Volunteers ride a boat through a flooded area, searching for stranded people following the impact of Typhoon Yagi in Taungnoo city, Myanmar, September 17, 2024. - Reuters
JAKARTA (Bernama): Asean has provided humanitarian assistance - valued at US$12,800 - in shelter and repair kits to support communities affected by Typhoon Yagi and severe flooding across Laos, the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) said.
AHA Centre confirmed that its In-Country Liaison Team (ICLT) facilitated the arrival of these supplies on Friday at Wattay International Airport in Laos.
The items were sourced from the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for Asean (DELSA) Regional Warehouse in Subang, Malaysia, according to the centre in its situation update regarding the impact of the disasters.
In partnership with Laos’ National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and Myanmar’s Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the centre is also sourcing additional relief supplies from the DELSA Satellite Warehouse in Chainat, Thailand.
"The ICLT will continue coordinating with the Laos NDMO on the arrival of upcoming relief items,” the centre stated.
In a further effort to address the crisis, two staff members from the In-Country Liaison Team (ICLT) in Yangon have arrived in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
They will assist with information management and emergency operations, working alongside Myanmar DDM to assess needs and explore support options from the Asean Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ERAT).
On the same day, the AHA Centre convened a special Governing Board Meeting to discuss ongoing disasters affecting member countries and the centre’s plans for continued disaster management support.
As of Friday, Typhoon Yagi, which struck on September 11, along with extensive flooding, has impacted Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, resulting in a total of 666 deaths and 148 missing persons.
In Laos, 15 provinces, including Vientiane Capital, have been affected, impacting approximately 185,800 people and resulting in seven deaths.
The estimated damage to infrastructure, including roads, schools, health facilities, houses, and farmland, stands at US$27.6 million.
In Myanmar, around 586,000 people have been affected, with 293 deaths and 88 individuals reported missing. The storm has damaged approximately 168,000 houses, 113 office buildings, and 996 schools.
In the Philippines, three million people have been affected, leading to 21 deaths, 26 missing, and 22 injured.
In Thailand, 30 provinces, including Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, have experienced significant impacts, affecting 150,400 households, resulting in 46 fatalities, with ongoing flooding reported in five provinces.
In Vietnam, the toll includes approximately 333 casualties - 299 deaths and 34 missing - along with 1,900 injured.
The storm has damaged over 234,980 houses and caused extensive agricultural losses, including 200,200 hectares of flooded rice (crop), with estimated damages totaling US$2.47 billion. - Bernama
