2013 flood response

 

CARE provided emergency relief to thousands of households in north-east and south-east Cambodia affected by flooding throughout September and October 2013.

 

Heavy rains and flash flooding caused an estimated 1.7million people to be affected by floods in 20 of the 24 provinces of Cambodia, with 168 people confirmed dead.

 

Following an assessment undertaken in partnership with Cambodia’s Provincial Committee for Disaster Management (PCDM) and other humanitarian organisations, CARE staff distributed emergency food and WASH supplies, including rice, clean water, hygiene kits and health supplies to families hardest hit by the floods in Ratanak Kiri and Prey Veng provinces. These emergency supplies were critical in helping to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, with the aim of keeping people healthy so they could return to school or work as soon as possible.

 

CARE provided this support to a total of 2,494 households across 54 villages in the two provinces. CARE had already been working in around 10 of these villages, where staff had built up relationships with local community members. Their strong presence in the area and local knowledge allowed teams to expand to also reach the other communities affected.

Those who received assistance included female headed households, families with more than four children, households with pregnant mothers or newborns, landless families, and families previously identified as among the poorest community members. Supplies were also distributed to those who had experienced instant loss of their assets as a result of the floods, such as damaged houses, lost livestock and destroyed crops.

 

Following the floods CARE has considered what other steps may be appropriate to help communities recover. At the same time, disaster risk reduction efforts across CARE’s program’s aim to ensure that communities are more prepared to withstand the effects of future events such as this.