The effect of Typhoon Ketsana has hit a number of Cambodia provinces on the night of September 29th 2009. Typhoon Ketsana has been killing dozen of people, destroying houses, livestock, livelihood, leaving hundreds displaced families and is another threat for thousand families who are being seriously affected, going to be affected. At least 12 people are killed after Typhoon Kesana slammed into Nortern parts of Cambodia since 29th evening, September 2009. According to the provincial authority, nine killed in Kampong Thom, one is dead in Siem Reap and 2 dead bodies were found in Rattanakiri province.
Kampong Thom province is not only hard hit the most by the Typhoon but also by the flash flood , destroying more than 100 houses and 400 other houses are badly damaged by heavy wins. While in Dambe district of Kampong Cham, 29 houses were fallen down, said the district governor. So far, there has no been report of the number affected families across the country but several province are being seriously affected, going to be affected and minor affected. Like wise, report from Rattanakiri, 2 houses in Pichchreada district were fallen as the trees were collapsed, fortunately no one got injured. Approximately 6 families are facing their rice yield covered by water rain and 20 hectares of yield were damaged by the heavy wind. While in Koh Nhek district, more thatn 1500 hectares of rice yield are covered by water and the transportation is interrupted.
In overall, the Typhoon has affected 7 provinces across the country of Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Rattanakiri, and Mondulkiri province.
Shortly after Typhoon hit, several relief NGOs including Oxfam, Caritas Cambodia, World Vision, Care, Muslim Aid, CWS and some other NGOs joined together to do joint assessment in Kampong Thom on the most affected area. As per joint assessment finding, needs identifications have been found and humanitarian assistances have been in need:
Food ( consider high priority need to the affected families)
Shelter
Water filters
Mosquito net
Hygiene tissue for women and
Tent
Intervention of Caritas Cambodia to the Typhoon affected families
Working on hand at the national level: Caritas regularly come to the Emergency Coordinating Meeting comprising of the government and NGOs in order to circulate, sharing and updating information about the Typhoon Ketsana.
At the fields work: Caritas Cambodia, one of the relief NGOs went to the affected areas shortly after the Typhoon occurred. The executive director of Caritas along with the disaster management teams, other program supporting teams and field staffs began doing the rapid assessment to find out the scope of destruction and need identification etc.
Caritas has taken responsibility to appealing to national and international communities also to Caritas Internationalis to ask for possible immediate relief response and long term response.
Immediate response:
As per joint assessment finding with other relief NGOs, and the National Committee for Disaster Management , needs identifications have found and humanitarian assistances have been in need:
Food
Shelter
Water filters
Mosquito net
Tent
Setting up health camps and psychological counseling is further needed. In order to help the affected families, initially Caritas has developed a proposal including 3000 families as beneficiaries from 4 provinces, of Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Rattanakiri and Preah Vihear, who are really in need of emergency relief as the following food and non-food items demonstrated as above.
Long term response:
Rehabilitation is another sooner approach to help the affected families and their destroyed community in order to rebuild livelihood, to connect social services, transportation facilities and bringing them other social basic needs. The village road, bridge, water well and other irrigation facilities which are very essential for the village people, are vastly damaged. Caritas aim at rebuilding Livelihood and restoring infrastructure for the victims of Ketsana and their community is essential. The rehabilitation shall include:
Rebuilding houses
Reconstructing health center and health post
Restoring infrastructure and irrigation facilities
Livelihood rehabilitation
Caritas’s Responses to the Typhoon affected families
Kampong Thom and Rattanakiri province
942 families in 3 communes of Kampong Svay district, Kampong Thom province have received relief assistances both food and non-food items supported by Caritas Cambodia. The relief distribution was taking place in Kampong Svay district office and was presided over the provincial governor, H.E. Chhin Chhorn and executive director of Caritas Cambodia.
Executive Director of Caritas Cambodia, Mr. Kim Rattana addressed to the Typhoon Ketsana victims in Kampong Thom province
Executive Director of Caritas Cambodia, Mr. Kim Rattana addressed to the Typhoon Ketsana victims in Kampong Thom province
This is the fourth distribution to the affected families in Kampong Thom.
The first distribution was done in the Catholic Church where 91 families were receiving relief items. Secondly, 506 families from Kampong Kou commune were provided the same relief to support their short term living. And the third distribution was for 197 families in Steung Sen town. The total numbers of 1736 families have received the relief food and non-food items from Caritas Cambodia.
Another relief distribution has taken place in Lumphat and Veunsai district, in Rattanakiri province. Totally 413 families are given food and non-food items from Caritas Cambodia. Any relief distribution received collaboration from local authority at all levels participating in.
Executive Director of Caritas Cambodia, Mr. Kim Rattana addressed to the Typhoon Ketsana victims in Kampong Thom province
Villager thumbprint to receive the relief in Rattanakiri province
Apart from relief distribution, Caritas Cambodia has taken another responsibility on health care in responding to the villagers. With a close collaboration with the ministry of health-health check up, medicine support is accessible to the villagers especially women, children and babies.
Caritas staffs and government staffs working together to provide health care, treatment and medicine to the needy villagers. This health care mobile group does help the villagers who are not able to access to health center as transportation facilities were cut off /destroyed….
