The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is seeking 4.7 million USD in international assistance to support Vietnamese victims of typhoon Ketsana.

IFRC Chief Representative in Vietnam , Ewa Erickson, told reporters on Oct. 5 that the federation issued an emergency appeal on Oct. 2 to solicit aid to help the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) provide relief to 50,000 families, comprising 210,000 people, for 12 months.

On Sept. 30, IFRC allocated 324,000 USD from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to the VNRC to back its relief operations.

Doan Van Thai, Vice President and General Secretary of the VNRC, said his society has, to date, received pledges of support in cash and goods worth 904,000 USD from its counterparts in Switzerland , Luxembourg , Norway , Australia and Singapore , as well as international organisations such as the US Agency for International Development and Save the Children.

Meanwhile, the American Red Cross is calling on the US government to grant 500,000 USD to assist the victims of Ketsana, the ninth storm that has struck the country since the beginning of this year.

Thai said that right after the storm devastated Vietnam’s central region, IFRC and Red Cross societies of Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain joined hands with the VNRC to assess losses and the essential needs in the typhoon-hit areas.

In a press release issued on Oct. 5, the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi said the Japanese government decided to provide emergency aid worth 20 million JPY including tents, blankets, etc, to support the affected people.

The same day, Plan Vietnam also announced a grant of close to 9 billion VND (500,000 USD) to support children and households in Kon Tum, Quang Ngai and Quang Tri provinces, which were affected by the disaster.

The organisation will also lend a helping hand to victims in Quang Binh and other provinces in the days to come based on assessments of their needs.

In another move, New Zealand ’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully has pledged to contribute 400,000 NZD to relief efforts in the Philippines , Vietnam and Cambodia to help them overcome the typhoon’s aftermath.

According to Minister McCully, New Zealand ’s contributions will be channelled through the Red Cross and other aid agencies. The money will help to provide medical supplies, petrol, generators, sanitation equipment, food and shelter.

As of Oct. 5, domestic organisations, businesses, individuals and overseas Vietnamese have contributed or registered to donate nearly 28 billion VND (1.57 million USD) and commodities worth hundreds of millions of VND to support the victims.

Typhoon Ketsana, which was considered the most powerful storm to hit Vietnam in the past 45 years, swept through the central region on Sept. 29, causing great losses in human life and property for 12 central and Central Highlands provinces and cities.

Statistics released by the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control show that Ketsana had left 162 dead, 17 missing and 620 injured by Oct. 4. It also knocked down more than 21,000 houses and destroyed many public works and roads./.