25 July 2010 - Food and non-food assistance provided by various United Nations agencies today began reaching the flood-affected people of the eastern Afghanistan province of Nangarhar.

The aid given by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization on Migration (IOM), and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is being distributed by multiple Government authorities including the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority, which has been managing and coordinating all aspects related to emergency response to disaster.

"Distribution is very tough because everyone wants to get it as soon as possible. Even those not affected are here to receive, which is creating some confusion," said Abdul Rauf, Emergency Response Manager in Jalalabad of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an international non-governmental organization (IGO).

The IRC had started distributing relief aid to the flood victims of Jalalabad on Thursday. Afghan Red Crescent Society also distributed its aid in Chamtala township of Khogiyani district on Friday.

At the request of the Government authorities, UNICEF and UNHCR have met shelter and household requirements of 164 families in three affected districts in the province, while IOM has mobilized medical mobile teams since Wednesday. Seventy-two families in Jalalabad identified as flood victims received packets containing tents, bed nets, blankets, jerry cans, tea pots and kitchen utensils distributed by the IRC.

WFP has also committed to providing food items for the next three months for those affected by the flood.

"In order to effectively respond on time to these disasters, OCHA's [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] focus is on information gathering, resource mobilization, post-disaster monitoring, identification of gaps and ensuring that needs are addressed," said Kenneth Baato Rogers, Head of OCHA’s Eastern Regional Office.

On Wednesday, Nangarhar's Deputy Governor Mohammad Alam Ishaqzai convened a meeting of humanitarian agencies to coordinate rescue and relief efforts in Jalalabad, Surkhrod, Khogiyani and Chaprahar districts of Nangarhar province as well as some neighboring areas of Laghman.

The flood struck four districts of the eastern region on Wednesday reportedly killing one person and injuring two others.

Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, is 150 km from Kabul. The eastern region, which comprises four provinces - Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan - has a population of 3.5 million people.