The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
VIETNAM: Typhoon Wutip made landfall in Central Vietnam on the evening of September 30 as a category 1 typhoon, with sustained winds of 117 kph. Wutip is regarded as the strongest storm to hit central Viet Nam since Typhoon Xangsane in 2006. The damage caused to public infrastructure and private property has been significant, particularly in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Ha Tinh provinces. Ensuring families have access to clean water together with hygiene promotion are vital components in the Red Cross response, since it will help reduce the risk of water- and sanitation-related diseases for at least 5,000 households. Livelihoods support will be given to families who have lost their means of income and shelter materials to those who need help in rebuilding their homes.
ITALY: On October 2, a boat carrying 500 migrants sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. More than 110 are confirmed dead, but hundreds more people are missing from the boat. The Italian Red Cross has been providing assistance and psychosocial support to the 155 survivors and those affected.
CAMEROON: Torrential rains have again returned to northern Cameroon this year. In mid-September, rushing waters burst the dam along the Logone River in the town of Dougui, in the Far North Region. Initial assessments indicate more than 800 people living near the dam had to be evacuated, including 144 young children. Flooding has damaged or destroyed homes, farmland and killed livestock. There is an increased risk of waterborne diseases and acute respiratory syndrome. The government has identified 9,000 people in need of immediate assistance. The Cameroon Red Cross Society has deployed 30 volunteers who, together with other partners, have helped set up tents, and distributed much needed items, from blankets and mosquito nets to kitchen and hygiene kits.