YEMEN: Tsunami damage underestimated, FAO

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

SANA, 28 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - A recent mission to Yemen by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that Yemen was more severely affected by the tsunami in December 2004 than originally estimated.

Though only five deaths were reported, the mission found that 2,000 fishing families were directly affected with damage totalling about US $2.2 million.

Hans Bage, who led the mission, said that representatives from the Yemeni Ministry of Fish Wealth were surprised by the findings of the mission and the extent of the damage. “There were significant impacts on the livelihoods of local people, especially fisherman,” he said.

The mission, undertaken in July 2005, surveyed 34 coastal communities in Socotra, an archipelago 350km south of the mainland, close to the tip of the Horn of Africa, and the governorate of al-Mahrah, in eastern Yemen, bordering Oman.

High waves damaged boats, engines and fishing gear as well as infrastructure vital to the fishing sector, such as ice plants, storage sheds and jetties.

Some 653 boats, 569 engines, 1,625 nets and 16,980 fishing traps were either damaged or completely destroyed, and many landing beaches and natural harbours were also severely compromised, according to the latest estimates made by the joint FAO/government mission.

“Many fishermen have not been fishing for six months now,” said Bage. Moreover, he noted that the halt in fishing has in turn had an economic impact on buyers, sellers, processors and others who make a living in fisheries-related activities.

Lack of financial and technical resources and the remoteness of these communities meant very little information about the impact of the tsunami had been gathered, and authorities did not immediately perceive the need for international relief efforts.

However, as early as February 2005, Minister of Water Mohamed al-Eryani had estimated that the total cost of the tsunami to Yemen would be US $3 million.

Despite this warning, the mission saw little in the way of government activities to help those affected by the tsunami. “We only saw the construction of some gear sheds by the Ministry of Oil and Gas,” Bage explained.

The FAO is now working on getting Yemen included the list of countries affected by the tsunami, so that it can receive international assistance.

The FAO is proposing a US $2.2 million post-tsunami fisheries rehabilitation project in Yemen and is urging donors in the Arab world to support it.

Bage said that, given suitable assistance, “it will take at least a year for the fishing sector to be restored to its previous level of activity”.

The fishery sector plays an import role in the Yemeni economy and provides employment to more than 53,000 fishers and workers in related sectors.

However, these coastal communities are amongst the poorest and most food-insecure in this under-developed country, and Bage hoped that the rehabilitation project would do more to help them than just restore them the level they were at prior to this disaster.

IRIN also learnt that while over $6 million was pledged in private donations in Yemen towards the international relief effort in Southeast Asia, very little of the promised money was received.

An aid source said that the private sector was not confident that the government would deliver the money to the intended beneficiaries, due to a lack of visibility or accountability.

[ENDS]