UNICEF says six million children in Southeast Asia affected by Typhoon Yagi

UN’s children’s bureau says there’s an urgent request for entree to cleanable water, sanitation arsenic Red Cross mobilises relief.

Massive floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi person near astir six cardinal children crossed Southeast Asia struggling to entree cleanable water, food, and shelter, according to the United Nations children’s agency.

The astir almighty tempest to deed the portion this year, Yagi struck the Philippines successful aboriginal September earlier wreaking havoc crossed Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

More than 500 radical person been killed – astir 300 successful Vietnam, dozens successful Thailand and astatine slightest 236 successful Myanmar. Millions of radical determination person already been displaced by war.

“The astir susceptible children and families are facing the astir devastating consequences of the demolition near down by Typhoon Yagi,” June Kunugi, UNICEF determination manager for East Asia and Pacific, said successful a connection connected Wednesday. “The contiguous precedence indispensable beryllium to reconstruct the indispensable services that children and families truthful critically beryllium on, including cleanable water, education, and healthcare. The surge successful utmost upwind events successful Southeast Asia, exacerbated by clime change, is simply a bittersweet reminder that erstwhile disasters hit, susceptible children often wage the highest price.”

The UN humanitarian affairs bureau has said determination is an urgent request for food, drinking water, medicine, apparel and structure for those affected by the floods.

On Wednesday, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) made exigency appeals for Vietnam and Myanmar totalling 6.5 cardinal Swiss francs ($7.69m).

“This twelvemonth alone, the Asia Pacific portion has faced an unrelenting bid of climate-related disasters,” IFRC’s determination manager for Asia Pacific, Alexander Matheou, said successful a statement. “The devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yagi is conscionable the latest illustration of the compounding effects of the clime situation connected radical who are already successful susceptible situations. From typhoons, floods, and heatwaves to droughts, these crises deed 1 aft another, leaving small country for recovery.”

People successful Myanmar’s Bago portion queue for nutrient astatine a alleviation centre acceptable up wrong a monastery [Sai Aung Main/AFP]

UNICEF said it had confirmed harm to much than 850 schools and astatine slightest 550 wellness centres arsenic a effect of the typhoon, astir of them successful Vietnam. Assessments of the concern were continuing, it added.

It said successful Vietnam astir 3 cardinal people, including galore children, were astatine heightened hazard of illness due to the fact that the typhoon had chopped disconnected entree to harmless drinking h2o and sanitation. Some 2 cardinal children had besides been near without entree to education, psychosocial support, and schoolhouse feeding programmes.

Tens of thousands of children were affected successful bluish Thailand and Laos, it added.

“In Myanmar, the treble load of ongoing struggle and the catastrophic impacts of Typhoon Yagi has intensified the situation for communities already displaced by conflict, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation,” it said, noting 320,000 radical had suffered displacement arsenic a effect of the floods.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized powerfulness successful Myanmar successful a February 2021 coup, has appealed for planetary assistance to tackle the disaster, though the subject authorities has antecedently rejected oregon obstructed alleviation efforts, including aft Cyclone Mocha past year.