The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Wednesday launched a 15.5 million U.S. dollars emergency appeal to reach more than 163,000 people affected by the destructive floods that struck the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) three weeks ago.

The floods were caused by heavy rains from Typhoon Lionrock which merged with another low pressure weather system. At least 600,000 people have been affected across six counties in the province of North Hamgyong in the northeast of the country, the IFRC said, adding that approximately 30,000 homes have been damaged, submerged or completely destroyed and close to 70,000 people remain displaced.

The IFRC appeal aims to provide a variety of emergency assistance over the next 12 months including relief items that include tents, tarpaulins and toolkits for building emergency shelters; kitchen sets and bedding; emergency water supply and education around maintaining good hygiene to prevent communicable diseases; support and medical supplies for health teams on the ground and technical support to help with the reconstruction of permanent homes.

"Nearby villages had been decimated by the floods. People were surviving amidst the devastation in flimsy shelters made of plastic sheeting strung across a few bits of wood. They were left with virtually nothing," Chris Staines, head of delegation with the IFRC in Pyongyang, said.

Some 75 percent of the population of North Hamgyong Province relies upon the countries' public distribution system for their food needs but before the floods struck, the agency said.

Since the floods began on Aug. 31, over 1,700 DPRK Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to North Hamgyong to assist with relief efforts. Essential relief items sufficient for 28,000 people have been released from Red Cross disaster preparedness stocks in South Hamgyong and Pyongyang and distributed to people affected by the floods.

Source : XINHUA