Signs of Hope Appear in Volcano-Ravaged Goma

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

January 23, 2002 — As earthquakes and heavy rains add to the misery of thousands of homeless Congolese volcano victims, signs of hope have begun to emerge. Mount Nyiragongo's top vulcanologists announced that the eruptions had stopped, Goma's water was declared safe and aid workers finally can deliver food after workers bulldozed a route through the city, which was partially destroyed by the eruption.

At least 40 percent of the town of Goma was destroyed by the volcanic eruption. --Photos courtesy of IFRC

Aid workers have begun delivering the first emergency food supplies in Goma, located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), since the Jan. 17 eruption. Tens of thousands of people left homeless by the eruption have remained in or returned to Goma after fleeing, and they have had little to eat for days, aid workers say.

Local resident Mwendi Kambale told the BBC that his family was sleeping outside and had no food since the city's commercial center remained covered in lava. "The food is arriving very slowly," he said. "I'm not happy because now I have no job, no home, no money and very few clothes."

Aid was delayed in arriving in Goma due to lava-blocked roads. Moreover, relief workers originally focused on delivering food and supplies to refugee camps. But people quickly returned home, especially after the area was declared safe from further eruptions.

Relief Arrives in Volcano-Ravaged City

Joined by the United Nations and other humanitarian groups, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from around the globe are fundraising and sending supplies to the devastated region. The American Red Cross is contributing "emergency health kits," which will provide basic medicines and first aid equipment to 30,000 people for three months.

"The World Health Organization designed the kits to meet the basic needs of people during a disaster," said Ron Wise, who is helping oversee the operation for the American Red Cross. "They are needed because there are no hospital facilities within the area of the explosion. The health facilities have been destroyed or people can't travel because the roads are blocked by lava."

An estimated 300,000 people have fled Goma.

Meanwhile, the Rwanda Red Cross continues to meet the emergency needs of thousands of evacuees in the DR Congo. Active since the very beginning of the disaster, 1,000 Rwanda Red Cross volunteers have been providing assistance and first aid to disaster victims.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an appeal for 1.5 million Swiss francs (approximately $900,000) to assist victims of the disaster. The funds will be used to provide essential relief for up to 250,000 people - in the form of food, shelter materials, water and sanitation services as well as basic and preventive health care.

"The health of the refugees is of particular concern to us, since the fumes spewed out with the ash from the volcano are sulfuric in content and could cause acute respiratory tract infections. We also must be prepared to treat burns and are putting in place measures to prevent epidemics of cholera and malaria", said Dr. Hakan Sandbladh, Senior Officer in the Federation's Health Department in Geneva.

Goma's Faces Struggle

Good news arrived when fears that the area's water had been contaminated by volcanic ash were dispelled. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said tests showed it is now safe to drink. In conjunction with a local water company, the ICRC has restarted the town's main water pumping station. However, only about 30 percent of the water distribution network is working.

Meanwhile, some of the temblors knocked down buildings that had survived three huge lava flows that spilled last week from Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In neighboring Rwanda, the quakes shook down almost 300 buildings including schools, a UN official told Agence France-Presse. Although vulcanologists say the eruptions are over, the temblors could continue for days as magma settles.

But the disaster could bring hardship to DR Congo for years to come. Goma is the largest city in the region and one of the few economic centers. In addition, eastern Congo has no insurance companies, leaving people on their own to rebuild.

Initial estimates put the death toll from the eruption at 45 people, but the United Nations now says the casualty figure may be lower.

The 11,381-foot Nyiragongo and 10,022-foot Nyamulagira volcanoes north of Goma are the area's only two active volcanoes. Nyiragongo last had a large eruption in January 1977.