Food Reaches Volcano Victims

Catholic Relief Services
Thursday, 24 January 2002

Following last week's eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Goma today conducted an emergency food distribution to residents of Goma, which was heavily damaged by the eruption. The distribution included a one week supply of oil, beans, maize and corn-soy blend. The joint effort reached 14,000 beneficiaries and is the first in a series of emergency distributions of both food and non-food items targeting more than 280,000 people in the city.

"We expect that the emergency phase of this response will last about one month," said Steve Morgan, Acting Country Representative for Catholic Relief Services' Rwanda Program. "Afterwards, we plan to start rehabilitation and reconstruction."

With nearly a third of Goma destroyed by the lava flow, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people have been displaced by the eruption. Though many have now returned to Goma, food is difficult to access for many residents. Relief agencies that are present in Goma are concentrating their primary response efforts on food distribution and critical non-food items such as blankets, plastic tarps and soap.

"We started to assess the situation immediately after the volcano erupted," said Steve Morgan. "CRS has been working in conjunction with other agencies and together agreed on nine sites in the city from which to conduct distributions. Today's distributions were the first in a series of regular weekly distributions."

Though volcanologists studying Nyiragongo have determined that the immediate danger posed by the volcano has passed, substantial and frequent earth tremors continue in the region. Some residents fear that rebuilding in Goma will place them at risk once again from future eruptions.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org