Heavy rains have led to flooding across northern Thailand, and Ban Ko Phee in Mae Hong Son faced a devastating flash flood in late August. The flood happened in the day, which meant that less people were in direct danger, however one person was reportedly killed and others were injured. Many homes were destroyed and the KHT WASH system built in 2009 was also destroyed. Many villagers have been living in the local school for temporary shelter, and most of the villagers have lost their rice stores and access to some of their fields.
KHT was able to provide the village with a temporary piped water system in the school and also worked with The Ford Fund and other donors to supply rice, blankets, clothes, dry food and drinking water.
We met Mr Pornsriworakorn in Ban Ko Phee and spoke to us about what this disaster means for him and his family:
“I am 50 years old and there are seven people in my family. I have my wife, my three children as well as a daughter in law and grandson. After the flood and also landslides, nothing is normal for us. Our rice granary was washed away. We worked so hard to harvest it and now it is all gone.
Our home was flooded and we have lost our possessions such as cooking equipment, our TV and our fridge. It was not easy to get these things, and in one moment they are gone and all the money we spend has been washed away.
I also lost money that we were saving and kept at home. I was hoping to buy a truck to help me with my farming so we could improve our lives more.
My family are all living in the school and we still worry there will be more floods or landslides. We can’t access our rice paddy but the rice is still there and hopefully we can grow and harvest again. I also have a corn field and I am worried the flooding will mean we can’t access the field or it is damaged.
I am worried for my family. It is my job to feed them and I feel like we will never have enough rice now. I don’t worry about myself but I worry about them.
KHT’s help has been so important for us. KHT has helped everyone in the village and it has meant we can at least not worry about going hungry right now and look forward and hope.
6All the villagers waiting for the government and whether they will ask us to relocate to somewhere they think is safer. We won’t move too far from our fields, but it is very stressful to not know what tomorrow will bring.”
For other Karen villages like Mr Pornsriworakorn, the uncertainty caused by this natural disaster has a long reaching impact on their future. They have lost so much of what they worked for, and now a fear of it happening again and having to rebuild and try to earn back what they lost is a huge burden. KHT’s support cannot stop flooding, however we can mitigate the impact of these disasters and ensure families know there is hope and support for them. We can provide immediate relief so they can focus on how to get back on their feet and now suffer hunger, ill health or indignity whilst they recover.
This is all possible with you help. We are grateful for the support of our donors during this time and KHT hope we can rely on you should other villagers also need emergency support. As climate change continues to impact the most poor and often forgotten, it is vital we not let them fall into despair and further poverty.
The post Coping with Disaster: Life After Floods appeared first on Karen Hilltribes Trust.