maldivian National Security Service 
(NSS), AirServ (an OFDA-funded aviation company), and the 
U.S. Military.  The NSS has been coordinating relief 
efforts, and they emphasized the difficulties encountered 
moving these supplies from the Male' airport to atoll, 
(island cluster) to islands within the atoll, and finally to 
affected people in the islands.  The NSS stated that 
volunteers who were coming to central points to receive 
relief supplies for distribution are no longer coming 
because they are now getting back to their own lives.  As a 
result, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are now waiting 
for the GORM to deliver goods to them. 
 
5.  According to the NSS, the GORM has identified the three 
top needs as water, cleanup of debris, and assistance with 
logistics/transportation, in order of priority.  The GORM 
has adequate relief supplies but has faced hurdles moving 
these supplies to islands.  One of the problems facing the 
GORM is that much of the equipment/boats etc. that the GORM 
had been using in the relief effort was volunteered by 
residents, and now owners of this equipment wish to use 
their equipment and return to daily life. 
 
6.  The NSS expressed a need for equipment, such as 
bulldozers, backhoes, and excavators etc. to move debris. 
The U.S. Military stated that they do not have access to 
such equipment but may be able to assist with transport if 
equipment is available.  [Note.  New York City authorities 
have stated that they can loan this type of equipment to 
Maldives; however the USAID/DART is awaiting further 
information on this offer.  End Note.]  Mid-sized 
vehicles/equipment are the best option, but there are not 
enough available.  The NSS also reported that additional 
landing craft are needed to gain access to the islands to 
provide transport of relief supplies.  (Note:  The GDRM has 
admitted it has not yet addressed the issue of what to do 
with all the debris once it is cleared.) 
 
7.  The NSS stated that it needs assistance to transport 
goods from the main airport in Male to the seven forward 
coordination centers (FCCs) that have been established as 
regional hubs for the storage and transportation of relief 
supplies.   Three of the islands have airstrips and all 
locations have warehousing capability.  These FCCs will 
serve Thaa, Meemu, Dhaalu, Raa, and Noonu atolls in the 
southern Maldives, where most of the damage occurred.  The 
GORM currently has 400 metric tons (MT) of supplies, 
including 100 MT of protein biscuits from the U.N. World 
Food Program (WFP) that they are trying to transport to the 
islands. 
 
8.  The USAID/DART also met with representatives from the 
U.N. Development Program (UNDP) and the U.N. Disaster 
Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team.  The UNDAC 
representative stated that transportation needs are urgent 
in Maldives.  The UNDAC representative emphasized the need 
for excavation equipment, shelter supplies, hygiene kits, 
and cooking kits.  At present, there are approximately six 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Maldives, 
with many small local NGOs present (representing fishermens' 
and womens' interests). 
 
9.  The Indian and Pakistani militaries have been assisting 
in the relief efforts in Maldives.  According to the 
USAID/DART, the British and French militaries also have 
humanitarian missions in the Maldives.  The French troops 
are focusing upon relief efforts in northern Maldives, and 
the British troops are concentrating on repair of electrical 
equipment, such as generators, and other electricity 
generation capacity analysis and repair. 
 
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Water and Sanitation 
---------------------- 
 
10.  According to the USAID/DART, water remains a critical 
concern in Maldives.  The U.S. Military will use at least 
one Marine pre-positioning vessel to provide potable water 
to Maldives.  On this vessel, water can be produced at a 
rate of 25,000 gallons per day, and 70,000 gallons can be 
stored on the vessel.  Floating lines can discharge water up 
to two miles away.  This water can be pumped to bladders on 
barges, such as the four being provided by the U.S. 
Military, which can then take the water into more shallow 
ports where water can be stored in community storage tanks 
and smaller family-sized tanks (1,000 to 3,000 liters). The 
vessel is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on/around January 
12 and should arrive in Maldives early during the week of 
the January 16.  Reverse osmosis water purification units 
(ROWPUs) are available and may be used.  The U.S. Military 
can also provide ferrying service for earth/debris moving 
equipment and relief supplies. 
 
