Disasters and emergency response

Looking out from his house, held up by three-meter stilts on a peninsula that juts into Boeng Tompun lake, Chan Sokhom can see the sand inching closer to him every day. Within a few years, the sand will likely reach his doorstep. By then, Mr. Sokhom ...

Lightning struck three men dead as they stood under a tree in Kampong Cham province on Friday evening, police said. Sok Suon, 53, Vy Ponlork, 37, and Yam Khen, 27, died at the scene, said Long Thy, police chief in Srei Santhor district’s Prek Por commune. ...

A Sihanoukville construction project isn’t pulling out all the stops so much as plugging all the drains, leaving neighbouring residents to stew in murky floodwaters, villagers say. Last month, while levelling out the 20-hectare plot, construction workers dumped dirt in front of two large drainage pipes, ...

A construction worker was struck dead and six others were injured on Sunday in Oddar Meanchey’s Anglong Veng district, marking the second death by lightning in the area in the past three months, a commune police chief said. ...

The Cambodian Ministry of Environment and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday signed a five-year cooperation agreement with an aim to reduce climate impacts on agriculture, according to a joint statement. The agreement was inked jointly by Cambodian Minister of Environment Say ...

The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology issued a weather warning Monday, saying an approaching low-pressure system will this week kick the rainy season into full swing. The warning says heavy rains are due to hit most of the country this week and that the tail ...

With barely a drop of rain falling on their parched fields, Battambang farmers are pleading with a construction company to stop blockading the local river so their recently planted crops don’t dry out. The Asian Development Bank-funded bridge connecting Battambang and Banteay Meanchey has blocked the ...

Municipal and military police on Wednesday blocked a group of about 100 displaced farmers from Kratie province who were attempting to deliver a petition to the Cambodian Red Cross’ Phnom Penh headquarters calling on the group to help them in their land dispute with a ...

A mother and child were killed on Tuesday in what Russey Keo district residents described as a tornado-like storm that stripped off roofs, split trees and swept chairs and baby chicks into the skies. According to villagers, the unprecedented weather started with clouds thickening and turning ...

A Battambang woman and teen were both struck and killed by lightning in two different districts on Monday, police said yesterday. A 28-year-old woman from Rokak Kiri district was taken to the commune hospital after she was killed by a lightning strike, according to Keo Vichet, ...

At least 31 people were killed and 64 injured by storms during the first four months of this year, according to figures from the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). Keo Vy, cabinet director at the NCDM, said strong winds and rains led to three deaths ...

The Chinese government on Thursday donated 10,000 U.S. dollars to the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) to support humanitarian activities. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo presented the donation to CRC’s president Bun Rany during the celebration of the 151st anniversary of the World Red Cross — ...

At least six people were killed by lightning this week in storms that destroyed dozens of homes across several provinces, officials said Thursday. Keo Vy, cabinet chief for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said that the six deaths had occurred between Monday and Wednesday ...

Despite flood damage causing reduced production levels, cassava farmers in Pailin province are benefiting from an increase in the purchasing price, provincial department of agriculture officials say. “This year’s harvest dropped to 25 tonnes per hectare from 30 tonnes per hectare last season because of the ...

A raging fire in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district destroyed 22 homes early Wednesday morning as local villagers struggled to quell the flames and firefighters scrambled to gain access. At about 1 a.m., an electricity line snapped and sparked the fire, Phnom Penh Fire Department bureau chief ...

A weekend storm battered buildings in Banteay Meanchey province’s Thma Pouk district, leaving hundreds affected by damage to houses and schools across the area. Deab Chhun, Thma Puok district deputy governor, said strong winds and rain swept through Komrou, Thmor Puok and Phoum Thmey communes at ...

Lightning killed two people sheltering from rain on Wednesday in Preah Sihanouk’s Stung Hav district. Ros Ky, the district police chief, said Khem Nget, a 40-year-old motodop from Kampot, and a second victim identified only as Vanny, 50, were taking shelter near Vanny’s home in Tomnup ...

