Oxfam responds to South Asia storms

International aid agency Oxfam has sent an emergency team to the storm-hit province of Kon Tum in central Vietnamto carry out an assessment of needs and start initial response work in the wake of Typhoon Ketsana.

Oxfam's planned $1 million aid package is expected to reach 40,000 affected people over three months, with cash for food and household items, water supplies, hygiene promotion programs and helping people recover their livelihoods.

"The full impacts of typhoon Ketsana in Vietnam are only now becoming clear, said Oxfam Vietnam country director Steve Price-Thomas. 'Hundreds of thousands of people are affected. Thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese authorities, the death toll has been kept relatively low and relief efforts are moving ahead quickly.

In the Philippines, Oxfam isurging the government to look at environmental sanitation and safe water as the two key needs of women, men and children affected by Typhoon Ketsana.

After visiting the affected areas of Bulacan and Rizal, which are located in the country's capital region, Oxfam stated that if these issues are not addressed, it could lead to another catastrophe.

'While food items are welcome, environmental sanitation is equally as important because it nips other problems in the bud. We have seen in the past that ensuring sanitation in the evacuation camps lessens the burdens of displaced families. Urban poor families who have no land and are completely dependent on daily wages face more difficulty in coping with disasters like this, Oxfam spokesperson Arif Jabbar Khan said.

In its field visits, Oxfam found that evacuees urgently need clean shelters, medical attention, water facilities, hygiene kits, blankets and clothing to prevent disease outbreaks. Oxfam found that there is also a dearth of evacuation centers.

Oxfam is committed to helping 25,000 families in Bulacan, Rizal and parts of Metro Manila. In the next two days, Oxfam will provide water and non-food items like blankets, soaps, cleaning equipment, clothes and water containers to over 4,000 families in Bulacan and Pasig, in Metro Manila. Oxfam is also providing small cash grants and shelter to evacuation sites in Bulacan, as part of its initial response.

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For more information, pleasecontact Karen Palmer, 613-240-3047.