Although water levels have receded in the north and northeast, officials fighting to protect Cambodia from this year’s floods were alarmed Monday by ambiguous reports from Prey Veng province. Meanwhile, one official put the floods’ death toll at 14.
The Mekong River Commission’s Web site reported Monday morning that the entire country was out of flooding stage, with the only flood-stage levels in the entire region recorded across the Vietnamese border at Tan Chau and Chau Duc.
But Prey Veng officials reported that as many as 82,000 families had been “displaced,” worrying flood-relief authorities, said Anthony Spalton, head of delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross. “If these numbers are correct, it would be enormous,” Spalton said.
Officials are unsure if the figure represents those merely “affected,” which can mean only minor inconvenience, Spalton said. To clear up the mystery, authorities from both the International and Cambodian Red Cross, along with the UN, were considering a trip to Prey Veng, Spalton said.
Though officials are still tallying flood damage estimates, at least 14 have died, said Nhim Vanda, National Committee for Disaster Management first vice president.
Nationwide, the floods seemed in full retreat, authorities reported. In Stung Treng province, some villagers have already started heading home, provincial Cabinet Chief Ourn Bora said.
Elsewhere, authorities were trying to come to terms with the damage. In Kratie province, more than 700 hectares of rice paddy have been destroyed and 4,000 families have been evacuated, provincial Governor Loy Sophat said. In Kompong Cham province, where there have been conflicting reports about the number of displaced, evacuees to higher ground have been given fresh water, Spalton said. Around the country, Cambodians were warned early, which may reduce the human damage, Spalton said.
“Preparedness has paid off,” he said.
Some parts of Kompong Speu province remain under drought, which might have greater consequences for Cambodia than the floods, Spalton said.
“I think the impact of the drought is going to be felt, really,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Bill Myers)
