Sri Lanka
Heavy rains and strong winds have caused severe flooding and landslides in several parts of the country over the past week, affecting 56,000 people and displacing over 5,000 people from their homes. According to the Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka, 11 districts, namely Trincomalee, Galle, Kilinochchi, Kalatura, Gampaha, Colombo,
Puttalam, Ratnapura, Kandy, Hambantota and Kegalle have been affected, with Gampaha being hardest hit. Level three landslide evacuation warnings were issued in several regions of Kalutara, Ratnapura and Nuwara Eliya districts. Heavy showers above 100 mm and high winds are expected to continue in the coming days.
Myanmar
In Rakhine state, fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan Army (AA) has continued, especially in northern Rakhine, generating new displacement and humanitarian needs. According to the latest UN figures, as of 11 October, more than 16,000 people have been newly displaced in Rakhine and southern Chin as a result of the renewed AA-MAF conflict since August, bringing the total number of people internally displaced from present and past AA-MAF conflict to more than 90,000. Restrictions on humanitarian access in Buthidaung,
Maungdaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon and Rathedaung townships are still in place, hampering humanitarian operations. In Kachin State, around 1,000 people were displaced to Shwegu town since the beginning of the month due to fighting in several villages across Shwegu Township. According to local partners, as of 17 October, most of these displaced people had returned to their villages after the security situation had improved, with only 152 people remaining in the displacement sites. In southeast and northwest Myanmar, fighting between the MAF and various ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and local People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), including the use of ambush attacks and airstrikes, has been seen in several townships in Kayin, Mon, Kayin, eastern Bago and Sagaing since early October, further compounding the fragile humanitarian situation. According to the latest UN figures, As of 10 October, there are nearly 1.4 million IDPs across Myanmar, 1 million of whom were displaced since the military takeover.
PHILIPPINES
On 16 October, tropical storm Nesat intensified into typhoon as it moved west northwestward through Northern Luzon. Locally named “Neneng,” the typhoon affected at least 92,890 people in 269 barangays in Regions I, II, and CAR. There are 1,261 families or 4,141 people still displaced, with 2,294 people currently taking temporary shelter in 67 evacuation centers, according to latest reports by the country’s disaster management agency, NDRRMC. Many areas in Cagayan and Ilocos Norte provinces experienced power outages as high winds brought by Neneng felled electric posts, while landslides blocked several roads in Abra, Apayao, and Mountain Province.
VIETNAM, CAMBODIA
On 15 October, Tropical Storm Sonca made landfall in Da Nang-Quang Ngai area in Viet Nam before weakening into a depression as it crossed into northeastern Cambodia on 16 October. In Viet Nam, according to the government, many areas of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Da Nang were inundated with reports of 1 death (Da Nang). Thua Thien Hue was the heavilyaffected with 10,322 people displaced and 19,918 houses partially damaged. In Cambodia, 105 districts in 23 provinces have experienced moderate flooding this monsoon season with Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey and Battambang heavily affected by the additional precipitation from this week tropical depression. In both countries, the governments are leading the response using provincial and national capacities.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs