North Korean floods
From 7-14 August, The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had one of its heaviest rainfalls. In some parts of the country, 24 inches fell in 48 hours.
Monday 20 August 2007
According to government news agency reports, hundreds of lives have been lost and many more are missing. Tens of thousands of families have lost their livelihoods and shelter. Many school buildings, clinics and hospitals are damaged and non-functional.
The government was quick to invite the international community - UN, EUPS Units (the names given to international NGOs in the DPRK), EU, ECHO and bilateral donors/embassies - to visit some of the affected areas. Their findings suggest that damage is widespread. Road links to several communities have been cut because of damage to roads and bridges.
We're deeply concerned about the impact of the flooding on children in the DPRK. Families were evacuated at very short notice and were unable to carry anything with them. There is an urgent need for cooking equipment and other non-food items. Children and their families are currently living with relatives or in public buildings. Much of the agricultural land (perhaps as much as 20%) has been destroyed, which increases the risk of longer-term food security problems for a population that is already receiving international assistance because of a lack of food.
How we're responding
Save the Children (known locally as EUPS Unit 2) already has a health, water and sanitation programme in South Hamgyong province. We now plan to scale up our work there to provide healthcare and sanitation to 500,000 people (250,000 children) in four counties. We will be working closely with the City Management Authority and other local government structures to identify the most vulnerable children and their families, We plan to distribute health and hygiene kits, as well as providing health kits to clinics and county hospitals. We will also carry out essential repairs so that families have access to clean water.
Latest photos
Farmland has been inundated and washed away and houses, schools, public buildings, roads and railways have been destroyed.
Immediate needs are clothes, bedding, kitchen utensils and food items as children and families had to run to save lives and could not collect anything before escaping.
What you can do
We need US$1,000,000 to support our emergency response work.
Support our work by donating online via our secure webpages or call our donation hotline on 0800 8 148 148.
