WFP is providing first emergency food assistance to families in southern Laos where Typhoon Ketsana, the same one that hit the Philippines on September 26, has caused more severe floods, this time affecting some 250,000 people.
WFP has provided eleven metric tons of rice and 3,200 cans of fish to meet the energy and nutritional needs of more than 3,000 flood victims in the worst hit areas of southern Laos . More rice and canned fish are already on the way to the crisis zone.
These initial food distributions will be followed by a larger scale emergency response to meet the needs of all affected families.
Sekong and Attapeu areas were hit hardest by the Ketsana, which arrived in Laos on Wednesday, destroying crops, depleting vital food stocks and impacting some 250,000 people.
"Lost everything"
“People have lost everything: shoes, clothes, food, household items,” said Hyunjung Kim, WFP Head of Sub-office in Saravane, after joining a government helicopter flight over Kaleum and Lamarm districts on Friday.
In Attapeu, more than 90 per cent of land has been flooded. Out of a total population of 117,000 people, 110,000 are affected and hundreds of homes are submerged.
“There is water as far as the eye can see. Rivers are converging across roads now,” reported Caitlin Makin, Head of WFP sub-office in the provincial capital. “We are ready to provide food stored at our office as soon as the flood waters recede,” she added.
Latest disaster for region
WFP is working in close cooperation with the Lao government to assess the emergency needs and provide food assistance quickly. The agency is also soliciting funding from donors to assist in this urgent relief effort.
This is the latest natural disaster in South East Asia after weeks of heavy rains and tropical storms continue to plummet several countries in the region, including the Philippines, where an estimated 3 million people have been affected by severe flooding and more than a million have fled their homes.
“We are extremely concerned about people getting back on their feet following such devastating destruction,” said WFP’s executive director, Josette Sheeran.
