Khartoum August 2013 Emergency Flood Response Widespread flooding and torrential rains were experienced on 1st and 2nd August 2013 with devastating effects in different parts of Sudan. Detailed information is yet to be received but 38 people were reportedly killed and others injured . Newspaper reports indicate that the deaths were due to drowning, house collapse and electric shocks. The worst affected areas so far are in Khartoum city (namely in the localities of  East Nile, Khartoum, Karary and Umbedda). The most affected populations being the poor in mud and temporary housing as well as the homeless. Most of the worst affected included the urban poor, IDPs and refugees (including South Sudanese at various exit points).  This rain is much higher than 1988 floods (82 mm compared 132 mm within the first 24 hours). The forecast is grim with more rain expected in the coming days.
 
CAFOD has projects in Karary and Umbedda (2 of the 5 most affected localities). We plan to focus our emergency intervention on the two locations through our national partner - National Organisation for Services and Development [NOSD]. Figures still being received but the briefing by the Government while making an appeal to the international and national organisations on 4th August 13 estimates 9,997 houses either totally or partially destroyed. Figures are likely to be higher since some parts of the city are completely cut off.  
 
The immediate effect of the flood has been:
- Loss of shelter and exposure to harsh conditions of nature
- Threats of disease outbreak 
- Loss of assets including food and household items
- Reduced purchasing ability thus impacting on other household needs 
- Autumn  nights are cold and windy thus exposing victims to dangers of pneumonia and cold related illnesses (thus needs for blankets especially for children, the sick, the old)
 
Following our discussions with our national partner NOSD as well as with the communities we work with in Karary & Umbedda we agreed that the preferred intervention be on SHELTER and to target the two locations above (namely Karary and Umbedda localities). The key reasons for this joint decision being:
- One of NOSD main area of competency is shelter 
- We prefer to be focused in terms of what we deliver and on the population we want to work with – in this case Shelter in the two localities. 
- CAFOD has ongoing work in the two locations; CAFOD is also  building an integrated lifelihodd programme in Umbedda together with NOSD.  
- The support will contribute significantly to stabilisation of the communities and thus add value to the ongoing interventions (WASH in schools, Education and Livelihood) 
- A good opportunity to come up with resilience work (DRR) as an integrated element in our livelihood work.
- Taking forward the rare recognition that HAC has made of CAFOD as a budding player in humanitarian work

NOSD is also a partner to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Sudan. With CRS diminished capacity at this time of the year, CRS has asked CAFOD to take their contribution of 30,000 US$ and scale up the target household beneficiaries in the same locations and with similar shelter packages. CAFOD and NOSD are in agreement with the proposal and will be going ahead with this scaled up and coordinated response approach.