Attachments
Description of the disaster
The collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam on 23 July 2018 as a result of Tropical Storm Son Tinh that had made land fall days earlier, caused massive flash floods that affected 13,100 people and displaced 6,000 people, leaving 39 dead and around 97 missing (according to UN Situation Report no. 9).
Following Son Tinh was the Tropical Storm Bebinca which hit the country only weeks after. According to UN Information Bulletin No. 5, all provinces in Lao PDR were affected, including 2,382 villages, 126,736 households, and 616,145 people. 1,779 houses were destroyed and 514 damaged. 90,000 hectares of paddy fields and 11,000 hectares of other plantations have been destroyed, and 630 kilometers of roads and 47 bridges have been damaged, report says.
According to the findings from the Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) conducted by Laos’ Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, and facilitated by the UN, World Bank, and the EU, the total damage reportedly added up to USD 147 million, while the total loss added up to USD 225 million. The most affected sectors overall were agriculture and transport, which contributed to 90 per cent of damages and losses. The most affected provinces were Vientiane Capital, Khammouane, Huaphanh and Attapeu. Attapeu was most affected per capita. As the floods increasingly affected other parts of the country, the Humanitarian Country Team enhanced the Disaster Response Plan by expanding the focus of the operation from Attapeu to cover the entire country. The Lao Red Cross responded according to the original plan. This Emergency Appeal operation remained focused on Attapeu flash flood response and recovery.