The UN has approved an additional sum of 4.21 million USD from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving assistance to victims of recent Typhoon Damrey in Viet Nam.

A woman walks along a street full of debris caused by Typhoon Damrey in the ancient UNESCO heritage site of Hoi An (Photo Reuters/VNA)

The fund will benefit 150,000 people, including 46,973 children, in 6 storm-affected provinces.

Typhoon Damrey made landfall on 4 November, causing widespread flooding and destruction across the central and south-central regions.  An estimated 4.33 million people have been affected, 400,000 of whom require emergency humanitarian assistance.

An Emergency Cash Grant of 100,000 USD from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was allocated on 15 November to support immediate relief operations.

The additional CERF funding is used by 4 UN agencies - FAO, IOM, UNDP and UNICEF - to meet the most urgent needs of affected communities.  The agencies will 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’s CERF funds will cover immediate life-saving needs and support time-critical interventions over the next 6 months,” said Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam.

(Source: VNA)