Vietnam: emergency funds sought following Durian
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an emergency appeal for 2.97 million Swiss francs ($2.47 million USD/ 1.87 million) to support the Vietnam Red Cross in assisting 98,000 people affected by Typhoon Durian.
Residents in southern parts of Vietnam are still reeling from the storm, which made landfall in the Mekong Delta on 5 December, killing an estimated 67 people and ripping the roofs off of more than 170,000 homes. Almost 50 people are still missing and over 22,000 large and small boats were sunk.
"Relief is getting through to most areas, but in Quang Nam province, the mountainous districts of Nam Tra My, Bac Tra My and Phuoc Son, which are home to about 150,000 people, remain cut off by flood waters," said Tao Vandang, who heads the International Federation's disaster management operation in Vietnam.
In response to the emergency, the Vietnam Red Cross immediately mobilized around a thousand of its local staff and volunteers, who have been delivering relief supplies, helping to repair damaged homes and assessing the needs of vulnerable people over the past few days.
The National Society has already distributed packages of blankets, mosquito nets and water containers to 2,000 families hardest hit by the disaster. The Ho Chi Minh Red Cross chapter has also delivered 2.4 tons of rice, as well as instant noodles, medicine and clothes to families in need.
In addition, the International Federation released 100,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund on 6 December to ensure the rapid distribution of emergency assistance.
Durian, which was downgraded to a tropical storm after it wreaked havoc in the central Philippines last week, is the second major disaster of its kind to hit Vietnam since early October.
"Just two months ago, Typhoon Xangsane caused massive destruction and heartbreak," said Irja Sandberg, the International Federation's representative in Vietnam. "Some areas have been completely flattened by these storms and the people suffering the most come mainly from poor coastal fishing villages, where many families have lost their homes, their boats and their sources of income."
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