The Asian Development Bank announced Wednesday that it will provide $81.7 million, including a $6.7 million grant from Australia, in additional financing to help Cambodia recover from catastrophic floods in late 2013. The flooding affected 1.7 million people and caused an estimated $356 million in damage. ...

Cambodia’s beleaguered fire department may have a future high-tech solution to its problems after a team of young scientists from Norton University competing in the 4th Malaysian International Robot Competitions (MIRoC) last week placed third in the Fire Fighting Robot category. The annual event, held this ...

មន្ត្រី​នគរបាល​ក្រសួង​មហាផ្ទៃ បាន​បង្ហាញ​ថា ចាប់​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៣ ដល់​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៥ ខែ​មេសា នៃ​ពិធី​បុណ្យ​ចូល​ឆ្នាំ​ខ្មែរ​ឆ្នាំ​នេះ មាន​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​ចរាចរណ៍​កើត​ឡើង​នៅ​ទូទាំង​ប្រទេស​ជិត ១០០​ករណី និង​បណ្ដាល​ឲ្យ​មាន​មនុស្ស​ស្លាប់ និង​របួស​ជាង ២០០​នាក់។ របាយការណ៍​បឋម​ស្ដីពី​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​ចរាចរណ៍​ក្នុង​អំឡុង​ពេល​នៃ​ពិធី​ បុណ្យ​ចូល​ឆ្នាំ​ខ្មែរ ឆ្នាំ​២០១៤ នេះ មាន​ចំនួន​កើន​ឡើង​ខ្ពស់​ជាង​ឆ្នាំ​កន្លង​ទៅ។ លោក គៀត ច័ន្ទថារិទ្ធ មន្ត្រី​នាំ​ពាក្យ​អគ្គស្នងការដ្ឋាន​នគរបាល​ជាតិ​នៃ​ក្រសួង​មហាផ្ទៃ មាន​ប្រសាសន៍​ថា គិត​ចាប់​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៣ និង​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៥ ខែ​មេសា មាន​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​ចរាចរណ៍​នៅ​ទូទាំង​ប្រទេស​កើត​ឡើង​ជិត ១០០​ករណី និង​ស្លាប់​មនុស្ស​ជិត ៣០​នាក់ ព្រម​ទាំង​មាន​របួស​ធ្ងន់​ស្រាល​ជិត ២០០​នាក់។ លោក​បន្ត​ថា បើ​ប្រៀបធៀប​៣​ថ្ងៃ​ដូច​គ្នា​ឆ្នាំ​២០១៣ កន្លង​ទៅ ចំនួន​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​នេះ​បាន​កើន​ឡើង​ជាង ៣០​ភាគរយ៖ «សរុប ​រួម ៣​ថ្ងៃ​ហ្នឹង គឺ​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់ ៩៨​លើក បណ្ដាល​ឲ្យ​មនុស្ស​ស្លាប់ ២៩​នាក់ រង​របួស ១៨៧​នាក់ ក្នុង​នោះ​របួស​ធ្ងន់ ១៣១​នាក់ និង​របួស​ស្រាល ៥៦​នាក់។ ...

The National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) released a report yesterday showing that only $356 million was spent on the restoration of infrastructure destroyed by last year’s floods – far below the $500 million in damage estimated beforehand. Nhim Vanda, vice chairman of the NCDM, said ...

The National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said Tuesday that it needs an additional $217 million from donors and NGOs to help recovery efforts from the floods of September and October 2013. A document accompanying the Post-Flood Early Recovery Needs Assessment Report, prepared by the ...

A weekend storm surge that saw torrential downpours hit the capital had far more dire consequences outside of Phnom Penh, where hundreds of families were affected and at least one man was killed. At least 675 homes in eight provinces were damaged in sudden thunderstorms that ...

Officials said two people were killed on Tuesday by separate lightning strikes in Pailin and Kompong Cham provinces as the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology issued a warning about seasonal storms spreading across the country. Searing temperatures and the approach of wet season ignited the ...