The National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said that two storms in July had impacted 14 provinces, killing four people and damaging more than 8,000ha of crops, while thunderstorms and lightning strikes killed 15 people.
The NCDM said in a July report released on August 1 that two storms had hit Preah Sihanouk Kampot, Koh Kong, Kep, Battambang, Pursat, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Kratie, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Oddor Meanchey and Mondulkiri provinces, inundating 967 houses with water, flooding three pagodas and three schools and killing four people.
“These two storms have flooded 7,468ha of rice paddies and 716ha of cash crops. 716ha of rice paddies and 76ha of cash crops have been damaged and two cows and 160 chickens and ducks were killed in the storms. The storms also collapsed the banks of the rivers in the capital and some provinces,” the report said.
The report added that 21 thunderstorms in the capital and 15 provinces had caused the collapse or seriously damaged 131 houses. They had also killed one person and injured 19 others. Twenty lightning strikes in 10 provinces had killed 14 people and injured 10 people as well as 10 cattle.
The report continued that after the storms were over the low pressure and south-western monsoon brought scattered showers across the country. It had also rained hard in some coastal provinces.
“Medium to high rainfall occurred almost every day and the rains brought flooding in many provinces in the coastal areas in the northwest and northeast and in some low-lying areas,” according to the report.
Senior Minister and NCDM first vice-president Kun Kim told The Post that 16 search-and-rescue forces, health workers and means of transport were prepared to rescue victims of flooding.
He also instructed them to cooperate with relevant ministries and sub-national administrations to rescue and respond to every disaster that may occur in this rainy season.
“We have to be cautious in these few months because this month and last month saw lightning strikes claim many lives. As for storms, the rains caused four people to die by drowning. The floods have recently been slowly receding,” he said.
“We are now working on the aftermath of the storm and solving any of the outstanding issues. I am going to inspect more than 1, 000ha of rice paddies that were flooded and we will try to contact the state committee on food reserves and ask them for varieties of rice for our affected people,” he added.
