Between 12 and  17 May 2013, Armenia's Armavir province was hit by hailstorms damaging almost all the crops of more than half of the communities there. Among the 46 communities and 12,800 households affected by the disaster, 7,131 households in the 14 hardest hit communities lost 100% of their harvest.

The European Commission is providing € 157,724 to bring relief to 4,000 people.  This aid will be used for distributions of basic food and hygiene parcels to the most vulnerable victims. It is channelled through the Armenian Red Cross Society from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Background

The European Commission has signed a € 3 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and the European Commission enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of € 3 million.