The United Nations allocates over US$ 4 million for emergency disaster response in Viet Nam

Typhoon Damrey made landfall on 4 November, causing widespread flooding and destruction across the central and south-central regions of Viet Nam. An estimated 4.33 million people have been affected, including 400,000 people who require humanitarian assistance. An Emergency Cash Grant of US$ 100,000 from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was allocated on 15 November to support immediate relief operations. The additional funding from CERF will allow UN agencies to scale up water, sanitation and hygiene, food security and livelihoods, and emergency shelter recovery activities after more than 300,000 houses were damaged or destroyed.

“The UN’s CERF funds will cover immediate life-saving needs and support time-critical interventions over the next six months,” said Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam. “Typhoon Damrey and the ensuing floods have severely impacted people in central Viet Nam. In close collaboration with the Central Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (CCNDPC), the Viet Nam Red Cross and other partners, the UN is stepping up its support to ensure that the most vulnerable people are protected and rehabilitated.”

CERF funding will allow four UN agencies - FAO, IOM, UNDP and UNICEF -  to meet the most urgent needs of affected communities. The agencies will use the funding to provide people whose homes have been damaged with shelter materials and cash grants to make repairs; water filtration systems and hygiene kits to prevent the spread of disease; and unconditional cash transfers and vouchers to compensate for the loss of livelihoods and to procure agricultural supplies.

The UN in Viet Nam estimates that following Typhoon Damrey, US$ 60.48 million will be required over the next 12 months both to address short and medium-term needs, and to strengthen the resilience of communities vulnerable to recurrent disasters.

For further information, please contact:

• Ms Jessica Holterhof, Office of the Resident Coordinator, Tel: (+84-4) 3850 0189, Mobile: (+84) 169 293 7677, Email:jessica.holterhof@one.un.org
• Mr Trinh Anh Tuan, UN Communications Manager a.i., Tel : (+84-4) 3850 0193, Mobile: (+84) 90 329 6393, Email:trinh.anh.tuan@one.un.org