Timor-Leste Humanitarian Background
Disasters, Conflicts and Migration |
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---|---|---|
Natural Disasters |
Yes / No |
Comments / Details |
Drought |
Yes | One recorded drought, no additional details |
Earthquakes |
Yes | Regular earthquakes, Timor-Leste being on the “Ring of Fire”. A recent Norwegian-led report indicated a major earthquake in TL is “long overdue” |
Epidemics |
Yes | 2005, 22 deaths, 336 people affected |
Extreme Temperatures |
n/a | n/a |
Flooding |
Yes |
June 2001; 2 deaths; 2,508 people affected June 2003; 2 deaths; 600 people affected December 2003; 450 people affected February 2008: Major flooding Liquica, western corridor blocked for 6 days. |
Insect Infestation |
Yes | Regular Locust infestation in Maliana district, spread to other districts. Insect infested stored food is a concern in TL |
Mudslides |
Yes | Regular occurrence, especially during wet season. Re-forestation efforts ongoing but relatively ineffective. |
Volcanic Eruptions |
n/a | n/a |
High Waves / Surges |
n/a | n/a |
Wildfires |
n/a | n/a |
High Winds |
Yes | March 2006 (Baucau); 8730 people affected. |
Other Comments |
Floods happen regularly in Southern districts as well as Oecussi where people can be cut-off from aid for longer time. There are no records for disasters prior to 2001 as Timor-Leste was internationally recognized in only 2002. |
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Man-Made Issues |
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Civil Strife |
Yes | April 2006; civil unrest, 40+ deaths, 20,000 IDPs |
International Conflict |
Yes | 1976 – 1999; conflict with Indonesian occupation, est.100 – 250,000 deaths. September 1999; militia retributions, 1,400 deaths and 300,000 East Timorese refugees in Indonesian West Timor. |
Internally Displaced Persons |
Yes | April 2006; civil unrest, 150,000 IDPs, most returned home by mid 2009. |
Refugees Present |
Yes | September 1999; 300,000 East Timorese refugees in Indonesian West Timor. |
Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes | UXO’s found regularly following widespread reconstruction of buildings in Dili and other major cities. |
Other Comments |
n/a |
For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:
EMDAT information on Timor-Leste
Calamities and Seasonal Affects
Seasonal Affects on Transport | ||
---|---|---|
Transport |
Comments |
From (month) to (month) |
Primary Road Transport |
Flooding, landslides in wet season | Nov - Mar |
Secondary Road Transport |
Flooding, landslides in wet season | Nov - Mar |
Rail Transport |
n/a | n/a |
Air Transport |
Max Payload affected in wet season due to aircraft carrying additional fuel | Nov - Mar |
Waterway Transport |
No Seasonal affects | n/a |
Seasonal Affects on Storage and Handling (economic, social, climate…) |
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---|---|---|
Activity |
|
From <month> to <month> |
Storage |
Pre-positioning of stocks in rural areas prior to the rainy season. |
Jun - Oct |
Handling |
No Major Seasonal affects |
n/a |
Other |
No Major Seasonal affects |
n/a |
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
Government
The government of Timor-Leste has some established departments
and mechanisms to deal with national disasters, these are under the
auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and include the
National Department Management Directorate (NDMD) National
Department of Social Assistance (DNAS), Disaster Operations Center
(DOC), and the National Disaster Management Policy (NDMP).
The military and civil defense forces in Timor-Leste are formally a
member of the District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) which
is currently being established in every district. PNTL and FFDTL
mainly provide security and communicative assistance whereas FFDTL
also is capable to provide transport of relief items.
According to the National Disaster Risk Management Policy, the DOC
and NDMD will rely on international organizations for logistics
assistance.
For information on Timor-Leste government contact details, please see the following link:
4.1 Timor-Leste Government Contact List
Humanitarian Community
The humanitarian community has been working closely with the Government of Timor-Leste assisting in the development of these structures.
For information on Timor-Leste humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: