Habitat for Humanity prepares to rebuild after floods devastate Southeast Asia

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Appeal launched to help up to 25,000 families Bangkok, 28 October 2011: Today, Habitat for Humanity launches an appeal for US$10 million in order to help an up to an estimated 25,000 families rebuild their lives following severe flooding across Southeast Asia. Funds raised by the ‘Southeast Asia Floods Appeal’ will be used to rebuild communities devastated by floods in Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Habitat for Humanity will use volunteers, and work with partners, to clean homes of mud and debris, provide shelter repair kits, rehabilitate or completely rebuild houses. “As flood water starts to recede and the spotlight shifts from Southeast Asia, millions of families will start the lengthy task of rebuilding their lives. Habitat for Humanity is committed to supporting affected families regain a sense of normalcy. Please donate or volunteer today”, said Rick Hathaway, Habitat for Humanity International vice-president for Asia-Pacific. To donate, or to register your interest to volunteer, please visit habitat.org/asiapacific  “Some families will need assistance making foundations safe, others with repairing walls or windows. Once the floodwater has subsided and the scale of damage established, Habitat for Humanity expects to be involved in substantial rehabilitation work, as well as building basic ‘core’ houses where needed. The specifics of the support will depend on the quantity and type of damage that the floodwaters have inflicted on a community”, continued Hathaway. Severe typhoons and large volumes of monsoon rain caused severe flooding across many countries in Southeast Asia in recent months. The floods have already claimed more than 770 lives, and affected over 8 million people. Habitat for Humanity has already supported hundreds of families in Southeast Asia throughout September and October, distributing emergency shelter kits in Thailand and Cambodia, and shelter repair, hygiene, and care kits in the Philippines after typhoon Nesat (Pedring) and Nalgae (Quiel). Funds raised by the ‘Southeast Asia Floods Appeal’ will be spent helping affected families to recover from the devastating impact of severe flooding. Assessments will be conducted as flood waters recede with repair and clean-up operations commencing soon after.   Additional information Funds raised by Habitat for Humanity’s ‘Southeast Asia Floods Appeal’ will be used to support families in the following locations, dependent upon donation levels:   Cambodia Siem Reap province Koh Dach, Kandal province Philippines Navotas, Metro Manila Bicol region, southern Luzon island Mindanao island Thailand Bang Rakam district, Phitsanulok province Tha Wung and Ban Mi districts, Lop Buri province Bangban district, Ayutthaya province  Vietnam Dong Thap and Long An provinces in the Mekong Delta