During his trip to Vietnam, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced an additional $2 million in humanitarian assistance to support response efforts following Typhoon Molave and ongoing severe flooding that has impacted central Vietnam since early October. Typhoon Molave, which made landfall in central Vietnam on October 28, is the ninth tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year and follows weeks of torrential rain and landslides resulting in 174 dead or missing and an estimated 1.5 million people adversely affected. With this new funding, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and USAID/Vietnam are ramping up efforts to meet emergency needs in communities impacted by Vietnam’s historic typhoon season. It is estimated that the provinces impacted by the flooding are home to over 200,000 persons with disabilities, of whom 61,000 persons with disabilities are directly affected by this disaster.
Apart from an initial $100,000 in relief directed through the Vietnam Red Cross Society, USAID/Vietnam is also directing $234,000 in development funding through local partners to assist persons with disabilities affected by the floods by providing them with food, kitchen, sanitary items, and at least 400 water filtration systems. Additionally, vulnerable students, including children with disabilities at six schools will receive replacement seating and school materials. This brings the total funding from USAID for people impacted by the floods to more than $2.3 million to date.
So What? As the historic storm season rages on in Vietnam, USAID has quickly mobilized funding to support the most vulnerable people in Vietnam, including persons with disabilities, to address immediate food, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene needs, and support affected families who have lost their livestock and farms as they get back on their feet.