NEARLY 6 MLN CHILDREN AFFECTED BY TYPHOON YAGI IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, SAYS UNICEF

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Typhoon Yagi has unleashed devastating floods and landslides across Southeast Asia, leaving nearly six million children vulnerable and cutting off access to vital resources such as clean water, education, healthcare, food, and shelter, UNICEF said on Wednesday.

The most powerful storm to hit Asia this year, Typhoon Yagi is plunging already marginalised communities deeper into crisis.

In a statement, the UN agency said floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi have ravaged Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, affecting nearly 6 million children and compromising their access to clean water, education, healthcare, food, and shelter—pushing already marginalised communities deeper into crisis.

UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and Pacific, June Kunugi said the most vulnerable children and families are facing the most devastating consequences of the destruction left behind by Typhoon Yagi.

 “The immediate priority must be to restore the essential services that children and families so critically depend on, including clean water, education, and healthcare.

“The surge in extreme weather events in Southeast Asia, exacerbated by climate change, is a sad reminder that when disasters hit, vulnerable children often pay the highest price,” she said in a statement.

Typhoon Yagi brought torrential rains on top of existing seasonal rainfall, causing rivers to overflow and triggering deadly landslides.

Meanwhile, UNICEF said the agency, working alongside humanitarian partners, is delivering urgent relief to children and families in flood-affected areas across Southeast Asia.

This includes distributing safe drinking water, hygiene materials, nutritional supplements, and medical kits, while also providing mental health support and learning and recreational materials to help children regain a sense of normalcy and continue learning and playing in a safe environment.

“UNICEF is also committed to working with partners to ensure child-focused recovery efforts when floodwaters have receded,” the statement read. 

UNICEF said over 850 schools and more than 550 health centres were damaged, the vast majority in Vietnam, with assessments in the region still ongoing.

In Vietnam, the country hardest hit by Typhoon Yagi, approximately 3 million people, including many children, lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation, heightening the risk of disease.

Approximately 2 million children have also been left without access to education, psychosocial support, and school feeding programmes.

In Myanmar, the double burden of ongoing conflict and the catastrophic impacts of Typhoon Yagi has intensified the crisis for communities already displaced by conflict, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.

Over 170 deaths and more than 320,000 displacements have been reported, while road networks, telecommunications, and electricity infrastructure suffered major damage across central Myanmar.

In northern Thailand, heavy rains and flooding have severely affected nearly 64,000 children, with some schools reporting destruction and teachers resorting to online learning and delivering learning materials to students at their homes.

In Laos, floods have impacted eight provinces, affecting an estimated 60,000 children, damaging vital infrastructure, and threatening the livelihoods of communities already struggling to cope with negative climate impacts.

-- BERNAMA