Flooding hits hundreds of families in South and Southwestern, Albania

Three days of heavy uninterrupted rain have caused the worst floods in Albania during last 50 years, and together with the very low temperatures, have affected 6,000 people (of which 3,600 are children). Half of these people (over 600 families) have been forced to abandon their homes as 5,000 hectares of resident land came under water, whilst many of those that have been able to remain in their homes are affected by a shortage of food, drinking water and electricity. The floods have also caused temporary disruption to the local market, damage to road infrastructure, as well as the closure of 9 schools, whilst people’s livelihoods have been affected by the death of hundreds of livestock and the damage to 17000 hectares of agricultural land.

Save the Children team is focusing on the distribution of food, water, winterisation NFIs and education materials, as well as psychosocial activities for children and their families. The first round of distributions has already been completed and the team is in discussions other donors interested in supporting the response and later recovery efforts. Currently there are no other actors working in the area apart from military forces, police and local authorities.

Save the Children is collaborating closely with local authorities, community members and field partners to see the opportunity to recovery solution for this situation and to a holistic support to the community focusing children. Its contribution is recognised by all the community members and local authorities and they feel grateful for the support offered so far.  

“You’re the only ones who are helping us. The food package and water can help us pass this hard period, which requires a lot of effort to fix it all. We are trying to clean the house from mud but it’s very much damaged and we are not sure if we can reach do something. We saved almost nothing. We have no clothes, shoes, beds and blankets and school books. I used to live with my family in Greece and all the money we earned there are spent to build the house but now even that money is gone”. Zheni 14 years old.