Disaster Planning and Response Programs

Near the end of the rainy season last year, many areas of Cambodia were severely affected by flooding, including  Battambang and Siem Reap Provinces; locations where HFH Cambodia is active. According to government reports, 31 percent of the population (74,160 families) was either evacuated or had their homes destroyed in Battambang.

Habitat Cambodia, in cooperation with Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (JOAC) through HFH Great Britain was instrumental in designing the mechanism and implementing a support response program to assist families in Battambang. Working with local and government disaster management officials, a seven-month program was launched, aimed at supporting a minimum of 650 households in four districts of the province. In this project, families will receive shelter repair kits, construction technical support for house repair, and undergo monitoring and evaluation. Habitat Cambodia also actively assisted 600 families affected by flooding in Siem Reap Province through a project supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and facilitated by HFH Korea. Over 600 emergency shelter kits (ESKs), home cleaning kits and water purification filters were distributed in affected communities. The ESKs are a flexible method of assisting disaster–affected families, since they allow each family to use the kits to meet their own needs.