World Vision Korea has sent 2,000 relief kits, worth $200,000, to help with the immediate needs of flood victims near Pyongyang, DPRK (North Korea).
This is the first relief shipment from any international agency for DPRK flood victims.
Around 30 staff and volunteers worked through the night to add additional urgent items to basic relief kits, including food. Each kit now contains flour, canned food, medicines, soap, towel, portable gas burner for cooking, clothes and water-proof mats.
In the departing ceremony held at Inchon Harbor on Monday afternoon, WV Korea's Goodwill Ambassador Park Sang-Won joined Executive Director Sam Park to see the lifesaving goods on their way.
The shipment is expected to arrive at Nampo Harbour, west of Pyongyang and close to many of the worst affected areas, around noon on Tuesday.
The recipient is Korea National Economic Cooperation Agency(KNECA), WV Korea's counterpart in North Korea for over 7 years.
The relief kits will be distributed to 2,000 households in the cooperative farms located in Duru Island, Pyongyang, where World Vision Korea has been operating a farming project. Duru Island is lowlying land and expected to be among one of the worst-affected areas.
While there is little information yet about conditions on the ground, it is estimated that around 300,000 people are now homeless, with well over 200 deaths (Korean Central News Agency). In addition, around one tenth of farmland has been flooded, effectively destroying much of this year's harvest.
The government has requested assistance including urgent provision of medicines and antibiotics to help treat the number of injuries and protect displaced communities from outbreaks of cholera and typhoid. GIK medical supplies are sought as a matter of urgency.
As the floods recede, the long-term impact will become more clear, including food shortages in the wake of crop destruction, and the need to rebuild schools, houses and clinics.
World Vision's humanitarian emergency response team hopes to gain access to affected areas within the next two weeks so that an accurate assessment of short and medium term relief needs can be made.
In the meantime, World Vision Korea will continue to support KNECA relief work in DPRK. World Vision Korea plans to commit $2.5 million worth of relief goods for emergency flood relief and rehabilitation of the damaged agricultural projects that World Vision has been operating in Pyongyang.
Spokespeople/interviews:
NB: Currently there are no World Vision spokespeople or communicators at the scene of the emergency.
Richard Rumsey, Regional HEA Director, Asia Pacific
Cell:+65 9137 2989
Victor Hsu, WV North Korea National Director
Office: 1-212-308-2098
Cell: 1-760-284-2036
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
