ASEAN relief items arrive in Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, Lao PDR
Vientiane, 27 July 2018 – In response to floodings in 10 provinces of Lao PDR, the Jakarta-based ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) is facilitating the mobilisation of ASEAN relief items for the flood-affected communities. The humanitarian assistance has arrived at Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, on Friday, 27 July 2018. Types of provided items include: mobile storage unit, aluminium boats, family tents, and personal hygiene kits. The relief items were transported from the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) regional stockpile based in Subang, Malaysia, by A400M military aircraft of the Royal Malaysian Air Force – with an estimated value of assistance of over 235,000 USD.
During the handover ceremony, H.E. Kamkeo Sambounkhoun, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Lao PDR welcomed ASEAN’s solidarity and the support of AHA Centre during this difficult time. The ASEAN relief items have been discussed with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of Lao PDR to match the needs on the ground.
The AHA Centre has been intensifying its disaster monitoring activity since mid-July, when the formation of Tropical Storm Son-Tinh (TS 11) was first identified. The heavy rainfall brought by TS 11 during monsoon season has affected three ASEAN Member States: Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. However, the situation in Lao PDR was exacerbated by flash floods due to huge water discharged from Xepien-Xenamnoyu Dam in Attapeu province, Southern Lao, on 24 July 2018. In view of the severe flooding, the AHA Centre has activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Jakarta and is actively coordinating with all ten ASEAN Member States, through video calls and web-based emergency operations platform, to identify immediate humanitarian needs as well as potential support that can be deployed from both regional resources and bilaterally. AHA Centre EOC will provide support, including coordination of incoming relief items from ASEAN Member States, information management and mapping support, and other support as may be required, to the EOC established by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of Lao PDR.
“The spirit of One ASEAN One Response is well-demonstrated in times of crisis, such as today. The collective response in the region is reaffirmed through rapid deployment of regional resources from our regional stockpile in Subang, Malaysia; information management and mapping support from AHA Centre and our partners; assistance by Malaysia through the AHA Centre in the form of military aircraft to transport our relief items and rescue boats; other humanitarian support from Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam; and ground handling support by UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Subang. The swift coordination is enabled through continuous partnerships between NDMOs of all ASEAN Member States and our partners, built over the years under ASEAN cooperation on disaster management,” said Adelina Kamal, Executive Director of the AHA Centre.
Since its establishment in November 2011, the AHA Centre has activated 21 emergency missions in 7 countries across the Southeast Asian region. The ongoing mission is the Centre’s second emergency response to Lao PDR. The AHA Centre is also responsible in managing the DELSA regional stockpile with the support of Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund. Following the success of the stockpile management in Malaysia, the Centre has been entrusted to develop two more regional warehouses, one in the Philippines and one in Thailand, both scheduled to be launched in early 2019.
***
About the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre)
The AHA Centre is an inter-governmental organisation established by ten (10) ASEAN Member States on 17 November 2011 with the aim to facilitate cooperation and
coordination amongst ASEAN Member States and with relevant United Nations and international organisations in promoting regional collaboration in disaster management. The AHA Centre is based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
For more information regarding the AHA Centre, please contact:
Ms. Shintya Kurniawan
(Communications Officer of the AHA Centre)
Email: shintya.kurniawan@ahacentre.org
Phone: +62 21 2982 7793
Mobile: +62877 8545 1554
