US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO225

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000225 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
STATE FOR TSUNAMI TASK FORCE 1 
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, 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, Tsunami, Maldives 
SUBJECT: MALDIVES - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS:  USAID/DART 
SITREP #3 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  According to the Maldives National Disaster Management 
Center (NDMC), as of January 18, the earthquake and tsunamis 
killed 82 people and 26 residents are missing in Maldives. 
The U.S. Military is prioritizing final operations in 
Maldives before its final departure.  There is currently a 
shortage of health professionals in Maldives.  The U.N. 
World Food Program (WFP) is currently conducting 
vulnerability assessments in Maldives and will provide 1,800 
metric tons (MT) of rice and 450 MT of tuna to Maldives. 
End summary. 
 
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Death Tolls 
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2.  According to the Maldives NDMC, as of January 23, the 
earthquake and tsunamis killed 82 people and 26 residents 
are missing in Maldives.  As of January 23, 12,698 people 
are displaced in the islands. 
 
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Current Situation 
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3.  On January 25, the USAID/Disaster Assistance Response 
Team (DART) attended a briefing in Colombo on the situation 
in Maldives.  The briefing was provided by the U.N. Resident 
Coordinator (UN RC) in Male' who stated that the earthquake 
and tsunamis had affected all 190 islands in Maldives and 87 
resorts.  The earthquake and tsunamis affected approximately 
30 percent of the population, and an estimated 7 percent of 
the islands were totally destroyed.  According to the UN RC, 
37 percent of schools, 10 percent of houses, and 20 percent 
of tourist resorts need repairs. 
 
4.  The UN RC reported that since 90 percent of the islands 
have a population of 500 people or less, the cost of 
replacing infrastructure is prohibitive.  The Government of 
the Republic of Maldives (GORM) is considering consolidating 
the population on fewer islands. 
 
5.  The U.N. Flash Appeal for Maldives was USD 65 million of 
which USD 25 million has been committed.  The priorities for 
assistance are: shelter, livelihoods, health, water and 
sanitation, coordination and support services, and 
vulnerability and risk analysis.  [Note:  USAID/Office of 
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has provided USD 
1,200,000 to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for health, 
nutrition, and water and sanitation activities.  End Note.] 
The UN RC emphasized the link between relief assistance and 
reconstruction to introduce new systems, housing designs, 
new approaches to social infrastructure (schools, clinics 
etc). 
 
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Coordination with the U.S. Military 
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6.  According to the USAID/DART Field Officer (FO) located 
in Maldives, U.S. ships arrived in Laamu Atoll, Maldives on 
January 21, are scheduled to complete operations on January 
29, and will depart Male on February 2.  On January 25, the 
USAID/DART FO accompanied Brigadier General Frank Panter to 
Maabaidhoo, Mundoo, and Dhabidhoo islands in the Laamu Atoll 
to observe water production and distribution activities. 
The U.S. Military is in process of prioritizing final 
operations before their final departure. 
 
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Health 
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7.  The USAID/DART FO reported that sectoral reconstruction 
planning is underway, and short-term health volunteers will 
arrive during the week of January 24.  The USAID/DART FO 
stated that epidemiological surveillance shows no disease 
outbreaks.  UNICEF is replacing cold chain equipment and all 
vaccines.  Since Maldives relies heavily on expatriate 
doctors for regional hospitals, there are currently staffing 
gaps as many doctors have left their posts since the 
tsunami.  Due to the shortage of health professionals in 
 
SIPDIS 
Maldives, several Thai volunteers will be arriving during 
the week of January 24.  The U.N. World Health Organization 
(WHO) is working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to 
resolve this shortage. 
 
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Food 
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8.  WFP is working with the State Trading Organization and 
Ministry of Education (MOE) to distribute high protein 
biscuits in schools.  WFP is conducting vulnerability 
assessments, and the results will be presented during the 
week of January 24.  WFP will provide 1,800 MT of rice and 
450 MT of tuna to Maldives, and the projected arrival of 
these goods is March 20. 
 
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Water and Sanitation 
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9.  UNICEF and the Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority 
(MWSA) recently visited Laamu Atoll, tested the water, and 
proposed human waste disposal interventions to the MOH. 
UNICEF, Oxfam, and German non-governmental organization 
(NGO) Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) are donating reverse 
osmosis water purification units (ROWPUs), but a final 
decision on the placement of these units is still pending. 
According to the USAID/DART FO, water storage capacity on 
the islands is an issue as production capacity is greater 
than storage capacity. 
 
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Education 
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10.  The USAID/DART FO reported that schools opened on 
January 25, and the distribution of textbooks has been 
completed.  With the beginning of the school year, WFP will 
provide high protein biscuits to schools.  An AusAid 
engineering team is visiting Dhaalu, Thaa, and Meemu atolls 
to assess the condition of school buildings. 
 
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Psycho-social Support 
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11.  The GORM Social Support and Counseling Service (SSCS) 
is working with the American Red Cross and Global Relief, a 
South African NGO, to train counselors.  Global Relief will 
also conduct training on how to identify and refer post- 
traumatic stress disorder.  SSCS is working on a strategy to 
supplement its counseling program, as many counselors are 
volunteers who now must return to their regular jobs.  As of 
January 23, 42 counselors have been trained in psycho-social 
support, and training of teachers in psycho-social support 
is also underway.  As of January 23, 104 teachers in 7 
atolls have been trained.  Save the Children and UNICEF are 
working with SSCS on a two-year action plan. 
 
 
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