This is a supplement to my blog brought about by the harrowing experience I have just been through in Cambodia. Having flown in to Phnom Penh to visit our charity I was aware of the fact that much of Thailand and Cambodia is flooded. Indeed on Friday when Kate, our country manager, and I flew up to Siem Reap for a fund raising event we could see that huge areas of central Cambodia are under water.
This coupled with seeing the Siem Reap river over it’s banks and on the adjoining roads made us realise that the flooding is the worst Monsoon disaster to befall South east Asia in more than a decade.
Several of the guests at the fundraising had driven from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, some 3 hours normally, but the road is so crowded with animals and people that they were unable to drive at the normal speed.
All this seemed somewhat distant as we sat in Raffles sipping Gin and Tonic over the weekend but today realisation as to just how bad things are here came my way in a big way.
Having arrived back from Siem Reap yesterday the plan was to visit various slum areas around Phnom Penh to see if the ISFD could replicate it very successful education program in another needy part of the city. Having visited two areas within the city which by the way is not openly flooded we headed off to a community on the banks of the Tonle Sap river just East of the centre of Phnom Penh.
It was obvious as we approached that some of the commune was affected but the full horror of the situation was unveiled when a local boatman persuaded Vicheka, Seenna and I to go for a trip in his dug out.
Seeing a flood from 10,000 feet or passing it in a taxi is not like being in it and experience the true horror of fetid water or children, parents, pets and animals all perched on pallets just above the water.
I have posted a number of pictures on the Blog site but as I wanted to email this to as many people as possible I only include one here in the text.
The water varied from a foot deep to what must be 8 foot as only the power lines and roof tops were visible. Most of the houses are completely inundated and the families have built makeshift mezzanines just above the water level.
What is extraordinary is the fact that they all great us with a smile and seem completely nonplussed by their predicament. Vicheka later told me that they are resigned to their fate and hence just accept it. But to see children in their spotless school uniforms rowing tractor inner tubes with a bowl in the middle, little rug outs and rafts to school shows amazing resilience to me.
I am not yet sure how we can help, I think there will be a major disease problem within the next week and this may be an area we can directly focus on. Certainly, even if the rain ceases, best estimates is it will take two weeks for the flooding to subside.
If you feel that you would like to help, can I ask that you place a donation on our website www.indochinastarfish.org and just enter FLOOD RELIEF in the comment/message field.
We will make sure we do not waste the money I promise.
Paul Markland
17th October 2010
