OCHA Situation Report No. 3
Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Floods
19 October 2001


The Government of DPR Korea has requested international assistance.

Situation and Damage in Kangwon Province

1.  The heavy rain and sea surges which flooded DPR Korea on 9 and 10
October 2001, and the strong winds which tore roofs from houses, schools
and factories, took a severe toll on the population and the rugged
landscape of the eastern coast of the country.  As previously reported by
OCHA on 16 October, the disaster left 81 people dead and 84 seriously
injured, while 33 others are still missing.

2.  Several assessment missions have been conducted in the worst affected
province, Kangwon, including an Inter-Agency Assessment Mission and
independent missions fielded by the Government's Flood Damage
Rehabilitation Committee (FDRC), the OCHA Office in the DPR Korea and the
International Federation of the Red Cross.  Some 4,000 houses are
confirmed to have been either completely destroyed or rendered
uninhabitable, and government figures maintain that as many as 31,500
homes have been affected in this disaster. While concrete figures on the
number of homeless are not available, it is clear that large numbers of
people have lost not only their homes but also their belongings because of
flash floods that swept houses away.

3.  The OCHA Humanitarian Affairs Officer based in Pyongyang painted a
grim picture in his description of a two day journey through the affected
province on 17 and 18 October:  the sewage system in Wonsan, the principal
city of Kangwon, had broken down and the water supply to most of the city
remained cut off.  Government-hired teams were cleaning up the rubble.
The railway line and the roads through Tongchon county had been badly
damaged, often by landslides which had been triggered by floods in
deforested areas. People on the beaches outside Tongchan city were
pointlessly salvaging rice washed into the sea several days before.
Damage to the road between Pyongyang and Wonsan in over sixteen different
places revealed soft sub-grade soil beneath the ruined paving, signalling
a high risk of flooding in the event of future rain.

4.  Conversations with farm managers revealed that no surplus food would
be available for the Public Distribution System this season, and the
farmers expected to run out of food within 2 to 4 months. The Tongchon
county FDRC chairman described the food supply situation as the worst he
had ever seen.


Immediate Needs

5.  These remain as listed in OCHA's second situation report on the flood
damage:

   5,000 MT of food
   30,000 blankets
   12,000 items of underwear, socks and shoes
   120 MT of chlorine for water treatment
   5,000 kitchen utensils
   antibiotics and diarrhoea remedies for 500,000 people
   items for rehabilitation work (600 MT of diesel oil, 300 MT of petrol,
     12,000 of cement, 120 MT of iron sheeting and 60 MT of steel bar)


National and International Response

6.  The World Food Programme already provides food assistance to
vulnerable groups in the disaster struck area, but the numbers of the
vulnerable will now swell considerably.  WFP will closely monitor the food
situation in the province in the coming year.

7.  In response to the FDRC request for international assistance issued on
16 October, and in support of the IFRC Emergency Appeal for approximately
US$ 506,200 launched the same day, OCHA will release two emergency grants;
US$ 30,000 from its own resources, and US$ 20,000 from funds held in
OCHA's Emergency Grant Reserve by the Government of Norway. The funds will
cover procurement and distribution of relief items for the homeless of
Kangwon province. Emergency supplies purchased will include blankets,
clothing, water containers, plastic and cooking sets, as proposed to OCHA
and IFRC by the National Red Cross. Distribution will be undertaken by the
National Red Cross and will be monitored by IFRC delegates and the OCHA
Humanitarian Affairs Officer stationed in Pyongyang.

8.  OCHA is prepared to serve as a 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 the following account:

Bank's Name:       Chase Manhattan Bank, NY
Address:           International Agencies Banking
                   1166 Avenue of the Americas
                   17th Floor
                   New York, NY 10036-2708, USA
Account's Name:    United Nations Geneva General Fund
Account's Number:  485-001802
SWIFT Code:        CHASUS33ABA code 021000021
Reference:         OCHA - DPR Korea - Floods


9.  OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and pertinent details
concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.

10.  For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA
Geneva, as indicated below, on relief missions/pledges/contributions and
their corresponding values by item.

11.  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 on the above mentioned Financial Tracking Website.

12.  OCHA is in contact with its Office in Pyongyang, and will revert with
further information, as it becomes available.

13.  This situation report, together with further information on ongoing
emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Mr. J. McGoldrick / Mr. R. Mueller / Ms. S. DeSouza / Mr. S. Matsuka /
  Mr. K. Quiding
  Direct Tel. +41-22-917 1712 / 3131 / 1636 / 4034 / 1769

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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