R 261535Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0363
INFO AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 
SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
CDC ATLANTA GA 0210
USEU BRUSSELS
HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS WINDHOEK 000070 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR AFR/SA AND DCHA/OFDA 
OFDA FOR PMORRIS, CCHAN, ACONVERY, LPOWERS, TDENYSENKO, HSHEPPARD 
PRETORIA FOR HHALE 
 
AIDAC 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EAGR SENV ECON WA
SUBJECT:  DISASTER ALERT: NAMIBIA-SEVERE FLOODING IN NORTHERN AND 
NORTH EASTERN REGIONS 
 
¶1. Torrential rains in Angola and northern Namibia in January and 
February 2009 have caused serious flooding in the north and north 
east of Namibia. Thousands of people have already been affected and 
every day the situation is getting worse. The floods in the northern 
regions have already claimed six lives. Many families have been or 
are being evacuated to higher ground and tent towns are rising on 
college and show grounds.  There has been damage to infrastructure 
including roads, schools, clinics, businesses and housing. Cattle 
have died and there has been severe damage to crops and stored 
grains due to flood water submersion.  Homelessness, hunger, water 
borne disease and other infections resulting from the lack of safe 
drinking water and lack of sanitary waste disposal are reportedly 
increasing. 
 
¶2. The worst affected areas are 700-900 kilometers north and 
northeast of Windhoek. More heavy rains in southern Angola are 
predicted by the hydrologists in the Namibian Ministry of 
Agriculture, Water and Forestry, and another wave of floodwater is 
expected in the Cuvelai drainage system. Heavy rains are also now 
affecting the capital, Windhoek, where schools and businesses were 
inundated and cars swept away by flash floods during the last week. 
The dry southern regions are receiving more rainfall than usual and 
the sluices of the biggest dam have been opened to avoid a dam wall 
burst which would flood settlements and downstream crops under 
irrigation. Even the coastal areas have been affected: the town of 
Walvis Bay has been without water for two weeks after the sudden 
water flow in the Kuiseb River caused extensive damage to the bore 
holes and pumps that provide water to the town. In Caprivi the level 
of the Zambezi River is rising and floods are reported to be 
worsening. Many families have been relocated to higher ground 
settlements. The level of the Okavango River in the Kavango region 
is also rising fast. Reporting on the situation has been by the GRN, 
regional authorities, the Namibian Red Cross Society (NRCS) and 
other NGOs and media. Mission implementing partner staff members 
have also traveled to the north recently and have come back with 
personal observations consistent with what is being reported in 
national media. 
 
¶3. This year's flooding is the result of an unusual weather pattern 
that has contributed to heavier rains than normal in northern 
Namibia and southern Angola.  Some of the damage and displacement 
caused by the flooding is related to the growth and expansion of 
towns in the Caprivi, Ohangwena, Omusati and Oshana regions into 
depressions (oshonas), dry river beds and the low-lying areas of the 
Cuvelai delta.  The January-February 2009 rains have inundated 
low-lying areas quickly and extensively, and water flowing down the 
Cuvelai delta from southern Angola is increasing the water levels. 
 
¶4. Aging water management infrastructure that was damaged during the 
2008 floods has not been repaired and has not been effective under 
the circumstances. Floods have swept away large swathes of gravel 
roads, especially in the Oshana and Omusati regions where they have 
cut off whole communities from towns and necessary services. 
Continued rains will burden infrastructure further and likely 
aggravate flooding and hardship. 
 
¶5. The GRN has developed a contingency plan to deal with the 
flooding, but only two of the thirteen regions and two sectors, 
Education and Health, have developed contingency plans. Line 
ministries and regions have no budget to address the disaster.  The 
Directorate of the Emergency Management Unit(EMU) says that it is 
fairly prepared to deal with the disaster, but the reality is that 
it lacks the financial and technical resources to handle another 
flood so soon after the 2008 floods. The Namibian Red Cross Society 
has been keen to demonstrate its willingness and capacity to respond 
to affected citizens' needs. Their field workers and volunteers are 
currently conducting an assessment of the impact of the floods in 
the Caprivi, Kavango, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto 
regions. 
 
¶6. It is difficult to obtain specific information regarding the 
flood situation. The EMU is receiving sporadic reports from the 
regions, but has not yet released an official comprehensive 
assessment of flood damage and rehabilitation/support needs. An 
EMU/NRCS team conducted a quick assessment of the northern regions 
on the impact of the floods and will be reporting to the Prime 
Minister. Two assessment teams comprised of representatives of the 
EMU, line ministries, the NRCS and UN agencies will be leaving for 
the northern regions, Caprivi, and Kavango o/a February 28 to 
conduct a more extensive assessment. The authorities are concerned 
about the infrastructure that is under water. Forty schools and some 
clinics have had to be closed during the last week. 
 
¶8. Post will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with 
contacts in the GRN and partner organizations. If and when the GRN 
declares an emergency and requests assistance, OFDA can expect an 
appeal for disaster assistance from Embassy Windhoek under COM 
authority. In that appeal we will identify a partner organization 
(likely to be the Namibian Red Cross Society), and specific uses of 
the funding requested. 
 
MATHIEU