Southeast Asia Flooding
November 2011
The Situation:
2011 typhoons and tropical storms have lashed out on much of southeast Asia with uncommon regularity from June to December. Though the region’s normal monsoon season extends from May to October, the intensity and frequency of these storms has led to massive flooding and landslides throughout the area. This has led to hundreds of thousands displaced from Thailand to the Philippines, as well as many dead and missing.
Heavy rains from June to November on the Indochina peninsula led to 762 deaths in Thailand, 250 deaths in Cambodia, 100+ deaths in Myanmar (Burma), 100+ deaths in Vietnam, 30+ deaths in Laos and 60+ deaths in the Philippines (Luzon central island). The overall number of those affected range in the millions.
One of the most heavily hit communities throughout the region were rural agriculturalists. In Cambodia and Thailand huge agricultural areas of were under water for months. Thailand also had submerged urban areas, including industrial estates for significant producers of computer hard drives, car parts and a Honda car factory.
On the night of December 16 tropical storm Washi (local name Sendong) ravaged the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Many people in the area were still sleeping when heavy rains and water from three different rivers burst their banks. The wall of water swept entire homes, and the families inside, into the open sea. In some places mudslides washed away or completely covered homes. The force of waters was so great that bodies were recovered as far as 140 miles from their homes. NASA has confirmed the rainfall intensity at between 12 and 16 inches in the course of two days over northwestern Mindanao island where most of the people lost their lives. Some of the rain fell in the mountains and came rushing down narrow rivers, carrying felled trees and debris, causing added hazards.
As of late December the death toll in the Philippines is over 1250 people. The Philippine government also estimates about 430,000 people are staying in schools, other temporary housing or are lodging with friends and relatives.
ELCA Response:
On November 2, the ELCA committed $50,000 to efforts in Thailand. The response in Thailand is being coordinated by our companions in the region, Church World Service (CWS-Asia/Pacific) and the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT). They are focusing on some of the hardest hit provinces (Chiang Mai, Chainat, Uthaithani, Phatumthani, and Ayutthaya) and will be reaching out to approximately 22,400 households. There efforts will include supplying immediate food aid of twice-a-day hot meals and 18,800 food boxes to families, providing 2,500 survial kits of food and hygiene items, repairing shelters for 500 families and providing livelihood recovery for 500 fisherman and 150 daily food providers.
The ELCA committed $100,000 for Cambodia on November 2nd and is responding through CWS and Life With Dignity (LWD), an associate program of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). These companions will be working with other local partners. The initial response is over a 6-month period of time from Oct 2011-Mar 2012. It will include the distribution of 8,859 food packages and two-week supplies of water/well purification tablets to the most affected and poorest families in six provinces (Battambang, Kampong Thom, Preah Veahar, Prey Veng, Kampong Chhnang and Pursat). They will also be providing support to restore livelihood activities for 5,000 families within flood-affected communities.
In the Philippines the ELCA is in contact with its companions on the ground, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines and LWF, as they work with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) to assess the situation and their response. The immediate response has been an opening of undamaged church buildings to those displaced by the storm. There has also been an appeal released that will include food distribution to 6,000 families of rice, canned goods, dried fish, mushrooms, sugar, salt and cooking oil. The families will also receive health kits, bedding, mosquito netting, water containers and kitchen utensils. Other activities will include livelihood development, psycho-social care and disaster risk reduction education for the heaviest hit and most vulnerable communities.
What you can do:
Pray:
As the peoples affected throughout Southeast Asia continue to dig-in for the long-haul of the affects from growing disaster, please pray for individuals and families who had homes and livelihoods disrupted and destroyed. Please pray also for the organizations and people who work on their behalf. For prayer petitions, check out the ELCA worship resource on natural disasters 
.
Study and Share:
As you follow the situation in secular media, please check out these other resources for stories of how the ELCA and its companions are engaging in the situation.
Give:
Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response help us to provide immediate and effective support to communities which are in need. Please consider giving to support the needs of this response and others like it. Information on different ways to give is provided in the left sidebar. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
Return to Disaster Response Home Page