Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam: Switzerland supports humanitarian response
In Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi caused a disaster that the country had not seen in thirty years. Floods and landslides followed the heavy winds. At the request of the Vietnamese authorities, Switzerland deployed a team from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit and relief supplies. It has allocated CHF 1 million to meet urgent and medium-term needs.
After initially passing over the Philippines and China, Typhoon Yagi hit Vietnam on 7 September 2024 with wind speeds of over 200 km/h. It is the strongest cyclone to have hit Vietnam in the last 30 years. The northern coastal areas and the northwestern mountain region were particularly hard hit, with the typhoon causing flooding in numerous villages and major landslides. The evacuations and other preventive measures implemented by the authorities have helped to minimise the number of victims. Nevertheless, thousands of people required evacuation, and to date, several hundred people are reported dead or missing. In addition, the typhoon caused extensive damage to agriculture and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice. On 9 September, the Vietnamese government issued an appeal for aid to the international community.
Switzerland swiftly offered its assistance. The SDC has dispatched a team of experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit. The team, comprising specialists in water and sanitation, emergency shelter, and disaster risk reduction, supported the Vietnamese authorities in assessing needs and formulating short- and medium-term responses. It set up its operational base in the disaster area in the severely affected province of Yên Bái and was the only international team providing support there.
Access to water, debris management and livelihoods
90% of households in the province consume water from wells that have been contaminated by heavy rainfall. The Swiss team has procured 16 well cleaning kits and instructed the authorities on how to use them. These kits will enable around 7,000 people per month to access drinking water.
Many roads in the province are blocked due to the landslides. The Swiss team has rented excavators and trucks from local road construction companies for two weeks. These are being used to make roads passable again, thus ensuring access for around 50,000 people with to essential services such as schools, health centres and markets.
@SwissAmbVietnam, social media platform X, 23.09.2024
In addition, the team worked closely with local authorities to implement a project that provides more than 621 households with USD 430 per household for the next three months for participating in reconstruction efforts. These targeted financial grants will enable 2,500 economically disadvantaged people who have lost their livelihoods to quickly regain a source of income.
Relief items
Switzerland sent 300 family tents, 5 multipurpose tents and water distribution systems for 10,000 people. The relief supplies were handed over to the provincial authorities of Yên Bái on Tuesday 17 September 2024. They will be distributed to the affected population by the local authorities. Switzerland also financed the delivery of 3,000 hygiene kits, which the ASEAN distributed in the affected area.
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