Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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Re: Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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Do Not Rush to Attapeu to Help.
July 28, 2018

By Francis Savanhkham (Contributing writer)
I know everyone may want to help victims of the Attapeu flood, but they don’t need unskilled volunteers or aid they can’t use. Here’s what you can do that won’t obstruct aid efforts.

As a Lao man who has always considered Laos home, the trauma upon hearing the news of the flood that has decimated the homes and lives of the people of Sanamxay in Attapeu was intense. I felt powerless and unable to help, here in my Vientiane.

We know that the flood has left many missing and unaccounted for and many more injured and even more without a place to live. What we also know from tracking events in natural disasters all over the world is that the situation only gets worse in the weeks following the event, as hospitals become overwhelmed, basic supplies become scarce and those living in makeshift shelters capitulate to exposure and disease and many more physically and mentally overwhelmed by the tragic loss of their loved ones.

A topic that has been heavily deliberated in the international aid world is the lack of a coordinated response to these types of crises. What ends up happening is this: scores of well-intentioned activists and philanthropists flood (pun not intended) the site: normal law-abiding citizens, students, activists, all scrambling trying to look for a way to make their mark and do good, but lacking either the skills or coordination to have an impact. Indeed, many end up slowing down the aid efforts.

I read in an article on the The Guardian website about the earthquake crises in Haiti, Nepal and other countries. There had been reports of “teams of doctors who arrived on the scene to help but were unable to feed themselves. This wave of unsolicited and poorly planned shipments of untrained people and donated goods was dubbed by some humanitarians the second disaster.”

One tough issue with aid work is that it is a free-for-all. Anyone who wants to, and who is fortunate enough to own cars and trucks or purchase flights to Savannakhet/Paksé (the airport in Attapeu is closed to normal citizens), can contribute. Unlike doctors or engineers, who must train for years to acquire the necessary qualifications that prove sufficiently that they know their stuff, no such qualification exists for aid workers.

What Attapeu requires right now is not another untrained bystander, no matter how much her heart is aching.

I am overwhelmed with offers of help and contributions from friends and family on social media. “What do you need? What can I do?” Well, here are some practical ideas that will not get in the way: https://laotiantimes.com/2018/07/28/do- ... his-first/
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Re: Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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Lao Gov't to Inspect All Dam, Shelve New Hydro Projects
08/08/18 15:32

VIENTIANE, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has announced it will examine the safety standards applied to the construction of hydropower dams across the country following the deadly disaster caused by the collapse of a dam in Attapeu province in the south, local media reported Wednesday.

The cabinet made the announcement shortly after its two-day extraordinary meeting which ended on Tuesday.

Chaired by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, the meeting heard of the progress made in dealing with the aftermath of the disaster in Sanamxay district of Attapeu province.

The meeting agreed to carry out inspections into all dams, both those that are completed and whose construction is underway.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines will work with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Science and Technology and international experts in carrying out the inspections.

Any irregularities found in the design or construction standard of a dam must be reported to the government on a case-by-case basis, so that improvements can be made, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Wednesday.

The Lao government has also decided to suspend the consideration of new investments in hydropower projects in order to review its hydropower development strategy and plans.

The reviewed strategy and plans will be used as a reference for future direction, the report said.
http://en.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/e ... 39-13.html
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Re: Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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CEOCambodiaNews wrote: Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:58 am Do Not Rush to Attapeu to Help.
July 28, 2018

By Francis Savanhkham (Contributing writer)
I know everyone may want to help victims of the Attapeu flood, but they don’t need unskilled volunteers or aid they can’t use. Here’s what you can do that won’t obstruct aid efforts.

As a Lao man who has always considered Laos home, the trauma upon hearing the news of the flood that has decimated the homes and lives of the people of Sanamxay in Attapeu was intense. I felt powerless and unable to help, here in my Vientiane.

We know that the flood has left many missing and unaccounted for and many more injured and even more without a place to live. What we also know from tracking events in natural disasters all over the world is that the situation only gets worse in the weeks following the event, as hospitals become overwhelmed, basic supplies become scarce and those living in makeshift shelters capitulate to exposure and disease and many more physically and mentally overwhelmed by the tragic loss of their loved ones.

A topic that has been heavily deliberated in the international aid world is the lack of a coordinated response to these types of crises. What ends up happening is this: scores of well-intentioned activists and philanthropists flood (pun not intended) the site: normal law-abiding citizens, students, activists, all scrambling trying to look for a way to make their mark and do good, but lacking either the skills or coordination to have an impact. Indeed, many end up slowing down the aid efforts.

I read in an article on the The Guardian website about the earthquake crises in Haiti, Nepal and other countries. There had been reports of “teams of doctors who arrived on the scene to help but were unable to feed themselves. This wave of unsolicited and poorly planned shipments of untrained people and donated goods was dubbed by some humanitarians the second disaster.”

One tough issue with aid work is that it is a free-for-all. Anyone who wants to, and who is fortunate enough to own cars and trucks or purchase flights to Savannakhet/Paksé (the airport in Attapeu is closed to normal citizens), can contribute. Unlike doctors or engineers, who must train for years to acquire the necessary qualifications that prove sufficiently that they know their stuff, no such qualification exists for aid workers.

What Attapeu requires right now is not another untrained bystander, no matter how much her heart is aching.

I am overwhelmed with offers of help and contributions from friends and family on social media. “What do you need? What can I do?” Well, here are some practical ideas that will not get in the way: https://laotiantimes.com/2018/07/28/do- ... his-first/
:thumb:
True for after any disaster anywhere
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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How the dam collapse has impacted southern Laos forests close to the Cambodian border.

Deadly dam collapse hit protected forests in southern Laos
Dam disaster flooded areas of protected forest and US satellites have detected tree cover loss over 35km stretch of the Xe Pian River; locals are also harvesting trees to make ends meet
By Chris Humphrey January 1, 2019 11:39 AM (UTC+8)
The dam collapse in Attapeu in southern Laos in July devastated forests south of the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy dam as well as nearby villages. Lack of proper compensation from dam builders and the government may have also caused a rise in illegal logging.

In July, a hydroelectric dam collapse in Laos released five billion cubic meters of water into the surrounding countryside – the equivalent of two million Olympic swimming pools. The resulting flood killed dozens, devastated communities, forced thousands to flee and ripped through areas of protected rainforest.

The catastrophe made headlines globally; initial reactions focused, understandably, on the impact of local communities, but what is yet to be reported is the lasting, detrimental effects on the region’s forests.

The catastrophe primarily affected the southern province of Attapeu, an area bordered by Cambodia to the south and separated from Vietnam by the Annamite mountain range. Visiting the area now is challenging to say the least. Many areas remain off limits; all access to the ruptured Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy dam, which is estimated to be worth about US$1 billion, has been closed off by the Laos military to everyone except government officials or engineering experts since this summer’s disaster.

Full article: http://www.atimes.com/article/deadly-da ... hern-laos/
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Re: Laos dam collapse: 'Hundreds missing' after flash floods hit villages

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Lao Dam Break Survivors Still Face Hardships in Temporary Shelters
RFA
31 Oct 2019, 06:42 GMT+10

Lao villagers displaced by flooding from a dam breach last year are facing hardships in temporary resettlement areas, with clean water hard to find and toilets unusable, and some are moving back to their former land to make a living, Lao sources say.

On July 23, 2018 water poured over a saddle dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy (PNPC) hydropower project following heavy rains, inundating 12 villages and killing at least 40 people in southern Laos' Champassak and Attapeu provinces.

More than a year later, over 700 families from Attapeu's Sanamxay district still live in temporary shelters, still waiting for compensation for homes and land lost in the flood.

"Water for daily use and for bathing and drinking is not available, so we have to use water taken from the river and from wells in other areas," one villager told RFA's Lao Service on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"And the toilets we were given have been unusable since last year, so villagers have to go into the jungle to relieve themselves," he said.

Though each villager has been provided 44 pounds of rice per month and 5,000 kip (US $0.56) daily living allowance, PNPC project owners have not yet paid compensation for lost houses or land, the villager said.

"We have not been paid for damages to our houses, land, crops, or other property. But the project has paid half our costs for buying kitchen equipment and tools," he said, adding that land has been cleared by the government for resettlement but not yet allotted.

"We are hopeless-just waiting for government help," he said.
https://www.thecambodianews.net/news/26 ... y-shelters
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