September’s Flash Floods in Cambodia

From September the 24th to the 30th, Cambodia was hit by the tail end of Typhoon Surigae, causing severe flooding across the country. 10 provinces, including Battambang and Siem Reap where M’lup Russey (MRO) works, were affected the most; experiencing flash floods that forced nearly 58,000 families from their homes to the safety of higher grounds. The heavy rains destroyed 50,000 hectares of crops, leaving farmers without a secure harvest and an uncertain future.

MRO’s Battambang office flooded to knee height in some places, the dirty water coming in from the streets outside into the building. Despite this setback as well as flooding in their own homes, MRO’s Battambang staff continue their work, as many that were affected by the floods are the same vulnerable people MRO supports.

Vulnerable families living in Cambodia’s rural areas are one of the most impacted groups when it comes to disasters and climate change. Children under five are among the most vulnerable to death from environmental hazards like drowning in floods, as well as poor health in the aftermath of a disaster. These after-effects and risks include the threat of illness and death due to malnutrition from the failure of crops and depletion of fisheries; as well as the threat of water-borne diseases from the scarcity of clean water after floods and droughts. All of these risks are life threatening and have the most impact on the children in communities.

MRO works with local authorities and Churches to encourage participation of community members in Disaster Management Committees, to assess and identify social protection, safeguarding and family welfare issues to help them improve their situations, coordinate the distribution of emergency resources to affected families, and keep children safe in a crisis. MRO helps rural communities take action in emergency situations, and supports them to help the most vulnerable families to build resilience to face these times of hardship, providing them with the means to adapt to the aftermath of a crisis brought on by climate change, and prevent the felt need to send their children away.

Through these recent heavy storms and severe flooding, MRO is dedicated to continuing the work to help and support vulnerable families and children. Though the storms have passed, the effects will still be felt in the upcoming weeks and months as people contend with the flooded crop fields and their destroyed homes. As people return home, they will have to rebuild their lives and MRO will always be there to support them.