UN official for disaster relief visits flood-affected areas

Описание: (20 Jan 2011)
Vavuniya District
1. United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg with local officials after getting off plane +MUTE++
2. Children dancing for Bragg and other UN officials
3. Mid of school children
Mullaitivu District
4. Mid of military and government officials
5. Local official addressing audience
6. Left to right: Catherine Bragg, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne, World Food Programme Country Director Adnan Khan (beige shirt) and head of the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Barbara Manzi (white shirt, on end)
7. Cutaway of audience
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Catherine Bragg, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General:
"It's good to see the returns happenings, its good to see the resettlement happening. At the same time, I think there is still a lot that needs to be done and the UN will do our best to be part of that rebuilding and recovery and recognition of all that has happened in the last while."
9. Cutaway of audience
10. Various of school children studying under trees
11. Children singing in music lesson
12. Mid of sign indicating danger of mines
13. Bragg and officials entering area where there is a danger of mines
14. Mid of Dia Bio Mine clearing official explaining situation to Bragg
15. Convoy of UN vehicles
16. Various of UN vehicles driving through floodwaters
17. Various, UN delegation boarding plane
18. Bragg entering plane
Batticaloa District
19. Aerial of flooding
Mullaitivu District
20. Various of UNHCR cash grant endorsement process being viewed by Bragg
21. Various of Bragg visiting resettled homes
22. Various, interior of home
23. Bragg talking with villagers
24. Various of aid being unloaded
STORYLINE:
A top UN official launched a 51 (m) million US dollar, or 38 (m) million euro fundraising drive for Sri Lankan flood victims on Thursday after taking a tour of areas affected by the flood and decimated by the nation's civil war.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg flew on Thursday to a village in northern Mullaittivu district, a former stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels that saw much destruction during their failed war for independence.
The civil war ended in 2009 with a government victory.
Bragg met UN agency and government officials as well as teams working to clear land mines left from the war.
She also visited people who were forced from their homes during the fighting.
She told a local meeting: "It's good to see the returns happenings, its good to see the resettlement happening. At the same time, I think there is still a lot that needs to be done and the UN will do our best to be part of that rebuilding and recovery and recognition of all that has happened in the last while."
Most of the 300-thousand displaced people returned to their villages only to find their homes destroyed.
Several thousand refugees remain in camps, awaiting relocation.
Some of the Tamils told Bragg they needed help to rebuild homes and complained of too few doctors.
Bragg said that some progress has been made in meeting the needs of the war-displaced families.
Bragg later visited the country's east, where government officials briefed her about the devastation caused by recent flooding.
Much of the water has receded, but rice crops ready for harvesting were dead and rotting.
Mud homes were washed away.
After returning to the capital, Colombo, she launched the 51 (m) million US dollar, or 38 (m) million euro, appeal to help flood victims through the next six months.
The flooding killed 43 people and left four missing.

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