A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
Heavy rains, which started pouring on 11 August 2016 and continued to 20 August 2016, have caused flooding in five provinces of Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Initially, rains affected the provinces of Luangprabang, Oudomxay, Salavan and Xaignabouli on 11 to 18 August. As conditions began to improve, a week later there followed more rains fuelled by effects of Tropical Storm Dianmu, mainly affecting the province of Xiangkhouang.
According to information consolidated by the Lao Red Cross, at least 19,306 people (10,438 male and 8,868 female) have been affected, with five casualties reported thus far. The largest number of affected population is in Oudomxay Province.
There was some temporary displacement at the peak of flooding, due to evacuation of people from flooded sections to safer areas, but most residents have returned to their homes as floodwater recedes. However, vast farming areas are still flooded.
In some sections of Oudomxay and Xiangkhouang provinces, heavy rains caused localised landslides – in addition to flooding – with flooding also affecting some roads, slowing down the access to the impacted areas. A major challenge for the operation will be the access to remote communities and the poor road conditions at this time of the year.