In response to the forest fires that have affected northern Algeria since 9 August, the European Union (EU) has released €80,000 of humanitarian funding to help 25,000 people with emergency relief.
This aid will enable the Algerian Red Crescent to support families affected by the fires in the provinces of Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel and Setif by providing emergency shelter, household items, food packages and psychosocial support.
This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) societies.
It will also allow the Algerian Red Crescent to rebuild food package stocks and sustain the mobilisation of its staff, medical staff and volunteers. The latter will also receive personal protective equipment to prevent them from becoming infected whilst the 2019 coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll.
As a result of this catastrophe, the EU has also activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service to provide maps based on satellite imagery and has responded to the Algerian Government’s request by deploying, on 12 August, two French Canadair aircraft into the regions of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
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