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UN and partners seek $40 million for flood-affected people in Viet Nam

Страны
Вьетнам
Источники
UNCT Viet Nam
Дата публикации

KEY FIGURES

PEOPLE EXPOSED TO FLOODING
7.7M

PROVINCES AFFECTED
9

PEOPLE AFFECTED
1.5M

PEOPLE TARGETED FOR ASSISTANCE
177K

FUNDING REQUESTED (US$)
$40M

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

i. Deliver immediate, life-saving assistance to those in the most urgent need, in support of the Government response and in line with Government requests for assistance.

ii. Ensure the most vulnerable people, including women and children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, and LGBTIQ persons, are protected against violence and have equal access to humanitarian assistance and services without discrimination.

iii. Prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases and effectively monitor risks to the health of the affected population, including the nutrition status of vulnerable people such as pregnant and lactating women and children under five years of age. Deliver assistance in a manner that minimises the risk of COVID-19 for disaster-affected people.

iv. Ensure access to multi sectoral assistance and re-establish critical services. Promote the repair of key public service infrastructure in affected provinces, ensure food security, by restoring lost food stock, livestock and livelihoods, ensure access to sustainable drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene supplies, housing, replacement of productive assets and household items, and access to basic medical, social and public services to support the affected population transition to recovery and rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 13 October, the Government of Viet Nam released a call for emergency relief and support following four tropical cyclones and the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone which combined have caused severe and widespread flooding, landslides, storm surge and strong winds since 6 October. As of 28 October, 214 people have reportedly been killed or are missing, according to the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VNDMA). An estimated 7.7 million people live in areas affected by flooding caused by the multiple storms, with some 1.5 million people in nine provinces directly affected and approximately 380,000 houses flooded, damaged or destroyed. Of those people directly affected by the current disaster, some 753,000 are women and girls, 134,000 are children under five, and 143,000 are over 65 years old.

On the morning of 11 October, Tropical Storm Linfa (Storm No. 6) made landfall in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces in central Viet Nam, resulting in 150 to 300 mm of rain. This was followed on 14 October by Tropical Storm Nangka (Storm No. 7) which made landfall in northern Viet Nam, but also brought a further 150 mm of rain to the still flooded provinces of central Viet Nam. On 16 October, tropical depression INVEST 94W in the East Sea weakened into a low-pressure area and made landfall in the central provinces, and was subsequently followed by Tropical Storm Saudel (Storm No. 8) which made landfall in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces on 25 October. On 28 October, Tropical Cyclone Molave (Storm No. 9) made landfall in approximately the same area as Tropical Storm Linfa, with up to 700 mm of rain reported in Nghe An and Ha Thinh provinces and up to 400 mm of rain in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces.
In Quang Ngai province, some 17,000 people were evacuated because of the strong winds and rain. Between 5 and 20 October, VNDMA reported that many areas in central Viet Nam recorded a total rainfall of more than 2,400 mm, and in some locations, flood waters exceeded the previous historical high recorded in 1979 and 1999.

As of 29 October, nine provinces have been affected by the cumulative impacts of the multiple storms including Tropical Cyclone Molave. These are, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Nghe An, Binh Dinh and Kon Tum provinces, with Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces most severely affected.

Following Tropical Cyclone Molave, more than 88,000 houses and 50 schools had their roofs blown off, the majority in Quang Ngai province, and some 375,000 people were evacuated to evacuation centres. Those in the evacuation centres are amongst the most vulnerable having had their houses damaged or destroyed and having lost key household items in the floods. Many of the evacuation centres are overcrowded, do not have access to sufficient basic facilities such as water and sanitation, and health care, and lack appropriate management needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to mitigate protection risks especially for women and children.

As well as damage to houses, some 30,000 hectares of agricultural land has been damaged (including rice, other crops, and aquatic products) and more than 2 million cattle and poultry have been killed. This is likely to have severe impacts on food security and livelihoods, especially for those people who were already experiencing adverse economic impacts due to COVID19. Further, more than 360 schools have been flooded and damaged, with detrimental impacts on children’s ability to continue accessing education. In addition, more than 78 health centres and hospitals have also been damaged or flooded.

To date, the delivery of assistance has been hampered by extensive damage to public transportation infrastructure. VNDMA reports that more than 165 km of national highway, 140 km of local roads and three bridges have been heavily damaged. Rescue teams are accessing affected areas by boat to deliver relief items and to evacuate vulnerable people, prioritizing children, people with disabilities and elderly people. Communication has also been hampered by the loss of electricity in many affected areas.

The areas most severely affected by flooding are also those same provinces which experienced a second wave of COVID19 cases in July and August. Following the outbreak of the second wave of COVID-19, a further thirty days of lockdown measures were implemented from 28 July to 5 September, with adverse socio-economic impacts for the region which already records higher than national average multidimensional poverty rates. As a consequence of COVID-19 related measures, the most vulnerable people had already had their coping capacities eroded prior to this current disaster and are thus in more acute need of immediate assistance to help them manage the current, compound crisis.

From 20 and 23 October, joint GovernmentUN-NGO assessments were undertaken in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai provinces. Key findings from the assessments include the need for emergency food assistance for 177,000 of the most vulnerable people, restoration of agricultural land, safe access to clean water and sanitation facilities including in health centres and schools, the provision of dignity kits for women and girls, provision of education supplies and alternative learning solutions to ensure continuity of learning, support for those people evacuated from their homes, repairs for damaged houses, replacement of basic household items, health support especially maternal and child health, risk communication activities, provision of micro nutrients and continuation of nutrition activities to prevent an increase in rates of malnutrition.

Protection has been identified as a key need in this response, including the immediate need to ensure protection and safeguards for women and children currently living in evacuation centres. Partners involved in the development of this plan have also highlighted the need to provide assistance in a gender-responsive manner that addresses the specific needs of women and girls. The Government has requested that all relief activities target the most vulnerable people, including poor, near poor, people living with disabilities, children, femaleheaded households and elderly people, which are the target populations for this response plan.