Acting before a disaster: protecting communities from floods in Uganda

Acting before a disaster: protecting communities from floods in Uganda

Action Against Hunger and Kiima Foods are acting to anticipate the impacts of floods along the Kaberere, Kabiri and Nyamughasani rivers in Kasese District, Uganda. Together with their partners, they are supporting at-risk communities through actions by:

• disseminating early warning messages
• evacuating households, with both people and livestock being moved to safe locations
• providing cash transfers to cover people's basic needs
• distributing water and sanitation kits – drinking water, storage buckets, dignity kits, water-purification tablets – and other non-food items (e.g., mosquito nets, tarpaulins) setting up mobile health clinics and integrated health education.

The actions are being implemented in villages of Kajorogho, Kinyabisiki, Kyambithi and Mughanza, in close coordination with Ministry of Water and Environment, the Directorate of Water Resources Management & Meteorological Services, the Kasese District Local Government and the District Disaster Management Committee.

“The action plan has involved local people and leaders, encouraging ownership and deepening understanding of anticipatory action,” says Muke Jovenal, the LC3 chairperson in Kyondo Subcounty. “Communities are now aware of what is taking place and how to keep safe.”

The ongoing actions are being supported through 170,918 euros provided under the Welthungerhilfe Anticipatory Humanitarian Action Facility (WAHAFA), which is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Triggering the actions

The current activation was triggered after the Department of Meteorological Services forecast continued rainfall in Kyarumba and Kyondo Sub-Counties, with the amount expected to exceed the threshold of 33mm in less than 72 hours. With the associated likelihood of flooding, this meant that Phase II of the anticipatory action plan was triggered.

This followed the earlier activation of the readiness phase on 17 March, which enabled teams to ensure that evacuation centres were ready, target and pre-position essential supplies, and develop and disseminate early warnings across the at-risk communities.