News Alert North Korea: 84,000 left homeless following floods

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Heavy rains between 18-30 July have left approximately 84,000 people homeless in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), primarily in South Pyongan, Kangwon and North and South Hamgyong provinces. Kim Kwang-dok, vice-chairman of the Anju City People's Committee in South Pyongan, described the flooding as the worst in the city's history. The floods have also damaged 74,700 acres of farmland, exacerbating the pre-existing food security crisis linked to a severe drought earlier this year. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and DPRK Red Cross Society have distributed relief items (tarpaulins, quilts with cover, cooking set, jerry cans, hygiene kits and water purification tablets) to 6,610 families, and the United Nations has responded by distributing emergency food, fuel, water and health supplies while undertaking a more comprehensive needs assessment. About IDMCThe Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) (www.internal-displacement.org) was established by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 1998, upon the request of the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Monitoring internal displacement caused by conflict, violence, human rights violations and natural disasters in over 50 countries, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is widely respected as the leading source of information and analysis on internal displacement throughout the world.