Disaster response Bolivia

Bolivia Floods

2008
Published on Jan 26, 2008 01:00 AM  -  Updated on Feb 11, 2021 05:27 PM
Heavy rains at the end of 2007 caused severe floods that affected several communities in northern and eastern Bolivia. In addition to the 48 fatalities and 5 missing, more than 40,000 families were affected and depended on humanitarian aid. OCHA requested that TSF provide IT and telecom support to UNDAC teams assessing the needs of survivors. Two coordination centres were also connected by TSF in La Paz and Santa Cruz.

General information

Context: Floods
Start date: 26/01/2008
End date: 09/02/2008
Areas of intervention:

  • La Paz
  • Santa Cruz
  • Beni department

Activities:

  • UNDAC support
  • Telecom assessments
  • Telecoms centres

Key figures

3 telecoms centres
6 organisations supported

Context

Since November 2007, prolonged heavy rainfall in Bolivia has caused floods that have affected several communities in the eastern and northern regions of the country. The official figures reported 48 deaths, five missing and more than 41,557 families affected. The department of Beni was the most affected department by the La Niña phenomenon.

Deployment

Télécoms Sans Frontières deployed on 26th January to support the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams and all others UN agencies in the field.

Telecom assessments

The first evaluation showed that all the business of telecoms was working well in the whole country, but later a posterior evaluation on the affected departments revealed that the mobile telephony was deficient on the rural zone. The internet service on the cities was functional and working fine in all the departments affected.

Telecoms centres

In order to support the others NGO, Télécoms Sans Frontières installed three telecoms centres:
- In La Paz’s UNICEF office, to support to UNDAC team;
- In Santa Cruz’s COED, to support UNDAC members that were working on coordination and making evaluation in all the department;
- In Beni, placing satellite equipment at the disposal of UNDAC members.

The team also provided assistance in IT for UNDAC members, and a total of 6 agencies (NGO, UN and Government) beneficed of TSF’s services.

Funding