Madam, - Senator Mary Henry (January 29th) is right to draw attention to the needs of tsunami victims in Africa. Although the damage and loss of life was less than elsewhere, the Puntland coast of Somalia suffered considerably.
Surveys carried out by local agencies, including Oxfam partners, have reported 298 dead, 283 injured, and about 100,000 people affected overall.Water systems in two towns, Hafun and Bayla, have been badly damaged, and hundreds of wells and reservoirs destroyed along 650 kilometres of the coast. About 1,300 fishing boats have been wrecked, and virtually all of Hafun's houses are uninhabitable. There are no medical facilities in the affected area. Ironically, one fifth of those affected (3,300 families) had previously fled to the coast, having lost all of their livestock inland due to the severe drought affecting the Horn of Africa.
Our colleagues in Dutch Oxfam have already provided the local partner agencies with €240,000 to repair water sources and replace fishing boats and gear.
Oxfam Ireland, along with the other 11 Oxfam International affiliates, is currently drawing up six-year relief and reconstruction plans for all areas affected by the tsunami. Through our collaborative funding arrangements, those who so generously donated funds to Oxfam Ireland will be assisting all victims, including those in Somalia. - Yours, etc.,
Dr BRIAN SCOTT, Chief Executive, Oxfam Ireland, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.