Brussels – In response to the typhoons and flooding that are seriously affecting South East Asia, the European Commission has allocated €10 million to support the emergency response and provide relief to between 500,000 and 1 million of people in the flood-hit countries.
“In a region which is ever-prone to natural disasters, this year’s monsoon season has been particularly fierce, causing loss of life, damage to infrastructure and property and destroying livelihoods said Kristalina Georgieva, the European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
“After careful assessment of the humanitarian needs in Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand, the Commission is responding to the needs of those affected by the floods,” Commissioner Georgieva explained.
The priorities are:
- Health and sanitation (mobile clinics, hygiene education, latrines)
- Food assistance, and short-term livelihood support (“food-for-work” projects, seeds and agricultural tools)
- Temporary shelters and non-food items such as household items, hygiene kits, cooking utensils, water canisters
- Boats, satellite phones and other equipment for logistics and telecommunications
- The funding will bolster the efforts of humanitarian organizations who are working hard to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and help those who have lost their crops and livestock rebuild their livelihoods. Non-governmental organizations, UN bodies, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will turn the Commission’s support into tangible relief for those affected.
Background
The Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Thailand have been lashed by successive tropical storms, typhoons and continuous heavy rainfall since July 2011. The flooding has killed over 600 people in the region while 7.4 million people have been affected. Infrastructure and private property, agricultural fields have suffered substantial damage.
The ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT) has also been activated and an assessment team has been deployed to Thailand. The European Commission has been supporting ASEAN efforts to bolster its disaster management capacity.
The Commission is a long-term provider of humanitarian assistance in South East Asia, where it brings relief to the victims of displacement, conflict and natural disasters and where it advocates and supports measures for disaster preparedness and risk reduction. In 2010 and 2011, the European Commission’s has been providing humanitarian assistance worth more than €65 million in the region.
For more information
Commissioner Georgieva’s website:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/georgieva/index_en.htm
The European Commission’s humanitarian aid:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
Contacts :
David Sharrock (+32 2 296 89 09)
Irina Novakova (+32 2 295 75 17)
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