KEY DEVELOPMENTS
As of early September, food security had improved due to the successful June to July belg harvest and improved pastoral conditions, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET). In addition, FEWS NET predicts a good October-January meher crop season due to above-average main June-September kiremt rains. FEWS NET predicts that the number of people requiring emergency food assistance will decline through December due to the successful harvest, stabilizing food prices throughout the country, improved water and pasture availability for livestock, and increased income for pastoralists and agro-pastoralists due to sales of healthier livestock.
Normal to above-normal kiremt/karma rains have caused heavy flooding in large areas of Ethiopia, particularly affecting Amhara and Afar regions. As of September 20, heavy floods in Somali Region had displaced more than 60,000 people in Kelafo, Mustahil, Hargele, and Charati districts, according to the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (GFDRE).
USAID/OFDA supports populations in Ethiopia through a range of humanitarian assistance activities, including rapid-response programs in nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as longer term interventions to address health, nutrition, water, and food security needs.