Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 21 October 2009
(Posted by CAAI News Media)
The damage from Typhoon Ketsana runs to around US$40 million in Cambodia, a statement from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) obtained on Tuesday said.
The storm, which killed at least 30 people, destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields, and local infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, schools and houses.
“We need to redevelop and restore the areas back for improving living conditions of our people after they were destroyed by the deadly storm,” Keat Chhon, MEF minister, said in the statement. “The damage from storm was worth over US$40 million and we regret the loss of lives, possessions and infrastructure.”
Funds are needed for projects to help the typhoon-hit regions, some of which are still flooded, he added. “Cambodia also has affects from the global financial crisis and currently it has suffered from a storm; these double difficulties for the country and economic growth for next year.”
Yesterday Oxfam American issued a press release appealing for aid to help the Ketsna victims.
“The hunger period has been prolonged, and people in flood affected communities cannot wait any longer,” Oxfam warned. It added that food assistance is not being delivered quickly enough to the affected communities, and thousands of families who are in need of urgent food assistance are still marooned by floodwaters.
Oxfam estimates that 15,000 households are waiting for immediate food assistance, and the number is increasing rapidly as floodwaters continue to recede slowly and many more families have used up their food stocks. Some households who received food assistance earlier were also running out of food for weeks, Oxfam said. “People in the flood affected regions needed food a month ago, and they are still waiting for food,” said Francis Perez, country head of Oxfam International in Cambodia. “Food insecurity is getting worse in the affected communities. Government bodies and international aid agencies concerned with the current situation must start delivering food assistance now.”
About 100,000 people have been affected by Ketsana, which coincided with annual floods in late September and early October. The storm affected both landowning farmers and landless labourers, depriving both groups of their livelihoods, Oxfam added
“Normally people facing disruptions in their livelihoods in the provinces would have family members migrate to Phnom Penh and other provinces to look for work. But the cities are already flooded with unemployed workers due to the global financial storm that has ravaged the country’s economy. So, that kind of coping strategy to stave off hunger may no longer be available as an option to those displaced by the floods,” the organization’s statement said. Oxfam has been distributing non-food items to about 5,000 families in three hard-hit provinces; Kampong Thom, Kratie and Stung Treng. Recognizing an eminent danger of food shortages among the affected communities, Oxfam has decided to urgently distribute food items to 1,000 families in addition to its non-food assistance. Oxfam continues to coordinate relief assistance with Government authorities and other agencies at the national and local levels. According to a report from the National Disaster Management Com- mittee, the Cambodian Red Cross has provided food and aid for victims, ensuring that nobody dies of hunger.
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