UNICEF: 6 million children in Southeast Asia affected by Yagi disaster
Floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi have affected nearly 6 million children across Southeast Asia, the United Nations agency said on September 18, as the death toll from the disaster continues to rise.
Typhoon Yagi brought strong winds and heavy rains as it swept across Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar nearly two weeks ago.
Thailand reported three more deaths on September 18, bringing the country's death toll to 18, while a total of 537 people have been confirmed dead across Southeast Asia. UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said 6 million children had been affected by Typhoon Yagi, with their access to clean water, education, health care, food and shelter all compromised.
“The most vulnerable children and families are facing the most devastating consequences of the devastation left by Typhoon Yagi,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific.
Nearly 400,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to flooding in Myanmar, according to UNICEF. More than 100 flood victims near the capital Naypyidaw were treated in hospital for food poisoning after eating charity meals on September 17.
The United Nations World Food Programme said on September 18 that it would launch an emergency response in Myanmar this week, distributing a month's worth of emergency food rations to nearly half a million people.
Climate change and ocean warming, caused by human activity, are making extreme weather events like Typhoon Yagi more frequent and more severe.
Overlapping climate and humanitarian hazards disproportionately affect children in East Asia and the Pacific, where they are six times more likely to be affected than their grandparents, according to UNICEF.