OCHA Situation Report No. 5 Vietnam - Floods 13 October 2000
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan expresses his condolences to victims of the Viet Nam floods and calls on donor community to contribute generously to the upcoming Inter-Agency Appeal. The Secretary General issued his statement in sympathy with the families of flood victims on 10 October 2000. On 10 October 2000, the Government of Vietnam requested that the United Nations in Hanoi launch a United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal for assistance. OCHA deployed a 5-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to Vietnam in keeping with an agreement between the Vietnamese Government and the UN Resident Coordinator. From 4 to 7 October the UNDAC team conducted a rapid field assessment mission to the severely affected provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang. The team was accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Viet Nam, the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control (CCFSC) and UNICEF. They held discussions with provincial and local People's Committees, and also with disaster victims in a number of locations. The following information is based on the findings of the mission. 1. Disaster situation Although the Mekong Delta floods annually, this year's floods are an exceptional phenomenon. The situation has been aggravated by the fact that last year's water receded a month later than usual, and this year's flooding began a month earlier than expected. The provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Tien Giang and Vinh Long have all been affected to a varying degree. It is anticipated that flood waters will recede in mid- or late November. Meanwhile torrential rains continue to batter much of the region due to a tropical depression which is gathering strength off the coast and threatens to make landfall late this week. 2. Impact On 8 October 315 people, of whom 234 were children, were reported to have died in the floods. On 10 October the UNICEF office in Hanoi gave the figure of 319 deaths due to the floods, and on 12 October the media reported as many as 340 deaths from the floods. Approximately 5 million people (815,000 households) have been affected by the disaster. Some 350,000 have been relocated, and another 335,000 people are still in need of relocation. In addition, 110,000 people need to be re-evacuated to safer areas. Over 815,000 houses have been inundated and damaged. Those who remain in in flood affected areas as well as those who have been relocated are all living in thoroughly unhygienic and cramped conditions. Over 70,000 ha of summer/autumn and third seasonal rice fields have been destroyed or damaged together with over 70,000 ha of subsidiary crops and fruit trees. Access to the affected areas is extremely difficult, rendering accurate assessment of infrastructural damage well-nigh impossible; it is, however, clear that the extent of infrastructural damage to roads, bridges, dykes, communications and electricity networks and wells is very high. As flood waters recede and water stagnates, disease will pose a growing threat to flood victims. Drinking water sources will become yet more polluted, and the swampy conditions will provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying dengue fever and malaria. Many health centres, clinics and hospitals have been damaged and their resources depleted. UNICEF reports that there have been no major outbreaks of disease so far, but there have been outbreaks of cholera in Laos and Cambodia, and it is likely that the disease will spread down stream towards Viet Nam. 3. National response A joint Government/UNDP Disaster Management Unit has was set up at the outset of the floods, and has been gathering, analysing and disseminating information as effectively as possible under the circumstances. So far the Government has provided circa US$ 5,3 million in emergency relief assistance including food, rice, boats and fishing nets, medicines, water purification tablets and cash. Relief goods are being distributed through provincial Peoples' Committees, supported by a network of the Viet Nam Red Cross Society workers and volunteers. 4. International assistance Considering that the national capacity to respond to disasters is being stretched to the limit by these overwhelming floods, the in-country UN system is currently compiling an appeal for victims of this disaster. The Appeal will be launched within the next few days, with the full support of the Vietnamese Government. According to a WFP report issued on 12 October, the 8,095 tons of rice already made available by the Vietnamese Government, IFRC, WFP and the Government of Germany through a bilateral donation, will suffice to cover the needs of the 350,000 most affected people up to the month of December. A further 6,000 tons will be required of the international donor community to cover the period from January to April 2001. By 11 October the international cash and in-kind contributions reported to OCHA Geneva amounted to US$ 4,314.702. These funds were donated to provide for food, medicine, emergency communications, rescue and fishing boats, fishing nets and mosquito nets and shelter and household kits for the flood victims. The Governments of Denmark (US$ 30,000), Luxembourg (US $ 331,704), the Netherlands (one UNDAC member), Norway (US$ 30,000), Sweden (one UNDAC member), and the United Kingdom (US$ 60,000 plus one UNDAC member) have all contributed through OCHA to the emergency flood relief effort in Viet Nam. On 10 October the UNDMT conducted a meeting with representatives of the relevant Government Ministries and of donor countries, the media and UN agencies active in the area to review the flood situation and the emergency response to date. In the course of this meeting discussions were opened on the forthcoming Appeal. It was mentioned that UNDP and OCHA had both released Emergency Grants, that WFP had committed resources to the purchase of food and to carrying out a field assessment mission. FAO has also carried out an assessment mission to some of the worst affected areas. UNICEF has provided medical kits, water containers, rubber boats and life vests amongst other items. The United Nations Population Fund is involved in relevant longer-term activities. OCHA mobilized its United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) to work under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator, and alongside the Government, in order to facilitate a coordinated response to the humanitarian needs resulting from the flooding. UNICEF, also on behalf of WHO, has taken part in a field assessment mission. Two UNDAC members have remained on-site to work on the Appeal. Also, the OCHA Regional Disaster Response Advisor for Asia will be deployed early next week to help finalize this Appeal. IFRC, has carried out an assessment, jointly with the Viet Nam Red Cross Society, and launched an appeal. The response to the appeal has been tremendous. International NGOs including OXFAM, World Vision and CARE, and a number of religious associations and individual donors have also been very active in responding to the Vietnam floods. 5. Needs Immediate needs (up to December 2000): The inter-agency appeal will take into account the following outstanding needs: - Boats and fishing nets - Temporary shelter materials - Water and sanitation - Essential drugs, including cholera vaccines - Supplementary food assistance - Seeds and fertiliser for the imminent rice planting season - The restoration of the education system. Mid- and long-term needs: - Continued supplementary food assistance until the harvest in March/April 2001 - Assistance in reconstruction and refurbishment of individual houses, school buildings, medical facilities, roads, bridges and dykes. - Further strengthening of prevention and preparedness measures, such as construction on higher ground, design of flood-protected buildings and reinforcement of dykes. OCHA is prepared to serve as channel for cash contributions to be used for immediate relief assistance, in coordination/consultation with relevant organizations in the United Nations system. Funds should be transferred to OCHA account No. CO-590.160.0, Swift code: UBSWCHZ12A at the UBS AG, P.O. Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: OCHA - Viet Nam - Floods. OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed. For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA Geneva, as indicated below, on relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding values by item. Any future updates on contributions to this disaster may be found by clicking on Financial Tracking at the top of the page for this disaster on the OCHA Internet Website (http://www.reliefweb.int). Donors are requested to verify this table and inform OCHA Geneva of corrections/additions/values. Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva of their contributions to this disaster using the OCHA Standardized Contributions Recording Format, available electronically in the above mentioned Financial Tracking Website. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34 Fax: +41-22-917 00 23 In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10 Desk Officers: Ms. S. Metzner-Strack / Mr. R. Mueller / Mr. S. Matsuka Direct Tel. +41-22-917 21 44 / 31 31 / 40 34 Press contact: (in GVA) Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53 (in NY) Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -