Rains wreak havoc in North Korea
Source: Agencies |
July 31, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
HEAVY rain pounded North Korea for a second day yesterday, submerging buildings, cutting off power, flooding rice paddies and forcing people and their livestock to reach safety on dry rooftops.
The latest rain follows downpours earlier this month that killed nearly 90 people and left more than 60,000 homeless, officials said. The weeks of rain come on the heels of a severe drought, fueling renewed food worries about a country that is struggling to feed its people.
Two-thirds of North Korea's 24 million people face chronic food shortages, a United Nations report said last month, while asking donors for US$198 million in humanitarian aid for the country. South Korean analyst Kwon Tae-jin said the recent flooding, coming so soon after the dry spell, is expected to worsen North Korea's food problems.
On Sunday and yesterday, rain hit the capital Pyongyang and other regions, with western coastal areas reporting heavy damage.
In Anju City in South Phyongan Province, officials reported 1,000 houses and buildings were destroyed and 2,300 hectares of farmland were completely covered.
The Chongchon River in Anju flooded yesterday, cutting communication lines and submerging rice paddies and other fields, said Kim Kwang Dok, vice chairman of the Anju City People's Committee, adding that the disaster is the worst in the city's history.
If it rains again before the water drains, Kim said, the damage will be greater.
The latest rain follows downpours earlier this month that killed nearly 90 people and left more than 60,000 homeless, officials said. The weeks of rain come on the heels of a severe drought, fueling renewed food worries about a country that is struggling to feed its people.
Two-thirds of North Korea's 24 million people face chronic food shortages, a United Nations report said last month, while asking donors for US$198 million in humanitarian aid for the country. South Korean analyst Kwon Tae-jin said the recent flooding, coming so soon after the dry spell, is expected to worsen North Korea's food problems.
On Sunday and yesterday, rain hit the capital Pyongyang and other regions, with western coastal areas reporting heavy damage.
In Anju City in South Phyongan Province, officials reported 1,000 houses and buildings were destroyed and 2,300 hectares of farmland were completely covered.
The Chongchon River in Anju flooded yesterday, cutting communication lines and submerging rice paddies and other fields, said Kim Kwang Dok, vice chairman of the Anju City People's Committee, adding that the disaster is the worst in the city's history.
If it rains again before the water drains, Kim said, the damage will be greater.
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