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Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of): Typhoon: 2000/08/31 Country Information on DRR

Period 2000/08/31
Country or District Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of)
Event Type Typhoon
Outline Typhoon Prapiroon (Tropical Storm 12) battered the north-east coast of the Korea on the night of 31 August 2000. The worst storm in the area for 30 years raged for 27 hours, bringing heavy rain and high winds. The storm has caused extensive damage to houses, infrastructure, including roads, bridges, rail, communications such as telephone lines, public buildings and water and sewage systems as well as to crops. The most serious damage appears to have occurred in North and South Hamgyong provinces in the north-east corner of the country.So far(9/22) 46 people have been reported as dead.
Summary
Human Impact Physical Impact Others
OCHA Situation Report No. 3 2000/09/27
So far 46 people have been reported as dead. Houses damaged by flood water:96,000
Houses destroyed:29,400

Transport Infrastructure
Paved road washed away :470 km
Unpaved road washed away :1,100 km
Bridges damaged: 2,100
Total bridge length destroyed: 64,506 m
Damage to Railway embankments :258 location
273,180 m3
Damage to Railway Bridges :10
Destruction of Railway Bridges: 1
Damage to Tunnels :14m (1 tunnel)
Landslide of Railway Embankment: 24
3,200 m

Public Buildings, Factories and Means of Production
Public Buildings damaged :768
Production machines damaged :2,400
Fishing vessels destroyed :344
Fish production units (ponds) damaged :106

Utilities
Electricity Pylons damaged/destroyed 36
Electricity poles damaged/destroyed 4,400
Electricity Cables lost 542 km
Telephone Poles destroyed 17,700
Telephone lines lost 1,100km

Agriculture and Agricultural Infrastructure

1. Rice
Destroyed Crop/3,000 ha
Flattened by Winds/9,300 ha
Flooded/30,500 ha

2. Maize
Destroyed Crop/4,030 ha
Flattened by Winds/57,300 ha
Flooded/12,900 ha

3. Vegetables
Destroyed Crop/1,900 ha
Flattened by Winds/30 ha
Flooded/11,300 ha

4. Others
Destroyed Crop/1,000 ha
Flattened by Winds/1,000 ha
Flooded/3,300 ha

Estimated Rice Loss 153,000 MTs
Estimated Maize Loss 252,000 MTs
Damage to Embankments 170 km
Damage to Tidal Land Dykes 54,000 m3
Damage to Sea Dykes 2,000 m



OCHA Situation Report No. 1 2000/09/14
Situation
South Hamgyong: 13 kilometre stretch of road north of the provincial capital, Hamhung, was washed away by the tidal wave and several bridges in the area were destroyed. Thunderous downpours of hail and rain are reported to have triggered a major landslide in the Tanchon mining area, causing considerable damage to the mines.

North Hamgyong: Chongjin, the capital of North Hamgyong province, has spent days under a metre of water as a result of the tidal wave. Chongjin is still out of telephone reach. Many of the bridges that link the city with other areas were completely or partially destroyed by the storm and travel to and from the region is out of the question. The level of the Tuman River rose so suddenly in the Onsong area of North Hamgyong that more than 400 surrounding houses were flooded and thousands of hectares of paddy fields and other land were buried in silt.

Kangwon: The 150 metre-long bridge linking Wonsan city with Thongchon county was completely washed away by the tidal wave. Over 200 to 300 mm of rain were recorded in Phyonggang, Kimhwa, Kosong, Thongchon, Anbyon and other counties in Kangwon province, leaving hundreds of houses and scores of public buildings submerged or destroyed, and severing power and communications networks.

Ryanggang: More than a thousand families lost their homes to Typhoon Prapiroon in this province. The railway station at Hyesan and factories in Hyesan and Samsu counties were submerged by floodwaters the night of the storm, as were offices handling city administration and land management. Hyesan had twice been flooded earlier the same month. The main road to Hyesan was still impassable two days ago.

North Pyongan, North Hwanghae and Kaesong City: Torrential rain damaged tens of thousands of hectares of paddy and other agricultural land in Pakchon, Chonma, Thaechon, Uiju and Kusong counties in the province of North Pyongan. In North Hwanghae province crops were seriously damaged by torrential rain and hail and winds. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and many hectares of agricultural land were submerged in floodwaters for three days in the area surrounding Kaesong city.

Related Links

Report/Articles

IFRC 2000/10/09

AFP 2000/10/05
Twenty thousand tonnes of corn arrived in North Korea on Thursday, South Korean officials said, and more was on the way despite an attack by the communist state on foreign aid.

Reuters 2000/10/04
South Korea will begin shipments of $100 million worth of food to famine-stricken North Korea (news - web sites) on Wednesday or on Thursday, officials said.

Baptist World Aid Responds to Floods in Asia(2000/10/02)

IFRC 2000/09/27
The first cargo of 43 tonnes of medicine has arrived in Pyongyang. The medicines, airlifted by the Danish Red Cross, will be distributed to 450 hospitals and 1,250 health clinics in four provinces of the DPR Korea, helping 5.8 million people.

OCHA Situation Report No. 3 2000/09/27
The homeless are either staying with relatives or are occupying public buildings, such as schools. Basic foodstuffs are being provided by local authorities and kitchens in some kindergartens and schools are being used to prepare food for those made homeless.

AFP 2000/09/25
North Korean sounded a new famine alert Monday when it disclosed that more than 1.4 million tonnes of grain had been lost because of severe drought and typhoons this year.

Reuters 2000/09/22
Torrential rains and a typhoon have swept across North Korea, killing many people, triggering landslides and destroying tens of thousands of homes.The storms this month destroyed or damaged some 125,000 homes, of which 29,000 were completely demolished or swept away.

OCHA Situation Report No. 2 2000/09/22
Typhoon Saomai, which passed over the Korean peninsula on 16 September, has compounded the misery caused by Typhoon Prapiroon. However, no additional major infrastructural damage has been observed in South Hamgyong. Similarly, in North Hamgyong.

IFRC 2000/09/19
Due to the forthcoming winter, the immediate needs are to assist in the reconstruction of houses and to supply non-food relief items including first aid kits, water and sanitation facilities, blankets, cooking sets and plastic sheeting.

OCHA Situation Report No. 1 2000/09/14
While the entire eastern coast of the country was affected by Tropical Storm 12, the most serious damage appears to have occurred in North and South Hamgyong provinces in the north-east corner of the country, particularly from Hamhung northwards.