11.  The U.S. Military will focus its efforts on providing 
water in Laamu (Haddumati Atoll) and Dhaalu (Nilandu Atoll 
South) in the southern Maldives.  The population of Laamu 
Atoll is 11,318 people, and the earthquake and tsunamis 
killed 22 people, and 3 residents are still missing.  Two- 
hundred and eighty five buildings were damaged.  The 
population of Dhaalu Atoll is 4,939, and the earthquake and 
tsunamis killed 9 residents, and 4 people are missing.  A 
 
SIPDIS 
total of 172 buildings were damaged. 
 
12.  During this trip the USAID/DART WSO met with the 
Minister of Health (MOH) and the Assistant Director of the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The USAID/WSO reported that 
needs include additional water trucks to deliver water, 
purification of wells, and the emptying of septic tanks. 
Water needs will be met for three months on Laamu and Dhallu 
Atolls, where the U.S. Military is assisting with the 
filling of available water storage tanks.  Catchment systems 
are in need of rehabilitation/replacement, but this activity 
is dependent on the construction of shelters.  Since 99 
percent of the potable water in Maldives was in catchment 
systems, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the GORM are 
purchasing additional tanks.  The German NGO Technisches 
Hilfswerk (THW) is currently operating in Maldives and 
assisting with well-cleaning. 
 
13.  According to the USAID/DART FO in Maldives, 12 islands 
have less than one week's supply of water remaining, and 
UNICEF is bringing in 18 ROWPUs that are due in two to three 
weeks. 
 
14.  The USAID/DART reports that the NDMC was established on 
December 26 and appears to be well-organized and operated. 
The NDMC maintains statistics on the amounts of water 
delivered to each location in Maldives. 
 
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Health 
-------------------- 
 
15.  According to the USAID/DART, a communicable disease 
surveillance system exists in Maldives, but does not contain 
emergency aspects of disease surveillance.  The health 
sector has a disaster preparedness plan, but does not 
address disasters of this magnitude.  According to the 
USAID/DART, daily reporting of communicable diseases is 
required, including cases of diarrhea.  The USAID/DART WSO 
will explore funding options for the U.N. Appeal request to 
cover surveillance system enhancement. 
 
16.  According to the USAID/DART FO in Maldives, the MOH has 
prepared a list of health centers requiring repairs, and 
UNICEF is working with the MOH to provide psycho-social 
counseling. 
 
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Shelter 
---------------- 
 
17.  The USAID/DART FO in Maldives reported that an 
assessment of permanent housing requirements is underway, 
but damage assessments are slow and better repair guidelines 
are necessary.  The GORM has discussed the use of temporary 
shelters, and the construction of 40-room shelters to house 
20 families, using materials available in Maldives.  The 
GORM is working on these temporary shelters that are 
designed to last 12-18 months, will have 2-foot high sand 
foundations, brick and plywood walls, and corrugated iron 
roofs.  These shelters will be built in 40 room blocks, with 
each room constructed to accommodate 4 people.  The GORM has 
planned 86 temporary housing blocks throughout the country, 
and construction has started on 39 housing blocks. 
 
18.  The USAID/DART FO in Maldives noted that there are no 
clear parameters for distinguishing salvageable homes from 
those homes that must be destroyed.  The GORM has proposed 
to construct 2,000 new houses for those residents affected 
by the tsunami.  These homes will be 71 square meters in 
area, and will cost approximately USD 11,000 to construct. 
 
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Restoration of Other Services 
----------------------------- 
 
19.  According to the USAID/DART FO stationed in Maldives, 
all but five islands have electricity services, and the Red 
Cross will provide an additional generator which will arrive 
by the end of the week of January 10.  In addition, all 
mobile phone services are operational, and landlines are 
functional on all but two islands. 
 
LUNSTEAD