Hjælpeorganisationer CARE udsender nødhjælpsarbejdere til Vietnam og Laos efter, at tyfonen Ketsana i går ramte Asien som den værste af sin slags i årtier. Nødhjælpsarbejdet fortsætter i tyfonens spor i filippinerne, hvor to millioner mennesker blev ramt tidligere i ugen.
Care har i den forbindelse udsendt en pressemeddelelse, der beskriver situationen i de påvirkede områder:
In Vietnam alone, initial government reports estimate that the typhoon has killed 66 people with another 11 missing and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, while early reports from Laos indicate that 20 villages have been submerged in one province alone. CARE is bracing for these initial estimates to rise significantly in the coming days.
‘As with the early stages of any emergency, we are yet to know the full scale of the disaster, however we are readying ourselves for the worst,’ says CARE Vietnam Country Director Peter Newsum.
‘CARE’s experience in emergencies tells us what will be required and are preparing for a full-scale response. CARE is equipped to immediately deliver essential aid such as clean water, food and emergency kits to those families and communities who need it most.’
Reports from the affected areas tell of villages underwater, flooded paddy fields, destroyed crops and damaged homes. Electricity and phone lines are down in many areas, making it difficult to know the full scale of the disaster. It is expected that Typhoon Ketsana will deliver up to two months worth of rain over a period of 48 hours, potentially also bringing with it flash flooding and landslides.
In Laos, CARE’s emergency response team is working closely with government agencies to determine people’s needs and the required response to the aftermath of the typhoon.
‘While it may be a number of days before the full toll and extent of devastation is clear, we know that houses are destroyed and food gardens and rice fields are washed away. Food, water, shelter and clothing are required immediately. But the long-term impact of this typhoon will have enormous implications for the food security of communities. Assistance will be required now and in the months to come,’ said CARE Laos Country Director Henry Braun.
