Despite reports that flood waters would stabilize and possibly begin to recede over the weekend, flooding in northwest Cambodia worsened and continued to cause damage to homes, farmland and livestock.
Heifer Cambodia Country Director Keo Keang said that 61 farming famlies were evacuated in the Malay district, while more than 100 Heifer family homes were flooding. Two homes had sustained significant damage. Our farming families in this district are also facing food shortages and many are getting sick, Keang said. More than 200 Heifer chickens have died there, and more evacuations may be necessary in the coming days.
In the Preah Netr Preah district 532 families have been affected by the rising waters, mostly in the loss of rice farmlands, Keang said. Some farmers there have lost livestock, while others have managed to evacuate their animals to nearby pagodas. Families in both the Malay and Preah Netr Preah districts are struggling to find feed for their animals.
Heifer Cambodia is seeking food, shelter and medicines for the families affected by the floods. Heifer headquarters were notified October 1 by Keang that waters were reaching "alarming levels." Since then, Heifer Cambodia has been coordinating with other NGOs (World Food Program of the UN, National NGO Network) to provide immediate relief to flood affected families. Heifer Cambodia staff is in the field today and are preparing detailed reports.
Flooding is common during this time of year in Cambodia, but the recent storms dropped so much water on the region that overall, 83 people have died and nearly 300,000 acres of rice and corn fields have been damaged. All told, flooding has affected 800,000 people in the small developing country.
While Heifer International focuses on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty, we recognize natural disasters can render already vulnerable communities nearly helpless. Please consider donating to our Disaster Rehabilitation Fund, which helps these communities recuperate after natural disasters that temporarily overwhelm our development efforts.
