Funding cuts slowing humanitarian efforts in Asia floods, IFRC warns

Key Concepts

• Regional Humanitarian Crisis
• IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)
• Disaster Emergency Relief Fund (DREF)
• Logistical Challenges
• Climate Change
• Deforestation
• Early Warning Systems
• Disaster Preparedness and Readiness
• Anticipatory Actions
• Last Mile Delivery
• Disease Control
• Humanitarian Funding Decline

Overview of the Devastating Floods and IFRC's Immediate Response South and Southeast Asia are grappling with a "truly a regional humanitarian crisis" following devastating floods caused by three powerful storms, resulting in over 1,300 confirmed deaths and hundreds more missing. Indonesia and Sri Lanka are among the hardest-hit nations. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is actively mobilizing staff and volunteers to provide comprehensive support across affected regions, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Immediate priorities include search and rescue operations, evacuation support, medical care, and the provision of essential aid.

IFRC Funding Appeals and Mobilization To address the escalating needs, the IFRC is launching a 5 million Swiss Francs emergency appeal specifically to support the Sri Lanka Red Cross in its immediate response phase. Concurrently, 1 million Swiss Francs are being mobilized from the IFRC's Disaster Emergency Relief Fund (DREF) to bolster local efforts. Additionally, 600,000 Swiss Francs have already been mobilized to Vietnam to support its relief phase. The most pressing immediate needs identified are food, safe drinking water, medical care, and emergency shelter, with needs continuously growing.

Challenges in Humanitarian Response The IFRC faces significant challenges in its relief efforts:

• Logistical Hurdles: Despite each of the four worst-affected countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia) having unique terrains, infrastructures, and stages of development, a common and major hurdle is logistical challenges. Roads are destroyed, and infrastructure is disrupted, making it difficult to reach isolated families. Operations are slowed down by the necessity of using boats and air transport.
• Capacity on the Ground: For Sri Lanka, described as the "worst disaster over the decades," the government has requested international assistance, highlighting the strain on local capacity.
• Declining Funding: A critical concern is the observed decline in funding from major donors for humanitarian aid this year. The IFRC foresees that even with appeals, sufficient funding to respond to the scale of emergencies might not be received.
• Disease Control: The widespread flooding easily contaminates water sources, posing a significant risk of waterborne diseases. Disease control is a critical activity, leveraging the Red Cross/Red Crescent's vast network of community-level volunteers who possess intimate knowledge of local terrain and communities, facilitating access to those most in need. Coordination with local authorities and other international organizations is also vital.

Root Causes and Contributing Factors Experts and environmentalists point to several factors exacerbating the disaster:

• Climate Change: There is deep concern about climate change, with "a lot of evidence show that extreme weather events are happening very frequently and intensive." Stronger cyclones, typhoons, and rising floods are hitting the same areas repeatedly, making it impossible to consider them "one in a lifetime event"; they are becoming "annual."
• Deforestation: In Indonesia's Batam Tou region, officials and activists suggest that illegal logging has worsened the disaster. While the IFRC team is conducting needs assessments, this aligns with broader environmental concerns.
• Unusual Confluence of Storms: The devastation is reportedly caused by an unusual confluence of three tropical systems, making this cluster of storms particularly destructive.

Long-Term Strategies and Preparedness The IFRC is not only focused on immediate relief but also on longer-term plans to build resilience and find durable solutions for affected communities:

• Disaster Preparedness and Readiness: Significant effort is being invested in disaster preparedness and readiness. This includes supporting communities to build stronger housing to withstand future storms, increasing preparedness through initiatives like planting mangroves in low-lying areas, and developing robust local disaster response plans.
• Training Local Volunteers: Training local volunteers as "local actors" is deemed critical, as they are the first responders to emergencies. This "not rocket science activity" focuses on empowering vulnerable communities to build their resilience.
• Early Warning Systems: A critical highlight is the importance of "early warning action" linked with meteorological departments. Providing timely early warnings allows communities to be swiftly evacuated upon signals of an approaching typhoon or other extreme weather events.

Urgent Short-Term Priorities and Conclusion While acknowledging the race against time before the next storm or monsoon season, the IFRC has already initiated adaptation and early warning anticipatory actions. Their most urgent short-term priorities include:

• Continuing and expanding preparedness efforts, especially in areas not yet affected but foreseen to be impacted by upcoming monsoon and typhoon seasons.
• Raising Awareness and Advocating for Funding: It is critical to raise awareness among donors and international communities to advocate for more funding to support the most vulnerable populations.
• Highlighting Climate Change Urgency: The IFRC emphasizes the immediate need for action, stating, "Climate change is really here. We really need to take the actions immediately."

The IFRC, through its acting deputy regional director Pua Alis Ho, underscores the severity of the regional humanitarian crisis, the multifaceted challenges in response, and the critical need for sustained funding, robust preparedness, and immediate action on climate change to protect vulnerable communities in South and Southeast Asia.