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North Hamgyong Floods After Action Review (May 2017)

Countries
DPRK
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The remnants of Typhoon Lionrock passed DPRK on 29 August 2016, merging with a lowpressure front, resulting in heavy rain and flooding in the northeast and causing the Tumen River to break its banks. North Hamgyong Province was the most severely affected, with an estimated 600,000 people in Hoeryong City, Kyonghung, Kyongwon, Musan, Onsong and Yonsa counties impacted.

Almost 70,000 people were displaced, 30,000 houses damaged, essential services disrupted and more than 27,000 hectares of agricultural land submerged.

Floods compounded an already serious humanitarian situation, with vulnerable people already suffering food and nutrition insecurity and inadequate health care. The situation was particularly acute with winter approaching and temperatures falling below zero degrees by the end of October. The Government declared a national emergency of highest priority, mobilizing some 370,000 people to support the response.

The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) initially released relief materials including food, nutritional supplements, shelter kits, water purification and sanitation, health and education supplies from in-country stockpiles. After a joint assessment mission to the worst affected areas in early September, humanitarian agencies developed a Flood Emergency Response Plan1 requesting US$ 29 million to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to 600,000 people in food security, nutrition, shelter, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene for six months.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.