The situation in the flooded areas in Berat, Fier and Vlora and needs for intervention

/in /by

Observatory for the Children’s Rights scanning of the situation

12 February 2015

For more than 2 weeks Albania is undergoing a serious situation of floods. Due to the bad rainy and snowy weather conditions that all the country has had, floods have been a threaten not only for the houses, agriculture and livestock, but to the inhabitants lives as well. Based on the scanning of the situation that the Observatory for the Children’s Rights has done, the regions affected the most by the floods are Berat, Fier and Vlora Regions. In Berat the floods are caused due to Osumi river large flows, and the river has gotten out of its bed. In Fier floods were caused by Vjosa, Seman and Gjanica rivers large flows and in Vlora by Vjosa river. Figure nr. 1 shows the location of the flooded regions and the most affected communes:

Figure 1: The areas mostly affected by the floods

The communes mostly affected by this flooding situation and the ones which have had the largest registered damages in houses, agriculture, livestock and other physical damages are as follows:

Berat Region:

  • Ura Vajgurore Municipality
  • Otllak Commune – Morava Village
  • Berat Municipality

Fier Region:

  • Levan Commune – Ferras village and Bashkim village
  • Frakull Commune – Cerveze village and Kashishte village
  • Dermenas Commune – Hoxhare village, Povelce village and Darzeze village

Vlora Region:

  • Novosela Commune – Poro village, Bishan village, Mifol village, Akerni village and Novosele village

Figure nr. 2 shows the number of the families affected from the flooding situation and the number of evacuated families in regional level. In Berat region from 95 affected families only 1 family with a single mother was evacuated and sheltered in one of the cities crèches, because her house was destroyed. In Fier region from 440 affected families 126 of them were evacuated and sheltered in their relatives houses and in Vlora region from 500 affected families 120 were evacuated. In total the number of affected families is 1035 families and the number of evacuated families is 247 families.

Figure2 : The number of affected families and the number of evacuated families in regional level

Figure nr. 3 shows the number of affected families in commune level where the most damaged commune is Novosela commune in Vlora region.

Figure 3: The number of affected families in commune level in the most affected communes

The number of affected children and the children involved in this situation is 1355 children and figure nr. 4 shows the number of affected children in regional level.

Figure 4: The number of affected children in regional level

In the flooded areas some of the institutions like the State Social Services in the regional level, local governments; Emergency Civil Staff, etc have distributed aids for the families. The State Social Service in Berat region has taken the initiative to open a bank account to help the families. Until now many citizens have contributed. Regional Education Directorate in Berat and some schools have undertaken the initiative to collect food and clothing assistance, which will be distributed to the affected families.

In Fier Region Various many institutions and have provided assistance as: food packages (from 15 kg of food laid out by Civil Emergencies Staff), clothing, food for the livestock, 800 blankets (during this day will be delivered 1000 blankets for other families affected by the floods). Local government has had difficulties in identifying and delivering the aids to families affected by the floods.

All the affected regions have emergent needs to intervene (which are urgent and essential to the livelihood of the people) that affect the community. The identified needs are:

  • Food aid;
  • Tents;
  • Portable beds;
  • Mattress;
  • Blankets;
  • Pillows;
  • Personal clothes;

There is also a need to intervene for the reconstruction of the houses, because some of them were partially destroyed. One of the kindergartens in Berat region in Otllak commune has been destroyed because of the floods. In many schools which were closed, the lesson hasn’t started yet.