What happened, where and when?
A devastating snowstorm swept across eastern parts of Mongolia, including Dornod, Sukhbaatar, Khentii provinces and certain provincesin the Gobi areas, starting at around 06:00 AM on 19 May 2023 which continued throughout the day and night until around 1:00 PM on 20May 2023.
According to the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring, the average wind speed was 18-20 m/s andreached 28-30 m/s at some points.According to the Provincial Emergency Commissions and information collected from Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) Branches inSukhbaatar, Khentii, and Dornod Provinces, the snowstorm caused the following impacts:
Due to the storm, 124 people (mostly from the Herder community) were reported missing as they were following their livestock, whichwandered offdue to the storm. A total of 122 people were found alive, but tragically, 2 people in Sukhbaatar and Khentii provinces werefound dead.
Severe infrastructural damages occurred, including the collapse of 22 electricity sub-stations, resulting in power outages in severalcounties from 19 to 22 May 2023. Electricity power was later restored on 24 May 2023. Moreover, 149 households faced the complete lossof gers (traditional Mongolian circular domed tents), 288 gers sustained partial damages, 283 constructed houses/buildings were partiallydamaged, and 317 fences were completely or partially damaged. Additionally, 70 vehicles belonging to Herders and non-Herders suffered partial damage. The official figure for the total number of peopleaffected by the storm is 5,112. The impact was mostly on shelters, livelihoods and health, with the most affected provinces beingSukhbaatar, Khentii, and Dornod.
As of 25 May 2023, the known loss of livestock caused by the storm was significant, totaling 623,623 including 521,477 in Sukhbaatar,107,695 in Khentii and 1,451 in Dornod province.
In response to the needs identified, MRCS requested an IFRC-DREF to support people affected by the snow and sandstorm. Through theIFRC-DREF, MRCS allocated multi-purpose cash assistance to 3,440 people from 1,000 households to address their immediate living needs.
In addition, MRCS also provided gers to 347 people from 99 households whose gers were fully destroyed in the disaster. Psychosocialsupport visits were made by MRCS-trained volunteers to 492 people from 109 households.