Skip to main content

DPR Korea: Typhoon Lingling - Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA) update n° 3 DREF n° MDRKP014

Countries
DPRK
Sources
IFRC
Publication date
Origin
View original

Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:
The major change to this emergency plan of action is to formalize an extraordinary No-Cost extension of two months of DREF timeline, until 6 May 2020. The extension is contributed to finalize the pending activities and payments due to cash liquidity issue and COVID-19 outbreak. The activities like procurement of RC backpack, spare parts for DPRK RCS vehicles which mobilized for DREF Operation, transportation of Essential Household items for rebalancing stockings of DP warehouses, etc. were delayed because the physical cash transfer channel was blocked due to COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent closure of borders to prevent the spread of virus from China . The normal fund transfer through bank channels are non-existent in DPRK due to UN sanctions.

A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

Typhoon Lingling formed on 2 September 2019 as a tropical depression and strengthened quickly into a tropical storm and then as a typhoon. On 7 September 2019, 2.00 PM local time, Typhoon Lingling struck the Kangryong Peninsula in South Hwanghae Province of DPRK with heavy rains and gale force winds.

Although Typhoon Lingling was weakened after making landfall, the rain belt caused by the Typhoon brought unstable weather, heavy downpour and unusually strong winds in DPRK. The wind speed was recorded to be more than 30 meters per second in many regions of the country. In some regions of Pyongyang City, South and North Hwanghae provinces, North Phyongan Province and South Hamgyong Province, there was heavy downpour exceeds more than 30mm per hour and 57-92cm high tidal wave in the eastern coastal areas of the country. In total, 6,362 people were displaced throughout the country. The rains led to destruction of houses in Yonggwang, Yodok, and Jangjin Counties, and Tanchon City in South Hamgyong Province. As more information has been made available, through assessments by the National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) of the DPRK RCS and figures released by the government, 1,292 households and 492 dongs1 have been displaced in South Hamgyong Province and the number of people displaced reached 4,636. DPRK RCS implemented a DREF operation and Call for Support with assistance from IFRC to respond to this disaster from May until October 2019. The unusual strong wind caused by Typhoon Lingling damaged 75,226 hectares of crops in many parts of the country.