Nearly six million children affected by Typhoons in Southeast Asia
UNICEF reports that nearly six million children across Southeast Asia have been affected by typhoons in Southeast Asia, including Typhoon Yagi, locally known in the Philippines as Enteng. The deadly storm triggered floods and landslides, impacting Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The death toll in the region has reached 537, with 18 fatalities in Thailand. Disruptions to clean water, education, healthcare, food, and shelter have left the most vulnerable children and families at high risk, according to June Kunugi, UNICEF’s regional director for East Asia and the Pacific.
In Vietnam, approximately three million people face disease risks due to a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation after the typhoon. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, nearly 400,000 people have been displaced by floods, worsening the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by years of conflict. UNICEF expressed concern that marginalized communities are facing deeper hardships. Over 100 flood victims near Naypyidaw were hospitalized for food poisoning after eating donated meals. The UN’s World Food Programme is launching an emergency response to provide food aid to half a million people. Climate change is making extreme weather events like typhoons in Southeast Asia more frequent and severe, disproportionately affecting children.
Effects of the Southwest Monsoon and Typhoons Ferdie and Gener
The combined effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and tropical cyclones Ferdie and Gener have resulted in 20 deaths and impacted over 590,000 people across the Philippines, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Fourteen individuals remain missing, mostly from the Mimaropa region. Over 63,000 people are currently taking shelter in evacuation centers, while another 34,265 are receiving aid outside these shelters.
The NDRRMC reported P2.4 million in infrastructure damage, with 29 structures affected and 930 houses destroyed, resulting in an additional P1.8 million in losses. To date, P15.5 million in aid has been distributed to 19,736 families. Habagat continues to bring heavy rainfall across multiple regions, worsening the already dire situation caused by typhoons in Southeast Asia.
