UN relief wing appeals for urgent funding in DPRK following typhoon

As a result of the August floods in the country caused by the typhoon, 138 people have been confirmed dead and 400 are missing. The floods have also displaced some 69,000 people, severely affected another 150,000, and left as many as 600,000 in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release.

“With the onset of winter just around the corner there is an urgent need for additional funding to scale up the response and provide life-saving support to the tens of thousands of people made homeless by the disaster,” said Tapan Mishra, UN Resident Coordinator.

OCHA emphasized that the displaced people are in dire need of adequate shelter. The damaged infrastructure in the flood-affected areas also includes schools, kindergartens and health clinics. Tens of thousands of hectares of arable land have been inundated, with crops destroyed, and livestock killed. Potentially impacting food security in the region, water systems have also been damaged, leaving communities dependent of sources of water that has likely been contaminated.

Immediately following the floods, humanitarian agencies in the country released relief materials from in-country stockpiles including food, nutritional supplements, shelter and kitchen kits, water purification and sanitation supplies, emergency health supplies and education supplies.

According to OCHA, humanitarian agencies in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are requesting a total of $28.2 million to assist the affected people. The Emergency Response Plan focuses on life-saving activities in shelter, food and agriculture, health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, and education.

Photo: UN / Marina Throne-Holst

Source: www.justearthnews.com