Disaster Relief

“UNICEF warned Sunday that lost and orphaned children were among the most vulnerable survivors of the earthquake in South Asia and would need urgent help to survive in the cold and mountainous areas.

They would need assistance to find surviving relatives and eventually to overcome the trauma of the disaster, David Bull, executive director of the UN’s Children Fund in Britain, told the BBC World Service.

“We know that children in an earthquake situation are vulnerable to injury, cold, hunger, distress, illness, exploitation and the loss of their active education, separation from their families,” he said.” [Read more] READ MORE

“Following a massive earthquake in Pakistan that affected also Afghanistan and India, the United Nations is working with the governments of those countries on an emergency response.” [More] READ MORE

“Typhoon Damrey, which came ashore on the eastern coast of Viet Nam one week ago, prompted the evacuation of some 600,000 persons and caused extensive damage throughout the country. At least 59 individuals in the country were killed as a result of the typhoon, and 13 others were injured.

Storm surges broke several sea dykes in Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa provinces, and seawater penetrated inland some three to four kilometres in coastal provinces. Flash floods damaged more than 11,000 dwellings, destroying more than 1,000. More than 130,000 hectares of rice fields due for harvest have been submerged. Damage to roads, bridges and telephone lines has left several villages inaccessible. Including damage to transport, power supply, education and health infrastructure, the total destruction has been estimated at approximately $5.3 million.” [More] READ MORE

UN News Service: “The United Nations has mobilized three inter-agency teams to aid the United States’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina and further deployments may occur within the next few days, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

The teams span the whole gamut of UN humanitarian activities from food and health to refugees and children and have been assembled following the US acceptance of help from the world body in the face of the enormous devastation caused by the hurricane.” READ MORE

“The United Nations announced today that the United States Government has accepted the world body’s offer of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

A small UN Coordination team is in Washington now consulting with government officials on how the UN can best complement the US’s own emergency efforts.” [Full story] READ MORE

UN News Service: “The top United Nations emergency relief official has offered the United States the world body’s help in “any way possible” following the loss of life and large-scale destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the US Gulf Coast. The offer was made in a letter from Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland to US Ambassador John Bolton.” READ MORE