The relief supplies airlifted yesterday into the village of Salagle were the first its inhabitants had received since floods devastated southern Somalia six weeks ago. Food, blankets and plastic sheeting were flown in to the 850 families who live in the village, 25 miles south of Bardera.
They were transported by one of two helicopters leased by the UN to carry supplies and evacuate inhabitants from the Jubba River valley.
"Most of our village was submerged when the river burst its banks," said Mr Mohamed Omar Habdi, who works for World Vision. "Now the waters are receding but mosquitoes are breeding and causing malaria. Our underground stores of cereals have been destroyed and our camels have died because of disease."
Southern Somalia is only now starting to recover from the worst floods to have struck the region in more than three decades. Nearly 1,800 people are known to have died in the disaster; most were drowned but a considerable number were savaged by crocodiles or bitten by venomous snakes. In Salagle alone, five people were devoured by crocodiles driven in search of dry land by the raging torrents.
Now that the water level is falling, most of the deaths being reported are from malaria, diarrhoea or respiratory infections. The few doctors are struggling to cope with the large number of patients seeking treatment.
The UN has brought in two Bulgarian Mi-8 helicopters and 21 Norwegian boats as part of an emergency operation. Flying shuttle missions from their base in northern Kenya, the helicopters have been able to deliver vital supplies of medicines and food, including high-energy biscuits and porridge for children.
"In the last three days we've reached 2,500 families with helicopter relief flights," says Mr Roger Carter of UNICEF in Bardera, which can only reached by air. "So far the food distributions have been going well and we've had no security problems."
Bardera today stands as a model of relative peace in a country plagued by anarchy and faction-fighting. Six years after the overthrow of the dictator Siad Barre, Somalia remains without central government. It is left up to the resources and ingenuity of local warlords to fend for the people living under their protection.
In Bardera and its hinterland, that role has fallen to Mr Omar Haji and his Somali National Front (SNF). The town is reported to be much calmer since Islamic fundamentalists were driven out earlier this year.
Mr Haji's militiamen patrol the decaying town and nearby airstrip. Aid workers say that only SNF fighters are allowed to carry guns and that they are paid from a tax levied on the inhabitants.
Unlike much of the country, Bardera has its own court, jail and police force. A relief committee has been set up by the town's administration to co-ordinate operations with the UN.
"We're trying to help local Somali structures deal with distribution problems themselves," says Irishwoman Ms Lynn Geldof of UNICEF.
"In the past," she said, "mistakes have been made. Aid agencies have tended do it all themselves and this led to misunderstandings and perceptions of partiality. We're now working to the rule: do no harm. So far, the operation has run remarkably smoothly."
The 26 main Somali factions are currently engaged in peace talks in Cairo. The factions are due to meet in the central town of Baidoa on December 20th to discuss the formation of a government of national unity.