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Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (12 - 18 October 2021)

Countries
Thailand
+ 7 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

PHILIPPINES

About 40,000 people are currently displaced in the provinces of La Union and Ilocos Sur due to the impact of Severe Tropical Storm Kompasu (local name Maring). 14,000 displaced people are in 86 evacuation centers and 26,000 are in home-based settings. Disaster officials reported that 40 people died from flash floods and landslides while 18 others are still missing. Assessment reports show that 7,500 houses were either damaged or destroyed, and 68,000 hectares of agricultural land were affected with losses estimated at US$41 million. At least 21 affected local governments declared a “state of calamity” to access additional funding for faster relief and rehabilitation efforts. The humanitarian response remains within the capacity of local and national governments, with the Philippine Red Cross also providing assistance.

MYANMAR

The volatile security situation and escalating armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the local People’s Defence Forces in Chin State and neighboring Magway and Sagaing regions have displaced thousands of vulnerable people since May. The number of displaced people in Chin State has significantly increased to 21,420, with thousands more fleeing from the urban areas of Mindat and Kanpetlet townships in the first week of October. About 19,450 people remain displaced in Magway and Sagaing regions. In addition, about 7,600 people displaced by the earlier conflict between the MAF and the Arakan Army remain hosted in Paletwa Township of Chin State.
Humanitarian partners continue to scale up delivery of life-saving assistance, including food and protection services. Despite these efforts, access challenges and insecurity have hampered the humanitarian operations on the ground.

INDIA

Heavy rainfall of over 400 mm between 1 and 18 October has triggered floods and landslides in the state of Kerala, affecting all its 14 districts and resulting in 36 deaths. Nearly 5,000 people have been affected and are accommodated in over 100 relief camps.
Widespread damage to electricity infrastructure has been reported. Eleven teams of the National Disaster Response Force and one team of the Indian Army have been deployed for search and rescue operations. The State Inter Agency Group is coordinating response activities. The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall on 21 and 22 October.

INDONESIA

An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 at a depth of 10 km struck Bali Province in the early morning of 16 October, resulting in three deaths, 82 injured people and at least 580 damaged houses. 32 places of worship and four public facilities were also damaged. The hardest-hit Karangasem District declared an emergency response phase for seven days until 22 October. Local government offices, Indonesian military, police, Indonesian Red Cross and NGOs have conducted evacuation, provided immediate relief assistance and carried out assessments, with support from the provincial and national governments.

VIET NAM, LAOS, CAMBODIA, & THAILAND

Tropical Storm Kompasu, which later weakened into a tropical depression and then a low-pressure area on 14 October, brought heavy rain to Viet Nam, Laos,
Cambodia and Thailand. In Viet Nam, flooding and landslides were reported in Yen Bai and Quang Nam Provinces, causing some damage to the built environment. In Laos, floods were reported in parts of six southern provinces. In Cambodia, heavy rain caused Sangke and Pursat Rivers to overflow. In Thailand, 3,000 households in six provinces were affected. The situation remains within the response capacity of local/national governments.

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