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.
