Vietnam, aid to communities affected by super typhoon Yagi in the north of the country: 19 million people in the most affected areas, including 5.5 million children

ROMA – In Vietnam l’UNICEF provided government partners with water supplies to distribute to households, hospitals, health facilities and schools in three provinces hardest hit by Super Typhoon Yagi. The typhoon was the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades, making landfall on September 7, causing severe storm damage, widespread flooding, landslides and flash floods.

The most affected provinces. Nearly 19 million people, including 5.5 million children, live in the worst-affected provinces, including Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho. Typhoon Yagi devastated 26 northern provinces, leaving 324 people dead or missing, including 24 children.* It damaged an estimated 141,469 homes, 550 health facilities and 805 schools, while some 400,000 homes lack access to safe drinking water. Some two million children lack access to education, psychosocial support and school feeding programmes.

Emergency interventions. In support of the Vietnamese Government’s response, UNICEF has urgently sent 80,000 water purification tablets to the Center for Disease Control in Thai Nguyen Province and 4,000 liters of water to Lao Cai Provincial Hospital to ensure safe water supplies for 800 people. In the coming days, UNICEF will deliver water purification tablets, water tanks, hand sanitizer and soap to government partners for distribution to families, schools and health facilities in Yen Bai and Lao Cai provinces.

A tragic reminder. “UNICEF is committed to supporting the Government of Viet Nam to ensure children and families have access to essential services,” said Silvia Danailov, UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam. “We have already started providing life-saving assistance and are mobilizing resources to meet the enormous needs. Too many children have had their access to essential services such as clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education cut off, and swift action to restore these lifelines is urgently needed. The devastation caused by the typhoon is a tragic reminder of the disproportionate impact that extreme weather events, intensified by climate change, have on children.”