USA – Forest Fire
• A forest fire broke out in Chelan County (Washington State) near Wenatchee on 28 June.
• According to media (as of 30 June), the fire burnt nearly 1,200 ha, destroyed 23 houses and injured three firefighters, while an evacuation order is in effect.
INDIA – Floods
• The Upper Assam districts of Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji were hit by new floods on 29 June, that killed two people and affected over 5,500 people in 20 villages. A relief camp has been opened by the district authorities, sheltering 75 people.
CHINA – Severe weather
• Heavy rains affected north-western and central-eastern China over 25-30 June, causing floods and landslides. As of 30 June, four people died in Anhui, six in Henan, five in Chongqing and four in Shaanxi, while thousands of houses were damaged in several central-eastern and north-western provinces.
• On 30 June morning, a Yellow Warning of Rainstorm (CMA) is in effect for some areas of central-southern and eastern China.
BURUNDI – Regional refugee crisis
• Parliamentary elections took place in Burundi on 29 June. A sharp increase in refugee arrivals has been observed in the neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Rwanda during the week preceding the elections.
• In total 53 243 refugees from Burundi are currently registered by UNHCR in Rwanda, while almost 60 000 in Tanzania.
• In the Great lakes region the total number of Burundian refugees has exceeded 130,000.
YEMEN – Conflict
• Airstrikes and ground fighting continue across the country.
• On 28 June, an airstrike hit the UNDP compound in Aden, resulting in damages and the death of one security guard. On 29 June, a car bomb exploded in the capital Sana’a.
• As a result to indiscriminate targeting the casualty numbers continue to rise. According to WHO figures, as of 26 June a total of 3,083 people have been killed and 14,324 injured. These figures only include casualties reported to health facilities and are considered very conservative.
SYRIA – Conflict
• On 29 June, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Mr Stephen O’Brien, reiterated the grave consequences that the violence of the conflict in Syria is having on the civilian population in a briefing to the UN Security Council.
• Barrel bombs by the Government and indiscriminate attacks by armed groups are causing hundreds of civilian deaths and widespread destruction across the country. As fighting continues, further population displacement is underway.
• The UN ERC report calls the parties to the conflict to immediately cease the use of barrel bombs and other forms of indiscriminate attacks against civilians and to the international community to do substantively more to address the consequences of armed conflict in Syria highlighting the need for ensuring a safe haven for Syrians seeking refuge.
IRAQ – Conflict
• This month, the number of IDPs has surpassed the 3 million mark. Close to 300,000 IDPs have been displaced from Ramadi district (Al-Anbar), in less than three months.
• WASH needs assessments, carried out in Al-Anbar and Baghdad governorates, show an overarching need for hygiene items, sanitation facilities and drinking water. In the conflict torn governorates of Al-Anbar, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din 14 Hospitals and over 160 health facilities are either destroyed or non-functional.
• DG ECHO’s recent additional EUR 25 million contribution towards the Iraq’s Humanitarian Implementation Plan will seek to reinforce critical lifesaving services in Kirkuk, Baghdad, Anbar, Salah al-Din and Ninewa.