Ashraf AboArafe
Cairo, December 14, 2021
In response to the floods that hit Egypt in November 2021, the European Commission provides 80,000 EUR in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected families.
These EU-funds support the Egypt Red Crescent in delivering much needed relief assistance, including blankets and mattresses, cash assistance, health services, and hygiene kits. The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The humanitarian aid will directly benefit 1,157 families – approximately 5,935 people – whose houses were damaged and crops destroyed. Built from mud bricks and palm-leaf roofs, many houses in Aswan governorate collapsed under the heavy rainfall.
Between 12 and 14 November 2021, the rain and hailstorms caused flooding in 11 areas of Aswan governorate, resulting in at least three fatalities. The severe weather also triggered an insect infestation and more than 500 people suffered from scorpion stings.
The EU continues to be one of the major contributors of humanitarian aid to those affected by war, epidemics, food shortages and disasters caused by natural hazards. In 2021, the EU has allocated over €6 million in humanitarian aid to help people in need in Egypt.
Background:
The European Union together with its Member States is the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by disasters caused by natural hazards or human made. The European Union’s Humanitarian Aid helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. For more information, please visit: https://ec.europa.eu/echo/
The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.
