Typhoon Yagi — Vietnam
Above: A flood affected school in Lao Cai, Vietnam. Credit: Save the Children/Bureau of Education and Training, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province
On 7 September, Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit the South China Sea in 30 years, made landfall in northern Vietnam. The storm caused widespread damage in multiple provinces, with wind speeds reaching up to 213 km/h. Ongoing heavy rainfall in the northern mountainous regions led to severe flooding and landslides, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
As of 27 September 2024, the typhoon had resulted in 318 deaths, 26 missing persons, 1976 injuries, and the evacuation of over 130,000 people. 53,000 people are displaced and sheltering in flood evacuation centres and more than 101,450 houses and 550 health facilities damaged. Around 19 million people live in the affected provinces. Two million school children are at risk of disruption to learning.
The AHP Response
As part of the Australian Government’s package of support following the disaster, the Australian Humanitarian Partnership has been activated for a 12 month, AUD 2 million response.
Two consortia will work to meet essential education, WASH, livelihoods and psychosocial support needs.
Save the Children, working in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Development of Mountainous Communities (SUDECOM), the Department of Education and Training and grassroots community groups, will focus on supporting disaster-affected children in Yen Bai province to maintain their access to education. Activities will include cash transfers, rehabilitation of impacted schools, supply of learning materials, protection messaging, teacher capacity development in mental health and psychosocial support, and school-based water, sanitation and hygiene activities to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks.
Oxfam will work in partnership with provincial Red Cross societies in Len Bai and Yao Cai provinces to address immediate food, livelihoods, WASH and protection gaps. Multi-purpose cash assistance, water storage and treatment supplies and dignity kits will be distributed to those impacted by the disaster, with a focus on vulnerable groups. Community-led Cash for Work programs will support longer-term recovery, by targeting improvements and repairs to key community infrastructure such as secondary roads, markets, irrigation systems and farm lands, and agricultural technical training and supplies will support livelihoods for 480 households.
The AHP response will run until August 2025.