Extreme rainfall from three typhoons (Noul, Linfa, and Nangka) that hit in the first two weeks of October has severely affected people in central Vietnam and western Cambodia, and an incoming tropical depression is expected to worsen the situation.
As of 19 October, 102 people have died, close to 91,000 have been displaced, and more than 160,000 houses have been damaged by the prolonged heavy rain and flash flooding in central Vietnam.
“Many rural areas, especially in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces, have been totally isolated by floods these past four weeks,” says Fr Truong Van Phuc SJ, who heads the Jesuit Social Apostolate Ministry in Vietnam. “Many houses sank under water. We had to go by boat, which took around 30 minutes, to reach the affected communities.”
The Jesuits of Vietnam have launched a solidarity appeal to help people who are in need of food, shelter, water, medicines, and other non-food items. The current emergency response is phase one of the Jesuits’ relief programme. They plan to implement a second phase which will involve rebuilding livelihoods and houses.
“After the flood, we aim to provide livestock and seedlings to those affected as well as assistance in repairing damaged houses. We need the solidarity and financial support of many people to fulfill our plans,” says Fr Truong.
In Cambodia, tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate and hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmlands have been inundated.
“In my life I had never seen such large stretches of flooded fields. Many will lose their harvest and will have to see how they can get through till the next season,” shares Br Noel Oliver SJ during a visit to the village of Being KaNgaok about a 45-minute drive from Sisophon in Banteay Meanchey Province where Xavier Jesuit School is located.
In Banteay Meanchey alone, the flash floods had taken the lives of 15 people and affected almost 200,000 more. About 50,000 hectares of rice fields and 10,000 hectares of cassava plantation and other cash crops were completely flooded. Thousands of students have also been affected as schools in the province were not spared from the floods.
When flood water initially affected the entrance to Xavier Jesuit School, Fr Quyen Vu SJ got the staff to purchase a couple of truckloads of gravel so students could cross easily. However, the next day, water rose to knee-high level and the new school Director, Fr Jinhyuk Park SJ, had to temporarily close the school. The staff who were gathered on campus during a national holiday had to be brought to and from the school on a boat, which was loaned to the school by a local official as the water kept rising.
The Jesuits have offered their residence as temporary shelter for three families who had been staying with the school’s part-time security guard whose house was submerged in waist-deep flood. They will continue to stay at the Jesuit residence until it is safe for them to return home.
As more rain is in the forecast, the Jesuits ask for prayers for the affected families. Asia Pacific countries often lack capacities to deal with extreme weather patterns and events driven by climate change. The frequency and intensity of intermittent flooding during the monsoon season have serious consequences on the human, financial, infrastructure, and food security of the region, highlighting the need to reduce vulnerabilities and increase adaptation measures
Donations for Cambodia may be coursed through the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific and indicate “donation for Cambodia”: